strand oldies

[mini mansell]

As a newbie to lighting everyday something I have never seen before adds to my experiences.

 

yesterday I was working on a production and was told in advance they had inhouse sound and lighting.

 

asking to see the lighting desk I was shown a strand junior 8.

 

has anyone else got a memory old enough to have used one of these. I was told it was 40 yrs old and still in regular use

[Guest lightnix]

Here's a link to the part of the Strand Archive page which mentions the Junior 8 and has a couple of pictures.

 

Scroll to the top of the page and note the "big piece of wood" operating technique :( :P :D

[Dave]

I can actually remember one being used for a play at junior school, when I was no more than 10 years old (that's 24 years ago!!!). I know they hired it from somewhere, because they bought their own kit the following year.

[Stu]

Moderation: Moved to LX from General Tech Chat

 

Stu

[Brian]

Like Dave, I used my first Junior 8 at school; I would have been around 13 (about hurrumpf years ago). The Junior 8 was an addition to the main 12-way dimmer board. To do a master fade required 3 lengths of broom handle...

 

Piece 1 bridged the 4 'faders' on the junior 8 and was operated by your right hand.

Piece 2 bridged the top 6 'faders' on the main board and used your left hand.

Piece 3 bridged the lower 6 'faders' on the main and used your left foot.

 

In fact, of course, it wasn't really a master fade, those faders at higher settings were all brought down to the setting of the lowest fader and so on until blackout.

[paulears]

and the brightness dipped when you plugged in an extra load.

 

oh, yes - if you tried to flash lights in time with the music, you soon got a sweat on, and if you were too enthusiastic, there was a bang and the resistance wire went.

 

I also seem to remember to get from full on to the dimmer position involved going past off, which annoyed me.

 

While we're on the subject of dimming sticks, the control room had them on two walls! we made a right angle wooden grand master fader. I also remember making flash pods out of pieces of 2 x 2 timber with a dent made with a hammer for the flash powder, which was ignited by a bit of fuse wire strung between two nails, powered by mains! Things have certainly moved on in the safety front - I must have been so dangerous???

Oddly, at the time no one found this at all worrying.

[benweblight]

I would prefer it to furse gear!!!

[andystone]

Well at school we had a Strand Sunset system - three rows of eight rheostat dimmer with a big wheel on the end of each. A fade to blackout required two hands and one foot to operate all three wheels at the same time.

 

Best was the end of term disco where we used our portable system 8 x rheostat dimmers mounted in a completely open cast iron frame - at least the dimmers kept cool, you just had to watch out for flying bits of red hot metal!

 

Those were the days, HSE - what was that?

[P. Funk]

well.. I'm pretty sure thats what I used at my primary school when I left in 1997.. I think its still there as well. controlling a marvellous array of 2 23's and 4 123's :(

[Pete McCrea]

There is some sort of beast loitering with intent in the tech box in plymouth main hall. Looks like it should be in a submarine with all the big dials and and wheels on it. Then someone said it was the lighting desk. I think it was modelled on the stuff in frankenstiens lab......Made by Furse of course.

[benweblight]

makes sense

[Ike]

I have used a couple for a show last year! It was a simple show and the last one before the building was to be demolished so I decided it may be my only chance to use them. It was an experience I won't forget in a hurry and one I think should be part of all lighting courses!