Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: pieced flats

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mlittle329
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Joined: 2/01/07
Location: United States
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Topic: pieced flats
Posted: 10/30/07 at 11:07am

Our director has aked for 12' set and our off site workshop ceilings are not that high. Our set builder has made 6'X6' frames to be covered in muslin, painted and then mounted together at theater. Seemed like a great idea, now wondering how to mask the seam between pieces on stage.

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Aimee
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Posted: 10/30/07 at 6:26pm

We ususlly use a strip of muslin glued to the seam, then paint it to match. You can use masking tape as well, though it tends to bubble or buckle. From a distance you don;t see the seams.

Aimee

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JoeMc
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Posted: 10/31/07 at 8:27am

Calico/muslin [Dutchman] strips work well on soft flats, or even roller bandage which can be costly.
If your using TV [hard] flats paper masking tape or even strips of newspaper [which is a pain & nessy] along with gaffer or the like.
I don't glue soft dutchman on, but prefer to over paint them with the base colour of the flat. Cutting off the dutchman slightly over sized, to give a tab at the end, for easy removal when striking & bumping out.
Tear the strips by nicking the end of the fabric, parting the muslin [calico] by going with the waeve, which gives a straighter cut line than cutting with scissors or what ever.
There must be a good reason why your builder didn't produce the Flats laying down, but at least he/she built them.
Mounting the top header flat, it can be secured by the other flats at the side, even if they are lashed & cleated together, it may be an idea to to locate them in place using hinges [screwed on to the header bottom rail & the tail flats top rail to lock in to position & stop any movement. Loose pin flap hindges work well ;-
http://www.doughty-engineering.co.uk/cgi-bin/trolleyed_public.cgi?action=showprod_T61700
Or even fixing the 'Pelmet clip & socket plates will work.
Depending on the width of the Flats jioned together, you may have to use a 'Ledger' brace along the rear of the flats. With 'French' Braces [Jacks] judicialy fitted to stablise all of them.

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

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vickifrank
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Joined: 9/21/07
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Posted: 10/31/07 at 8:29am

What Aimee is suggesting reminds me of a fabric hinge. The only difference is that Aimee is suggesting that you glue the strip on one side and the hinge that I've used before is that the fabric hinge has fabric and glue on both sides. So the fabric hinge is meant to be a permanant hinge. So you cover the flats with muslin, then lay the flats face up and glue a strip to the seam, then fold the flats over so the faces are face-to-face and glue a second strip over the same seam.

So if you transport the flats you fold them together and transport. You have a 6' x 12' flat, just folded in half. If you want to be fancier...if the flats are a box construction frame, pre-drill two holes so you can drop a 16 penny nail into to hold them in the open position on stage, or if they are a flat frame construction, pre drill holes and mount a metal hinge in the open position and pull the pin before transport. When you install the flats on stage reinsert the pin to hold the flats open. Pin in means the flat is held open, pin out meand you can fold the two together.

If you don't want to do the fabric strip or the fabric hinge, and if the archetecture style is right for it on the set, you can also use a chair rail molding to cover the seam. Or a border print for a wall paper.

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JoeMc
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Posted: 10/31/07 at 10:31am

Full cloth hinges is a great idea Vicki to book the head & tail flats.
Crickey I have not used them fo eons, but it would solve a lot of problems that might raise thier head on bump in.
Possibly this may also be not be a bad idea for KimL as well & may cut down on set up time, rather than atempting to mask off the rear of the flats when being put together at the venue.
Chookas Vicki Star

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

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Set Design and Construction
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Set Design and Construction

Author	Message
mlittle329 Walk-On Joined: 2/01/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Topic: pieced flats Posted: 10/30/07 at 11:07am
	Our director has aked for 12' set and our off site workshop ceilings are not that high. Our set builder has made 6'X6' frames to be covered in muslin, painted and then mounted together at theater. Seemed like a great idea, now wondering how to mask the seam between pieces on stage.

	IP Logged

Aimee Celebrity Joined: 8/31/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 156	Posted: 10/30/07 at 6:26pm
	We ususlly use a strip of muslin glued to the seam, then paint it to match. You can use masking tape as well, though it tends to bubble or buckle. From a distance you don;t see the seams.
	Aimee
	IP Logged

JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 10/31/07 at 8:27am
	Calico/muslin [Dutchman] strips work well on soft flats, or even roller bandage which can be costly. If your using TV [hard] flats paper masking tape or even strips of newspaper [which is a pain & nessy] along with gaffer or the like. I don't glue soft dutchman on, but prefer to over paint them with the base colour of the flat. Cutting off the dutchman slightly over sized, to give a tab at the end, for easy removal when striking & bumping out. Tear the strips by nicking the end of the fabric, parting the muslin [calico] by going with the waeve, which gives a straighter cut line than cutting with scissors or what ever. There must be a good reason why your builder didn't produce the Flats laying down, but at least he/she built them. Mounting the top header flat, it can be secured by the other flats at the side, even if they are lashed & cleated together, it may be an idea to to locate them in place using hinges [screwed on to the header bottom rail & the tail flats top rail to lock in to position & stop any movement. Loose pin flap hindges work well ;- http://www.doughty-engineering.co.uk/cgi-bin/trolleyed_public.cgi?action=showprod_T61700 Or even fixing the 'Pelmet clip & socket plates will work. Depending on the width of the Flats jioned together, you may have to use a 'Ledger' brace along the rear of the flats. With 'French' Braces [Jacks] judicialy fitted to stablise all of them.
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
	IP Logged

vickifrank Celebrity Joined: 9/21/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 332	Posted: 10/31/07 at 8:29am
	What Aimee is suggesting reminds me of a fabric hinge. The only difference is that Aimee is suggesting that you glue the strip on one side and the hinge that I've used before is that the fabric hinge has fabric and glue on both sides. So the fabric hinge is meant to be a permanant hinge. So you cover the flats with muslin, then lay the flats face up and glue a strip to the seam, then fold the flats over so the faces are face-to-face and glue a second strip over the same seam. So if you transport the flats you fold them together and transport. You have a 6' x 12' flat, just folded in half. If you want to be fancier...if the flats are a box construction frame, pre-drill two holes so you can drop a 16 penny nail into to hold them in the open position on stage, or if they are a flat frame construction, pre drill holes and mount a metal hinge in the open position and pull the pin before transport. When you install the flats on stage reinsert the pin to hold the flats open. Pin in means the flat is held open, pin out meand you can fold the two together. If you don't want to do the fabric strip or the fabric hinge, and if the archetecture style is right for it on the set, you can also use a chair rail molding to cover the seam. Or a border print for a wall paper.
	IP Logged

JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 10/31/07 at 10:31am
	Full cloth hinges is a great idea Vicki to book the head & tail flats. Crickey I have not used them fo eons, but it would solve a lot of problems that might raise thier head on bump in. Possibly this may also be not be a bad idea for KimL as well & may cut down on set up time, rather than atempting to mask off the rear of the flats when being put together at the venue. Chookas Vicki
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
	IP Logged

Topic: pieced flats( Topic Closed)