smash!!!

[MrBoomal]

Out of curiosity, I'm sure everyone tightens their clamps and puts safety steels on every fixture, but, has anyone ever actually seen a lamp fall from a rig?

[tom_the_LD]

Not yet and I hope to never have to!

 

The one thing I have seen though which is slightly different to the OP, is a PATT 123 open in half in the middle of a show; it was on at the time too! :)

[Bryson]

Only when someone was changing it. Usually they're inside the lanterns nice and safe.

 

Or did you mean "lantern" buy any chance? There is a difference, and it does matter.

[JMC]

Have seen a Source4 knocked off a bar (and caught by the safety), by a frenchman flying past (out) very close at great speed!

[five_pin_xlr]

Was helping at a local youth club, we had a nightclub type thing.

The youth club owns 2mac500 and 4 mac 250+.

 

we used the mac 250+ on manfrottos, that can hold 30kg.

 

As we were about to open the manfrotto vertical bar snapped.

 

Fortunatley no one was in the area, and the mac wasn't powered up, but when I got back from the chipshop the manfrotto bar and the mac were lying on the floor.

 

mac 250+ slightly damaged, and we didnt open for 30 more minutes, whilst I ensured it was all ok, we threw the broke manfrotto out and bought 2 new ones, so all is good.

[Jon T]

Have seen a VL5 drop 80ft from the truss into a water filled lake which was part of the set... I have pictures of the unit damaged ( well damaged is an under statement.... )... I will try to upload a bit later.

 

Jon

[benweblight]

This makes for worrying reading...

http://www.ukslc.org/forum/index.php?topic=2529.0

 

I mean, rigging a light with tape is bad enough, but to do that without a safety, certainly scared me.

[Ynot]

The youth club owns 2mac500 and 4 mac 250+.

 

we used the mac 250+ on manfrottos, that can hold 30kg.

 

As we were about to open the manfrotto vertical bar snapped.

Hmmmm....

Sorry, but I have to ask....

How many Mac 250's did you have on each stand?

And how did it come to break the vertical section???

Manfrotto are a pretty decent manufacturer as I recall (don't own any myself, I have to say) so should not break if correctly used/loaded.

 

I also recall another recent thread (had a quick look but can't find it at the mo) which recommended that lighting stands are NOT recommended for suspending moving head fixtures..... Something I'd most certainly support.

[five_pin_xlr]

1 per stand.

 

I just think the manfrotto was old, it was the oldest one they had, and it's kept in a shed.

[Ynot]

1 per stand.

 

I just think the manfrotto was old, it was the oldest one they had, and it's kept in a shed.

OK....

So how were you mounting the Macs on these stands?

[JMC]

Come to think of it I've also snapped a counterweight bar (sheared off at a joint in the gas barrel..). Took some effort! :)

 

Before everyone leaps on me I should point out that this was not due to improper use, but rather a combination of unforseen freak accidents.

[GridGirl]

I've seen barn doors knocked out of a Patt 223 by a piece of scenery - they were safetied though so no damage done. I've also had an old Selecon 1k fresnel's lamp tray open mid-show - an actor bounced a basketball against a set wall, which was supported by a piece of scaff which was bolted to the grid, close to where the lantern was hanging; I don't think the lamp tray was properly shut and it swung open with the movement in the grid caused by the basketball, creating some interesting lighting effects!

[five_pin_xlr]

had a halfcoupler on a spiggot into the stand, then a 1.5m alu pipe going through it.

[LampieManPro]

so it was unevenly loaded then?, personaly I would never mount any form of moving light on a stand/tripod simply because you put to much stress on the horizontal bar and kinetic movement is never good on a tripod.

 

The way some people work really scares me

[Ynot]

had a halfcoupler on a spiggot into the stand, then a 1.5m alu pipe going through it.

Hmmm....

To be perfectly honest, as with the discussion in the other thread (still can't find it!!) I wouldn't say that this is a seriously safe way of mounting moving heads. Certainly not a method I'd suggest/recommend.

there's just too much movement, especially when the stand is extended at all.

I wouldn't have expected the stand to break, though - fallen, very possibly.

Though if you did have it extended fully, the stresses you'd exert on the vertical column would be quite high and at the juncture of the outer and inner columns that may well be enough to cause a fracture - most likely if the stand had been used similarly in the past - building up a weakness...

Is this how you used the stands?

 

EDIT: GOT IT!! Here's the thread I was thinking of.