Set Design and Construction: spring-loaded roll drop

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spring-loaded roll drop

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Set Design and Construction
Forum Discription: Post your questions or suggestions about designing or building a set here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3859
Printed Date: 11/24/24 at 11:24am
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Topic: spring-loaded roll drop

Posted By: joleri
Subject: spring-loaded roll drop
Date Posted: 3/02/09 at 6:14pm

I am working on a performance piece that takes places in an 8'x8' cube. The cube is composed of a wooden frame with painted muslin drops filling in the walls and the ceiling. The painted drops need to change throughout the performance and to disappear entirely at certain points.

I am posting this to find out if anyone has any ideas on how to rig a spring-loaded roll drop. It should essentially function like portable projection screens do - a dowel at the bottom of the drop will be pulled to unfurl the drop and then hook onto the bottom of the frame, keeping the drop open. The top of the drop would be attached to another dowel that is spring-loaded so as to maintain constant torque, pulling the drop tight. When the bottom of the drop is unhooked, the top dowel will roll the drop back onto itself.

I've been mulling over this for while, so any ideas to achieve this in a relatively economic (both financially and spacially) way would be greatly appreciated!

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-joseph

Replies:

Posted By: vickifrank
Date Posted: 3/03/09 at 8:29am

See if this article helps you: http://www.studio-productions-inc.com/white_papers/wp_oleo_olio_rolldrop.html - http://www.studio-productions-inc.com/white_papers/wp_oleo_olio_rolldrop.html

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http://www.studio-productions-inc.com
1-800-359-2964

The theater scrim people

Posted By: joleri
Date Posted: 3/03/09 at 9:50am

Thanks, but i've already read that article and all it says about spring-loaded rolls is that their rig is NOT one.

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-joseph

Posted By: David McCall
Date Posted: 3/03/09 at 11:41am

The only spring loaded rollers I've seen are the rollers that are used with roll-up shades. Have you talked with a place that makes up custom window shades? You might even be able to just painting on a shade instead of using muslin. I doubt that muslin would roll up that nicely.

They typically have a self locking feature that I would have them disable and use some other method of keeping the roll open.

Posted By: joleri
Date Posted: 3/03/09 at 8:59pm

thank you so much, David.
I had dismissed this idea earlier, assuming that blinds would be too expensive, that they wouldn't take paint well, and that the locking feature you mentioned would get in the way. but i did some tests today and found that 6'x6.5' blinds are only $30, that the vinyl actually takes paint really well and will roll up easily, and that the locking mechanism can be removed with a leatherman and some willpower. I'll be doing a full-scale test tomorrow to make sure that this is the right solution, but thanks for making me revisit this idea!

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-joseph