To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:14:46 -0500
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] using photo light tripods for building free


tripods usually have long legs that can be cumbersome,e sopecially for 
smoothing moving of them during a show in the dark.

Why not make some sturdy stand by simply adding plumbing fixtures to a 
circle of plywood?
I'm talking about the pipe fixtures in two parts that allow a pipe to be 
installed to a wall.
The bottom part is a disk of metal with threads in the center (female).
The top part is a pipe with threads on te outside (male).
You can use the metal pipe as the pole for your lights, or slide a 
broomstick in the a shorter pipe and glue it there permanently (don't push 
the stick all the way down the pipe, you need some free space to allow for 
screwing the pipe in the plug)

Black matte tape can be added to the pipe and fixture to make them 
"disapear".
The plywood bases are easily painted with multiple coats of flat black latex 
wall paint.
Several coats are better, as this will withstand scratches and bumps longer.

I've seen and used those stands when working for a giant pupet company. It 
was their standard way of holding up puppets, both backstage and during 
exhibitions. Some bigger puppets required more than one stand.

I've been using the same fixtures as great strong armature bases for my 
oil-based clay models.
The only difference is that I use pipes of no onger than 6 inches high, and 
my stick is a dowel that is slightly loose in the pipe, to allow for 
rotation and picking up of the object.



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