Has anyone ever tried making glass gobos?

[Shonbal]

Back when I worked in the lighting industry, we would always use glass gobos to project images and create cool effects. I was just wondering if anyone has ever messed with making them?

[TlkQ]

I also work in lighting. It's a bitch to make them the right size to fit in the holders. Good concept though.

[FredLight]

Yes, I used to make them at QSP, and at Infinite Optics.

Mostly from .96 inches up to 4.96 inches for older units, and then 8 inch and larger for old school color mix units.

Precise sizes too. Every size was ground on a lathe, +/-.001".

Laser etched dichroics? Yes.

Multi colored images by laminating pieces of 1.1 mm boro sheet? Yes.

Infinite Optics is in Santa Ana,CA. They also have a website.

[FredLight]

Lol, it IS a bitch to make them the right size to fit the holders......

....the first time.....

Lol.

[TlkQ]

Precise sizes too. Every size was ground on a lathe, +/-.001".


Things tend to be difficult when you don't have the proper equipment.

[Aussie]

http://images.wikia.com/muppet/images/5/50/Gobo-fraggle.jpg

[daveabr]

i did some multicolored dichro ones for someone that was doing lights for the Disco Biscuits. did their logo on squares, to be inserted into light fixtures. never got to see them in action though.

[Shonbal]

So can you sandblast logos instead of laser etching?

[FredLight]

Not as clean but yes.

What lighting units are you intending to use these gobos in?

ETC Source 4's were the easiest for me, but they get screaming hot after just 1 minute.

[TlkQ]

All lighting instruments get wicked hot almost instantly. ETC's being one of the cooler running instruments thanks to their cold reflector technology.

[FredLight]

That "cold reflector technology" is used in everything from household halogen units to Mag-lite flashlights, which we used to coat at the Santa Ana location.

The reflector is coated much the same as a dichroic, but with the difference being that the transmission wavelength for IR is allowed to pass through the reflector instead of being reflected away, which concentrates the heat on the bulb, instead of the gobo and ultimately onto the stage,performers,etc.

I would disagree about Source 4's not getting as hot as other units, but I know you've probably had to handle them in actual working conditions.

After seeing what a Source 4 can do to a gel filter, I think I know where they got the idea for Shrinky-Dinks.

[TlkQ]

Trust me, other instruments fry the shit out of gels much faster. Also, the darker gels burn out much faster as well for obvious reasons.

All instruments are capable of frying the shit out of an egg. Just saying, Source 4's are cooler than most.

[TlkQ]

We won't put metal gobo's in traditional ellipsoidals because they fry the fuck out of them so fast. Source 4 Mini-Zooms are the best, coolest conventional instruments on the market in my opinion.

[FredLight]

I stand corrected. I'd never worked with the Mini-Zoom.

[Shonbal]

The company that I was contracting for had some Elations, Robes and a ton of source four lekos. Usually the gobos would go in the source fours unless it was a moving image that required several gobos in an intelligent moving light.
Also, all stage lighting gets ripping hot. The source fours aren't made of aluminum like most stage lights, so in my opinion they just take a little longer to get super hot. Unless you are using leds, then you are gonna have some serious heat issues. One time I even used two par 64s to heat my apartment.

[TlkQ]

One time I even used two par 64s to heat my apartment.

Beautiful.

[AdamCotter]

LOL, Iused to work in lights too, Stage hand local 8. Wierd we all seem to gravitate to the same shit.