addaperle Posted April 20, 2003 Share Posted April 20, 2003 Hi all, I have recently invested in several gauzes for a university theatre. The theatre is used by numerous different groups none of which make any pretence at caring for the equipment. Does anyone know of a way to store the gauzes, other than leaving them hanging on a fly bar, that might see them survive for more than the summer? While I'm on the subject - does anyone know the best way to trip a gauze, or other flexible fly for that matter - as the university, in its infinite wisdom, commissioned a theatre where the gap between the top of the pros arch and grid is less than that between the top of the arch and the stage? Any help greatly appreciated.Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Robertson Posted April 20, 2003 Share Posted April 20, 2003 I have always found the best way to store a gauze is to get a load of people when taking it off the bar. Position your team along the bar, as it is slowly flown in let it gather on there arms (making sure it doesn't hit the floor). When at working height, untie from barrel and tie a few round the gauze then snake into a bag. Reverse process for rigging.the easiest way that I know to trip a gauze (there are no doubt other ways...) is to run 2 lines from the conduit at the bottom of the sash up to the bar. Pulley on the bar take both lines to one end where there is another pulley. These lines then run down to where you have them tied off at the correct lenght. As the bar flies out the sash will eventually pick up the bottom of the gauze and take it out of sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akegplighting Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 Yes the definate best way of storing gauzes is to tumble them. lso its worth getting a cloth sausage storer. Not sure its propar name but it is the width of the cloth and about a foot wide. When you tumble the gauze and its tied up you put this on this bag then tie the bag round it to give it etra protection and then store it in a bag. The only problem with tripping a gauze with only lines is the bend in the middle depending on the width of the venue use bout 4. We use 4 for a 40ft wide flybar. Stops the conduit snapping and extra tension mounting in the middle. Just use a stretcher with the appropriate conduit receivers cut out. Clamp it round and out it goes. - just make sure they are clean!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteSav Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 To add to what Kevin said, you could try tumbling the gauze. Attach a small pulley to the gauze bar at the upstage side of the pipe. Tie a long length of blackline to the front side of the pipe at the same point and let it loop underneath the bottom conduit and back up to the pulley. You'll need enough line to get you down the down the full drop of the gauze, back up to the pulley, plus enough to get you to a bar end (x) sheave pulley and then to where you'll tie off and operate. Repeat this process at roughly 2 metre intervals. The gauze now should roll neatly up to the bar. Hope that's fairly clear :** laughs out loud **: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robloxley Posted April 21, 2003 Share Posted April 21, 2003 Does anyone know of a way to store the gauzes the university, in its infinite wisdom, commissioned a theatre where the gap between the top of the pros arch and grid is less than that between the top of the arch and the stage?I've always stored gauzes by getting lots of people to gather them up as they fly in, then tying the ties around the bundled gauze as you remove it from the bar - avoids ever letting the gauze touch the deck. Invest in some calico cloth drawstring storage bags - Joels / Whaleys etc. will make you up some pretty cheaply. A good idea is to get different colours - e.g. red for legs, blue for borders, green for gauzes - otherwise you end up with a tab rack like ours with 30-odd identical white bags! As for the flying height problem, what about hanging a border (black serge or red velour to match your house tabs as you wish) just upstage of the pros. to mask the bottom of the gauze when it's flown out? Repeat with more borders further upstage for other cloths as required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas at Halls Posted April 22, 2003 Share Posted April 22, 2003 http://www.hallstage.com/holdon.gifWe do these clever little clips, which you can attach at any point around the gauze on seams/hems etc and swag it up - sorry for the advertising, but they're bloody handy widgets and won't damage the cloth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Robertson Posted April 22, 2003 Share Posted April 22, 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.hallstage.com/holdon.gifWe do these clever little clips, which you can attach at any point around the gauze on seams/hems etc and swag it up - sorry for the advertising, but they're bloody handy widgets and won't damage the cloth These look quite handy.Can these be used for zip lines, are they tough enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas at Halls Posted April 22, 2003 Share Posted April 22, 2003 They have 2 load capacities - 30kg for the little ones and 100kg for the bigger size -- available in black or white. (I'm beginning to sound like one of those sales blokes at the Ideal Home show - God help me - I'll be chopping vegetables into novelty shapes soon!) The clips can be seen in their full glory at www.hallstage.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addaperle Posted April 25, 2003 Author Share Posted April 25, 2003 Thank you all for your help. I have drawn up an instruction sheet and stuck numerous copies of it up around the venue. Hopefully this will mean the end of snagged and ladered gauzes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryson Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 Our gauze has a bag-like arrangement sewn onto the bottom of it. Only works if you don't need to see the bottom of it, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 It seems some of the crew up here at Scottish Opera have an interesting way of storing gauzes. A couple of months ago we staged 'Orfeo Ed Euridice'. A 16 x 8mtr black gauze was bought especially for the production but in the end was not used, so I asked the lads to take it off the bar for me and pop in somewhere safe until it went to our drape store. Imagine my surprise when I strolled through the dock to see said gauze bundled up in a pile of sawdust and sh*t with more wood and stageweights on top of it! After tidying it up we put it in a cloth bag, labelled it and sent it up to the stores.A couple of weeks later I was in the stores and saw a familier looking gauze(minus bag) atop a big box of steel deck legs and more sh*t!So it got tidied and bagged again. Tomorrow we start to fit up our new Magic Flute which requires a black gauze, so yesterday morning we pre hung a few cloths to let them drop out, and lo and behold the gauze was perfect. Apart from the holes at the top, the ripped pocket and all the water stains! Good work fellas. Just one more thing, don't store your lovely nice white silk drapes in black plastic bin bags in a damp container yard. They shrink and go yellow. Happy flying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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