Re-roping stage tabs

[gotty]

I've been asked to re-rope the (pretty ancient) tabs for my local amdram - runs from a hand winch/drum using 3mm wire rope.

 

I cleaned it up many years ago, removed and cleaned the rope, and it was pretty easy to do ... but the time has come to replace the rope, and I'm trying to find something suitable.

 

Would a 6x19 fibre-core be suitable, or should I be going for 7x19 steel core?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[sunray]

What's on there at the moment?

[gotty]

What's on there at the moment?

3mm steel rope of some description. But it's very old and I see that there are several different types these days.

[ImagineerTom]

are you sure it's 3mm - that sounds very thin?

[Jivemaster]

You can only run the correct size round a grooved cable drum (+- only a little). Look for cable that's the same diameter as you currently have.

[bigclive]

Does the track have rollers or is it the wooden bobbin type runners?

[trussmonkey]

its not just a case of looking for the same sized rope. You need to find a rope that is the same size and has the correct D:d ratio for the size of drum you are using. I would suggest contacting Rope Assemblies for their opinion. Ive used Rope Assemblies for over 17 years for my rigging and SWR needs and they are one of the best vendors in the industry.

 

TM

[ianknight]

If the track currently has wire rope then replace with wire rope - it's likely to be 3mm or 4mm depending on the grooves cut in to the winder drum - you can get suitable rope from Rope Assemblies, Flints or somewhere like Central Theatre in Birmingham.

 

Things to bear in mind once you start...

 

A. Clean the track with a degreaser but don't grease it once you're done - it creates a lot of hassle

B. Check the track runner rails are straight and evenly spaced (you can use a thickness of cardboard as a guage)

C. Don't attach both lead runners to the rope until you've got all the rope on (sounds obvious - easily done - causes a lot of swearing ;) )

D. There should be spring tensioners fitted at the winder end of the track - ensure they're full compressed before clamping the rope off on the winder.

 

Allow about an hour to do it and ideally another pair of hands to help, hold some light on the winder can help keep the stress down :)

[gotty]

are you sure it's 3mm - that sounds very thin?

 

Yes, definitely 3mm.

 

If the track currently has wire rope then replace with wire rope - it's likely to be 3mm or 4mm depending on the grooves cut in to the winder drum - you can get suitable rope from Rope Assemblies, Flints or somewhere like Central Theatre in Birmingham.

 

Things to bear in mind once you start...

 

A. Clean the track with a degreaser but don't grease it once you're done - it creates a lot of hassle

B. Check the track runner rails are straight and evenly spaced (you can use a thickness of cardboard as a guage)

C. Don't attach both lead runners to the rope until you've got all the rope on (sounds obvious - easily done - causes a lot of swearing ;) )

D. There should be spring tensioners fitted at the winder end of the track - ensure they're full compressed before clamping the rope off on the winder.

 

Allow about an hour to do it and ideally another pair of hands to help, hold some light on the winder can help keep the stress down :)

 

 

Thanks for those thoughts. I'd already been looking at Rope Assemblies & Flints.

 

The track itself is currently in an awful grease&fluff state, so degreasing will be done prior to re-roping. Useful advice not to re-grease!

 

Track runner rails are definitely straight, although there's a slight bend at the winch end (I suspect through extra force required due to stiffness of the rig) - that'll be sorted.

 

Thanks again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bigclive]

The bend was probably caused by the force of overcoming the congealed grease and dirt. If the budget stretches to it, it would be night and day to fit good heavy modern track with proper clean grease-free runners.

[gotty]

The bend was probably caused by the force of overcoming the congealed grease and dirt. If the budget stretches to it, it would be night and day to fit good heavy modern track with proper clean grease-free runners.

 

I think you're absolutely right. And a modern track would be great, but there's no money unfortunately.

[DrV]

Our amdram tabs were hung from the old fashioned wooden 'cotton reel' sliders. We replaced them with modern plastic ones and cleaned it all up and that too was 'night and day' for a modest outlay. I think we got them from Hall Stage but I had a look and can't see them on their website.

[bigclive]

The wooden sliders are awful. Especially when the vicious cycle of greasing by enthusiastic volunteers begins.

 

I can recall one that had a motorised drive that had been fried completely, both by the sheer load of trying to move the bobbins and the unhelpful fact that the end of travel limit switches were clearly just dangling off the track. The unit must have been slowly and forcibly dragging the curtains open before stalling at the end and tripping out. Their routine for operating the curtains was to press the reset button and then the open/close button.

 

We fitted a Hall T60 track.

[ianknight]

Our amdram tabs were hung from the old fashioned wooden 'cotton reel' sliders. We replaced them with modern plastic ones and cleaned it all up and that too was 'night and day' for a modest outlay. I think we got them from Hall Stage but I had a look and can't see them on their website.

 

I think they discontinued those replacement bobbins at the end of 2016 but depending on the original bobbin and some patience, it might be feasible to loosen off the band on it and turn the wood through 180 degree's - it might give me a few more years service then it's someone else's problem to solve :P

[jbrown96]

The track itself is currently in an awful grease&fluff state, so degreasing will be done prior to re-roping. Useful advice not to re-grease!

 

 

Rather than using a grease, could a dry coat PTFE spray be used. It might potentially allow the curtain to move smoother on the track with the added bonus of being less hassle than grease.

I haven't personally used this on a curtain track, but have used it in other application and it does work.