Members Chickentown Posted June 28, 2012 Members Share Posted June 28, 2012 Hi all - Someone described seeing a band that had black 5 gal. buckets with LED cans in the bottom (and probably a bag of sand) with some lightweight plastic sheet material rolled and stuffed into the bucket to form a column. Apparently the plastic was the right opacity to make a cool tube of color effect. Has anyone here tried this? I'm looking for advice on what materials work best, photos would be most excellent, too. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WSEATON Posted June 28, 2012 Members Share Posted June 28, 2012 Acrylic diffuser sheets used in fluorescent fixtures. 2x4' in size and can be found at most home improvement stores wiuld work great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bryan316 Posted June 28, 2012 Members Share Posted June 28, 2012 Are there versions of the diffusers that would be flexible enough to roll into a tube without shattering? Or should this be done on a very sunny hot day so the acrylic softens up a bit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chickentown Posted June 28, 2012 Author Members Share Posted June 28, 2012 I had the impression these were tall columns - maybe 8' or better? Must have been using something other than ceiling diffuser panels...cool idea for something shorter though, WSEATON, provided they wouldn't shatter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chickentown Posted July 30, 2012 Author Members Share Posted July 30, 2012 Got it figured out. I'll be making my columns from 4'x8' material called "coroplast." Think of the stuff political yard signs are made of - 4mm thick with vertical cells that run the length of the sheet so one side can be scored and it just folds on itself really nicely. I got sheets of the color "Natural Translucent" for $22 each. Everything breaks down to flat. My friend built some bases from 2x4 and plywood that sit inside the pillar. The bases have a center hold drilled so I can mount the yoke of my fixture inside. Also some well-placed holes for running the cabling. I'll get some wood screws with big plastic washers to hold the bottom of the coroplast to the base. These aren't mine, but it gives you the idea:http://www.churchstagedesignideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/DS7_7952.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chaff67 Posted July 30, 2012 Members Share Posted July 30, 2012 Wow, that does look awesome. Please keep us updated as you get these together and post some pics if possible. Also, what led can would you be using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chickentown Posted July 30, 2012 Author Members Share Posted July 30, 2012 This pillar idea was lifted from http://www.churchstagedesignideas.com/ which actually has tons of good low-tech design ideas and healthy "how I did it" discussions under each submission. Not a church guy myself, but you gotta admire the creativity! The bases were my friend's concept. Quick test run last night, before having the bases to hold it square. I just used two pieces of packing tape to keep the box in shape This is the corner, bent at 90 degrees. I made a slit through the first layer of plastic down the center of one of the cells, setting my cutter to depth so I didn't slice all the way through. You can see how it bends and splits open in that spot. Seems like it will be pretty tough and stand up to lots of flattening and re-bending. If you have a "For Sale" sign or old political sign, practice on it. Here are the bases. Thinking I should have had the hole for cabling cut closer to the center so the DMX connectors are not flexed when I have the can pointing straight up. The fixture is an older Wiedamark Par 64 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johnny Lightboy Posted July 30, 2012 Members Share Posted July 30, 2012 thanks, I like.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mutha Goose Posted July 31, 2012 Members Share Posted July 31, 2012 I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johnny Lightboy Posted July 31, 2012 Members Share Posted July 31, 2012 another great use... http://bkhorton.com/2010/11/lighting-backdrop-pine-cove-retreat/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chickentown Posted August 7, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 7, 2012 OK, here are some looks from my DIY pillars. White ceiling tents make for a brighter environment than I like to see, but it was a pretty happy first time out with this configuration: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dcastar Posted August 7, 2012 Members Share Posted August 7, 2012 Wow, that actually does look pretty cool! *thumbs up* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Snare227 Posted August 13, 2012 Members Share Posted August 13, 2012 Where were you able to find sheets that large? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kmart Posted August 13, 2012 Members Share Posted August 13, 2012 4x8 sheets available online from numerous sources all day...Amazon.com even has them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chickentown Posted August 13, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 13, 2012 Go to a sign shop if you want to try locally. I got them for $22/sheet in 4'x8' sheets. Coroplast Natural Translucent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bryan316 Posted August 22, 2012 Members Share Posted August 22, 2012 Now this idea is really sparking ideas. I like how it throws the diamonds on the wall behind. That's fun stuff right there. My friend's band has simple 4-light RGB LED cans on a programmer, with foot controller. It could be taken off the light stand, and used inside these pillars so easily. GOING SHOPPING!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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