Weld-Bearings

You need small, ad hoc, weld-on bearings? Check this out. Use a plastic bushing, a shaft collar and a cone-point socket set screw. Weld the shaft collar over a hole, and keep the plastic bushing in place with the set screw (the cone point is key). Feel free to add a little threadlocker if you’re paranoid. Works like a charm....
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Secondhand Monopod

I like to take detailed pictures of the scene designer’s model for each set we build. Inevitably the director and stage managers want the model in rehearsal, and it becomes difficult to share. Things get really hairy when the scenic charge wants a piece of the action. Obviously, the stiller the camera, the clearer the picture. I set out to find a secondhand something I could use as a monopod. Let this be a lesson: ask a prop person for a monopod, and you’ll get a showerhead....
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Mechanism Resources

This one’s for the mech heads and purveyors of fine machinery. Cornell University’s Reuleaux Collection is a collection of 220 machines. The machines include various crank mechanisms, couplings, linkages, compound gearing… the list goes on. The website itself is a catalogue of the 19th century machines - some with accompanying videos and technical documentation. In my opinion, the machines themselves are functional, beautifully crafted works of art; they deserve some attention....
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Mirrored Flats: A Learning Experience

Found out a couple of pitfalls when building flats with mirrored acrylic skins. Our usual acrylic adhesive is a two part methacrylate based adhesive. It works incredibly well when bonding acrylic to just about any substrate (steel, wood, other plastics…) Some formulations cure to a relatively clear finish, which is quite the selling point. Unfortunately, we found that methacrylates will distort the mirror coating on mirrored plexi. Whoops. You can see the distortion in the picture below....
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Slick Edging

Here’s another choice for edging a deck and other scenic elements: paper. We recently did a production of Bad Dates and the designer wanted a smooth black finish for the “cut” edges of the walls and deck. Since the audience was sitting only four feet from the set, we experimented with wallpapering with a 50# black kraft paper. The advantages were as follows. the paper is thin enough to make the edges very clean the texture was very flat, smooth and consistent - much like bristol board....
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Stock Power Supplies for Effects

Here’s a quick post on using computer power supplies to power DC effects. Pull a power supply out of a computer and go to town! The most common computer power supplies (ATX form factor) provide several different DC voltages, such as +3v, -3v, +5v, -5v, +12v, and -12v. Mix and match between those specific wires or the common and you’ve got most of your onstage effects covered. For example, for our current show we’re using the +12v and -12v leads to power several 24v solenoid valves....
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