Rotating Panel Problem

[FunkySi]

I've got to build a large rotating panel in a 9ft x 6ft flat for a forthcoming production of Cinderella. The idea is that both sides of the panel are painted the same, Cinderella hangs her rags on a hook on the one side, there is a pyro flash, and while the flash is going off the panel quickly rotates to reveal the other side on which hangs her ball gown.

 

Does anyone know of a good way to spin the panel ? I was thinking of pivoting the panel vertically around it's centre and then using some kind of spring or tensioner to move it quickly one released.... but I'm not having much luck finding anything that will do the job.

 

Any ideas ? :** laughs out loud **:

[Brian]

I was thinking of pivoting the panel vertically around it's centre and then using some kind of spring or tensioner to move it quickly one released.... but I'm not having much luck finding anything that will do the job.

Other than a stagehand dressed in black?

 

Make a plywood pulley a foot or so in diameter fixed to the top or bottom of the flat. Wrap a line around the pulley. You make the pulley from three circular bits of ply, one smaller than the others and sandwich them together.

[mac.calder]

Does anyone know of a good way to spin the panel ? I was thinking of pivoting the panel vertically around it's centre and then using some kind of spring or tensioner to move it quickly one released.... but I'm not having much luck finding anything that will do the job.

The weight it will have to move makes a clock type spring fairly impractical. An expansion on Brians idea: If you loop the rope arround the pully and fix it at the bottom something like this:

 

________

( )________

^

Fix Here

 

(nb due to the lack of ability to   across, the carrot is not at 6 o'clock like it should be, but you should get the picture)

 

You are able to flip it backwards and forwards perfectly by alternating which rope you pull on, and it will not over flip, which can be a problem when you have reduced line of sight.

[Suzette]

I had some similar panels last year.

8' x 4' doubled sided flats. The frame was made of 2"x 1" on edge, and then covered with 4mm ply.

Through the centre of the flat (before being completely covered!) we threaded a long length of M10 studding - passed through holes in the top and bottom of the frame.

On the inside and outside of the frame there were hex nuts to hold it in place. Then the studding that protruded either end was used as the support and pivot point.

The whole thing (we had 5 panels) was in a wooden frame so holes were made in bottom and top of the outside frame to accept the studding and with some more hex nuts they all spun freely!

 

If you go down this route then I suggest you screw, rather than nail, one side of your panel so that if you need to make internal adjustments during the run it is easy to take a panel off.

[FunkySi]

Thanks for the suggestions - it's certainly given me something to go on, and the bit about screwing the one side of the panel would have been something I would have completely overlooked..... which could have been costly during the show.

 

Thanks !!! :** laughs out loud **:

[Suzette]

The other thought about screwing one panel is to try and get your set designer to paint the panels black or a dark colour as it doesn't show as much if you need to take the panel off.

Our panels were painted white which meant lots of re-painting around the edges when we took the panel off - technician finger prints all over it!!

[robert morley]

what type of pyro are you looking at to use?