Stage Weight Locks

[tomolding]

I maybe wrong, but im sure many years ago I saw a little craddle that you could stack your stage weights in. then slide a bar across the top to padlock them in place.

 

Im trying to find something so we can keep track on our stage weights and stop them dissapearing.

 

Was I dreaming or is this something that exists.

 

Thanks In advance

 

Tom

[IRW]

I maybe wrong, but im sure many years ago I saw a little craddle that you could stack your stage weights in. then slide a bar across the top to padlock them in place.

 

Im trying to find something so we can keep track on our stage weights and stop them dissapearing.

 

Was I dreaming or is this something that exists.

 

Thanks In advance

 

Tom

 

To be honest, that sounds like something that could almost be made in 20 mins out of the scrap wood pile...!

 

[bruce]

I noticed about 20 units that sound just like the ones you describe lying in our car park at work a few days ago. Fully loaded. There was also a trolley for shifting a fully loaded cage.

 

They were being used by the lift engineer for testing., each stack was 100 kilo.

 

They had been hired from HSS, can’t find them on the website, but here’s a pic of the unit and the trolley.

 

https://www.hss.com/hire/p/trolley-for-test-weight-cage

[Dave m]

A cable like bike lock would do? At least for the square ones.

I can't remember if the round type have a hole in them.

Other than that, something like a small dog crate or get someone to weld four bits of rebar to a plate and supply a second plate drilled with four holes to sandwich the stacked weights. Add a chain to stop the top being lifted off

[abbotsmike]

DCLX make a weight skate, a wheeled trolley for transporting stage weights. I'm sure if you got in touch with them Duncan would happily do a variant with some sort of locking bar.

[bruce]

Here’s an example of the things used for lift (etc) testing. Maybe not the right size for stage weights - but maybe a starting point. This one is from bluetrolley.com

 

[andy_s]

I noticed about 20 units that sound just like the ones you describe lying in our car park at work a few days ago. Fully loaded. There was also a trolley for shifting a fully loaded cage.

 

They were being used by the lift engineer for testing., each stack was 100 kilo.

 

They had been hired from HSS, can’t find them on the website, but here’s a pic of the unit and the trolley.

 

https://www.hss.com/hire/p/trolley-for-test-weight-cage

 

that looks great, but would standard 12.5kg weights fit? I seem to remember in the dim and distant past when I was at a venue that had 56lb cheeseweights as well as the standard 28lb (old money for 12.5kg) weights, that the latter had a bigger footprint. Having said that, making something very similar the right size and adding a lockable bar for not much money would be very quick easy for a metal fabricating shop. Maybe without the wheels if you want to discourage TWWOC (taking weights without consent)

(E2A - apologies Bruce, just seen your 2nd post commenting on the size...)

Edited January 9, 2020 by andy_s

[abbotsmike]

On a separate note, who can be bothered to steal stage weights?! I'd much rather leave them in one place as much as humanly possible!

[Stuart91]

On a separate note, who can be bothered to steal stage weights?!

 

Scrap scavengers. Scrap metal is sold by weight so stage weights are a dense, compact way of acquiring a decent amount.

 

A Unistrut distributor used to have premises beside us. Scrap thieves plagued them, even though it's relatively awkward stuff to nick. One guy spent a weekend in the cells because he'd been caught stealing a small rucksack's worth from their offcut pile.

[Seano]

On a slightly less larcenous level, in some venues they have an irritating habit of wandering away from the stage and propping doors open all over the place.

[Ynot]

On a slightly less larcenous level, in some venues they have an irritating habit of wandering away from the stage and propping doors open all over the place.

Certainly do. :(

 

I often have to search our building for those that have 'walked' this way.

[neilalexrose]

I wonder if you are thinking of the flints counterweight cradle for standard stage weights? No picture but see here

[sunray]

In one venue they had some which consisted of a weight with a flat bar sticking up with a series of holes drilled throught it and a plate with a rectangular hole to sit on top of the top weight. D shackles were used through a hole but a padlock could be used instead.

[J Pearce]

Brum Hippodrome have some nice trolleys for stage weights, that could easily have locking added - don't have any photos though sadly.

And yes, they do wander, and in receiving venues it can be helpful to count them in and out rather than letting visitors help themselves, to ensure you get yours back on the get out.

[andy_s]

when kitting out a new building in the early 2000s, we needed to buy sufficient stage weights for both theatre spaces. This was a large enough quantity to mean we could have them cast with the venue name. (Unfortunately, as we bought loose kit from both Halls and Flints, I can't remember which company supplied the weights, and whether Flints (given that Hall Stage no longer trades) still offer this service more than 15 years down the line... ) I think we needed to buy 50 or more weights, which would be a sizeable investment at current prices!

 

I doubt this would stop them wandering, but at least if you go into a theatre, say for the sake of argument, in the North East of Scotland and see a stage weight with "Unicorn" cast into the top, you would know where it came from originally ! :D

Edited January 10, 2020 by andy_s