Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Green Ideas

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gelcat
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Joined: 6/12/09
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Posts: 106

Posted: 2/25/10 at 11:43am

George, what is the flame retardancy rating of your system? I don't see a mention about that.

www.actorsguildonline.org
Actors Guild of Parkersburg
Parkersburg, WV

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George L Pettit
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Joined: 5/27/08
Location: United States
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Posts: 7

Posted: 2/25/10 at 3:27pm

In response to a question about fire-retardant of corrugated cardboard, I am providing the following:A NOTE ABOUT FIRE RETARDANT and Corrugated Cardboard: February 25, 2010

It is very important, and required by state regulations, that corrugated cardboard used in theaters and public venues be treated with a fire retardant.

Information in the CORTEC GUIDE covers the application of fire-retardant using a common garden sprayer. Corrugated cardboard should not be used on stage unless it has been treated and passed the

test confirming it conforms with State Requirements as expressed by the local Fire Marshall. It is the responsibility of the user to understand and adhere to these regulations, which are meant to protect the public and theatre personnel from great harm. George Pettit

Included for your information is a facimile of a California State Fire Marshall Bulletin dated January 8, 2010. It is reccomended that you check out the regulations for your location, as they may differ from those of the State of California.***Instead of an attachment, which I don't know how to do in this format. please go to the following link:

http://osfm.fire.ca.gov/informationbulletin/pdf/2010/matchflametestbulletin.pdf

Email me direct at georpett@gmail.com

George L Pettit, Cortec Corrugated Cardboard Scenery

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Mr. Lowell
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Joined: 1/30/07
Location: United States
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Posts: 269

Posted: 2/26/10 at 11:24am

When I strike a show I save 95% of the scenery for future shows. Only about 5% of stuff goes in the trash, such as used gaff tape and small scraps of fabric or toxic lumber.

Trash lumber under one foot in length goes into a barrel for an art teacher to burn in a pottery kiln. He does not want to burn toxic "fabricated lumber" such as MDF and plywood, so unfortunately, those small scraps must go in the trash. Along this same idea, I only buy "interior lumber" for set construction, not "exterior deck & fence lumber", which is treated with nasty stuff you don't want to breath during burning.

The trend for the past ten years was to build all our unit sets out of 1/4" lauan panelling. But even with flame retardants and back-painting, lauan still burns faster than matchsticks!

Last week I donated several old lauan hollywood flats to a homecoming bonfire. They made flames 15 feet high and were gone in 5 minutes! All the kids had to step back 20 feet from the hot fire. The lauan skin burned off the flats leaving just the 1"x3" framing. The ghostly skeletons of flats reminded me of that newsreel footage of the Hindenburg explosion, where the name of the airship burned away leaving just the metal framework. It really showed how dangerous lauan is.

I think part of the reason lauan panels burn so well is that the plys of thin wood are rather loosely pressed together, leaving lots of nooks and air pockets to propel the fire. So in other words, even if we apply FR to the outsides of lauan panelling, the fire still finds a path up through the porous interior!

Anyway, for the last year or two I have been returning to the age-old practice of building muslin broadway flats. I have been rebuilding my supply of traditional stock flats. They are very lightweight and less combustable. Besides, covering muslin flats is a good "teachable" activity for my teenage stage crews. And it involves safer tools and funner carpentry than wooden hollywood flats.

Just my 2 cents worth... -Dana

Edited by Mr. Lowell - 2/26/10 at 1:22pm

Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

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George L Pettit
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Joined: 5/27/08
Location: United States
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Posts: 7

Posted: 2/26/10 at 1:02pm

CARDBOARD, FIRE SAFETY, and Building sets for plays, musicals, props, and exhibits: (Costumns too.)

Thanks for your excellent comments about the fire safety issue and Lauan and your recycling and using Muslin. Great information!

In a test I made testing lauan with a coat of white primer on it and Corrugated cardboard treated with fire retardant, the cardboard resisted open flames better than the Lauan.

If you haven't checked out my website, <http://www.cortecscenery.com> you might want to. Corrugated cardboard also can be used to cover flats and has many uses in props and 3-D applications, some of which can be seen on the website and in the free CORTEC GUIDE you can download.

George L Pettit, Cortec Corrugated Cardboard Scenery

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Mr. Lowell
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Joined: 1/30/07
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 269

Posted: 2/26/10 at 1:26pm

Interesting. Maybe corrugated cardboard does better under flame than lauan because cardboard soaks up the liquid retardant much deeper.

***By the way, on the subject of flame retardant scenery, my brother at Stage Decoration Supply Company, ( http://www.stagedec.com/gallery.html ), likes to tell the story of the fire marshall inspecting scenery for a production of Oklahoma. The theatre had sprayed all their real bails of hay with FR, so they thought everything was cool. But the fire inspector plunged his fist down into the bails and pulled out handfuls of dry hay that would easily burn. So he ordered the staff to fill a tub with FR liquid and soak all the hay bails!

Edited by Mr. Lowell - 2/26/10 at 1:37pm

Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

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George L Pettit
Walk-On
Walk-On

Joined: 5/27/08
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7

Posted: 2/26/10 at 7:31pm

Fire Marshalls can get tough:

In the late 80's I think, there was a very bad fire at an Eastern theme park with fatalities. I designed a set soon after in a New Jersey park and ALL WOOD had to be fireproofed, which made materials and labor very expensive to buy and work with, and HEAVY! So take fire safety seriously!

George L Pettit, Cortec Corrugated Cardboard Scenery

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

Author	Message
gelcat Celebrity Joined: 6/12/09 Online Status: Offline Posts: 106	Posted: 2/25/10 at 11:43am
	George, what is the flame retardancy rating of your system? I don't see a mention about that.
	www.actorsguildonline.org Actors Guild of Parkersburg Parkersburg, WV
	IP Logged

George L Pettit Walk-On Joined: 5/27/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 7	Posted: 2/25/10 at 3:27pm
	In response to a question about fire-retardant of corrugated cardboard, I am providing the following:A NOTE ABOUT FIRE RETARDANT and Corrugated Cardboard: February 25, 2010 It is very important, and required by state regulations, that corrugated cardboard used in theaters and public venues be treated with a fire retardant. Information in the CORTEC GUIDE covers the application of fire-retardant using a common garden sprayer. Corrugated cardboard should not be used on stage unless it has been treated and passed the test confirming it conforms with State Requirements as expressed by the local Fire Marshall. It is the responsibility of the user to understand and adhere to these regulations, which are meant to protect the public and theatre personnel from great harm. George Pettit Included for your information is a facimile of a California State Fire Marshall Bulletin dated January 8, 2010. It is reccomended that you check out the regulations for your location, as they may differ from those of the State of California.***Instead of an attachment, which I don't know how to do in this format. please go to the following link: http://osfm.fire.ca.gov/informationbulletin/pdf/2010/matchflametestbulletin.pdf Email me direct at georpett@gmail.com
	George L Pettit, Cortec Corrugated Cardboard Scenery
	IP Logged

Mr. Lowell Celebrity Joined: 1/30/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 269	Posted: 2/26/10 at 11:24am
	When I strike a show I save 95% of the scenery for future shows. Only about 5% of stuff goes in the trash, such as used gaff tape and small scraps of fabric or toxic lumber. Trash lumber under one foot in length goes into a barrel for an art teacher to burn in a pottery kiln. He does not want to burn toxic "fabricated lumber" such as MDF and plywood, so unfortunately, those small scraps must go in the trash. Along this same idea, I only buy "interior lumber" for set construction, not "exterior deck & fence lumber", which is treated with nasty stuff you don't want to breath during burning. The trend for the past ten years was to build all our unit sets out of 1/4" lauan panelling. But even with flame retardants and back-painting, lauan still burns faster than matchsticks! Last week I donated several old lauan hollywood flats to a homecoming bonfire. They made flames 15 feet high and were gone in 5 minutes! All the kids had to step back 20 feet from the hot fire. The lauan skin burned off the flats leaving just the 1"x3" framing. The ghostly skeletons of flats reminded me of that newsreel footage of the Hindenburg explosion, where the name of the airship burned away leaving just the metal framework. It really showed how dangerous lauan is. I think part of the reason lauan panels burn so well is that the plys of thin wood are rather loosely pressed together, leaving lots of nooks and air pockets to propel the fire. So in other words, even if we apply FR to the outsides of lauan panelling, the fire still finds a path up through the porous interior! Anyway, for the last year or two I have been returning to the age-old practice of building muslin broadway flats. I have been rebuilding my supply of traditional stock flats. They are very lightweight and less combustable. Besides, covering muslin flats is a good "teachable" activity for my teenage stage crews. And it involves safer tools and funner carpentry than wooden hollywood flats. Just my 2 cents worth... -Dana Edited by Mr. Lowell - 2/26/10 at 1:22pm
	Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School
	IP Logged

George L Pettit Walk-On Joined: 5/27/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 7	Posted: 2/26/10 at 1:02pm
	CARDBOARD, FIRE SAFETY, and Building sets for plays, musicals, props, and exhibits: (Costumns too.) Thanks for your excellent comments about the fire safety issue and Lauan and your recycling and using Muslin. Great information! In a test I made testing lauan with a coat of white primer on it and Corrugated cardboard treated with fire retardant, the cardboard resisted open flames better than the Lauan. If you haven't checked out my website, <http://www.cortecscenery.com> you might want to. Corrugated cardboard also can be used to cover flats and has many uses in props and 3-D applications, some of which can be seen on the website and in the free CORTEC GUIDE you can download.
	George L Pettit, Cortec Corrugated Cardboard Scenery
	IP Logged

Mr. Lowell Celebrity Joined: 1/30/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 269	Posted: 2/26/10 at 1:26pm
	Interesting. Maybe corrugated cardboard does better under flame than lauan because cardboard soaks up the liquid retardant much deeper. **By the way, on the subject of flame retardant scenery, my brother at Stage Decoration Supply Company, ( http://www.stagedec.com/gallery.html ), likes to tell the story of the fire marshall inspecting scenery for a production of Oklahoma*. The theatre had sprayed all their real bails of hay with FR, so they thought everything was cool. But the fire inspector plunged his fist down into the bails and pulled out handfuls of dry hay that would easily burn. So he ordered the staff to fill a tub with FR liquid and soak all the hay bails! Edited by Mr. Lowell - 2/26/10 at 1:37pm
	Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School
	IP Logged

George L Pettit Walk-On Joined: 5/27/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 7	Posted: 2/26/10 at 7:31pm
	Fire Marshalls can get tough: In the late 80's I think, there was a very bad fire at an Eastern theme park with fatalities. I designed a set soon after in a New Jersey park and ALL WOOD had to be fireproofed, which made materials and labor very expensive to buy and work with, and HEAVY! So take fire safety seriously!
	George L Pettit, Cortec Corrugated Cardboard Scenery
	IP Logged

Topic: Green Ideas( Topic Closed)
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