Are the worth getting and which ones are the best and how much do they cost.

See my photo on the forum ............. I think they are great especially for keeping kiddies at bay!

Well, what are you like at Woodwork 3rd Gen?.

Hint:- My two original lightboxes were made as my Year 10 School Technology Project! - I even managed to get it part funded by the school!. LoL!

Make sure that you get some help doing the electrics though, but it's worth a thought. If you struggle on the perspex for the front I can give you a contact in Altrincham who sells the stuff.
Even if you made a basic front sign box like that in Spins Roadshow Picture - it would save you a lot of money.

Idea for a Sign Box.

(1) Make a 2ft x 2ft Wooden box with an open front and a false back about 8" in
(2) Paint it all black
(3) Buy some U.V Reactive Paint (Fluorescent Green / Orange / Yellow for best results)
(4) Paint your roadshow details in large letters on the false back using the UV Paint (or get a Signwriter or Art Teacher (3G ) to do it properly!).
(5) Mount an 18" fluorescent fitting and UV Tube into the bottom of the box

Bingo! - One highly effective Signbox for around £50!

I haven't used lightboxes for about 6 years now. It was more hassle then it was worth, keeping up with all of the bulb failures, Blown Triacs, and Bulgin Lead problems. They used up a lot of space in the van and gave only a very small amount of light for the time it took to daisychain them. Now I just hide my wires using thick black material with the Roadshow name on it. Just as good at hiding wires for around £12.

New Lightboxes can cost you anything between £120 and £300 each depending on the size, pattern etc. Then you've got to buy the controller to work them (Around £49) and the Bulgin leads - £9 each, to connect the boxes to the controller (and each other if you have more than 1).

A lot of outlay for around 15W of light - and okay, they do look nice when you set up, but light wise they serve very little purpose and are now just used as expensive wire hiders.

Chris i'd be interested in the contact for the front screen, I do break em from time to time. I say i'll get rid of them ............but nah!

This is where i can help you spin, go to b&Q wharehouse and they sell the same perspex for light screens.
I know this because for some reason i was looking at it yesterday.

Not wide enough for my use mate, the ones in the photograph are 36" x 36" as far as I remember B& Q only do up to 30" which is why one of mine has'nt been replaced for 2 yrs!

No you can buy huge sheets of it and cut it to size your self.

Well thank you kind sir............ Chris yours was'nt thicker kickproof stuff was it?

It's been a while since we bought any, but he used to have a whole range available from the flimsy shower booth stuff, to the thick white Opaque (sp) stuff. I used to use the really thick non see through Opaque stuff to great effect, and being around 3mm thick it was kid proof as well as kick proof . If you use 25 or 40W bulbs you don't really lose any light.

I'll try and dig his details up from an old invoice tomorrow - he used to be on the high street in Altrincham - a little D.I.Y place, and he ordered it in. not sure about mail order but I can ask.

i dont mean to pee anybody off, but i wouldn't bother with light screens, they are so 70's !!! i got rid of mine when i sold my citronic hawaii !!!! think about it - night clubs and trendy bars dont have them so why should we ??? oh and rope lights should be banned aswell !!!

Bless you jeff! I hate light screens and agree that they are so out-dated now

have i started something here ??

... hopefully jeff... we should start a campaign to ban them

I stop useing screens in 97/98. But I kept one back, just in case. And last Friday was the case, a sixties night, screen, spot boxes, mirror ball. Looked the biz and the client was over the moon.

yes mikee i agree on that point, the old style gear is probably worth keeping for 70's nights !! along with a medallion & john travolta style shirt & waistcoat !!

...medallion? Travolta shirt? Isnt that mikees usual sat night gig attire? !!!

And the Afro wig - Don't you dare laugh

us..laugh You should see me in my seventies get up ---- ginger afro wig covered in glitter, foil false eyelashes, sequined boob tube (circa 1973) and satin trousers... How funky is that!!

QUOTE (kazzachi @ Apr 29 2003, 11:30 PM)

us..laugh You should see me in my seventies get up ---- ginger afro wig covered in glitter, foil false eyelashes, sequined boob tube (circa 1973) and satin trousers... How funky is that!!

Hmmmm SEXY FOXY LADY Hellllllllllloooooo

LOL! The funny thing is that once when I was booked to do a seventies gig (I love to get into character).... I turned up to set up in the afternoon and meet the party organiser, went home, got changed into this very get up and when I went back and found the organiser to tell her that I was there, she asked who I was... really didnt recognise me!

OMG - Cold shower time

..Ok just to cool you off, going to put on my nora battie slippers and stripey jim jams --- wont be going as far as putting my hair in rollers but hope the above helps - anything rather than a cold shower!

Oh No, Now I'm really hotting up

Well back to the light screens............... I personally love em and have loads of requests to use them, I defy anybody to look at my setup (See other thread) when you have a 40ft stage to fill you need something, and you'd look mighty silly with a gantry and nothing else.

Hi Spin I was just waiting to see how long it would take you to jump in to defend the faithfull lightscreens

I use them as well , but hey look when we were born !!

cya !! damned where did I leave my other platform shoe ! ,

I just like to use them to keep kids, drunks, and everybody away from the important gear!!

QUOTE

I just like to use them to keep kids, drunks, and everybody away from the important gear!!

That's untill some twat puts his foot through the front of the screen , and it costs 35 quid for a new front perspex

i still think the only roadshow that should have light screens is the Antiques Roadshow !!!!

Awww thanks Jeff and on me birthday too............. now I really feel old LOL

I had to put my pennys worth in here,
Poor spin getting all that grief about your light screens, I think your set up looks lovely....
So I'm on spin side here, I to have front and side light screens.
And not that old either, front screens recyled from old kit and side screens new.....

I use a custom made Star Cloth screen - it looks the business cost £500, but it gets me so much hotel work. I have even hired it out on its own at £75 per night

Ian,
what does this screen look like? what sort of size?

PS. You at Caister this weekend?

Hi Eskie,
A star cloth is a piece of cloth, normally black, with pretty little bulbs in it, and they twinkle away quite happerly. At the end of the night roll it up and off you go.

It's getting late, i'm starting to make sense

Hi Mikee,

I probably wasn't clear enough in my previous message. i do know what star cloth is, but what i was asking is how Ian uses it. Is it simply draped over a screen, built into the screen etc? what sort of screen is it?

Oops, sorry

That's alright Mikee...

by the way, for anyone else reading this; I met Mikee last Sunday, the photo he uses for his avatar looks nothing like him mind you, I guess it may of about 30 years ago

Actually, I reckon he should change his monika to Hoarder!... he took a load of old gear, lights etc to a dj jumble sale to get rid of em and free up some space in his garage, and seemed to end up taking more old gear home than he walked in with

Come on, I only went home with 2 x Twister 4's and 2 x Chaos's, and the stuff I took. I haven't told the wife yet. i must admit I was a little disapionted, we normally get a lot of audio kit, and I was looking for a cheap second back up amp.

Ok ....I understand that there is a debate going on here regarding Light Screens, but I am about to stick my head above the trench and request if anyone has any plans or details of how to make a 3ft x 3ft light screen and wire it up.
I am a 60`s child...lol and as such had great fun in the seventies and I do like the look of light screens, well in certain settings...(note to self....stop sitting on the fence, the splinters are a bitch to remove!!)
anyway either that or if any has any cheap ones (very cheap) that may be in need of a loving home then please feel free to contact me

Ade

Yep we try to have a jumbly once or twice a year. And I'll probably put it forward to the committee to have one in Feb.

The meeting is in Reading, Berks.

The last couple were a bit so so, I think people are holding to their old stuff.

hi guys,i for one think light boxes are great if you have loads of stage space to fill(and it keeps the punters at bay!),

now im no techie but have made my own boxes(copied my existing old ones as a wiring guide) and wired them up as 4 channel.the only thing i found a little difficult was finding the screen for the front but as i used to work with plastics i found the best stuff was sheets of opaque polypropolene(3 mm) was ideal and soft so virtually unbreakable,a plastics manufacuring company was found and they cut it to size for me!!.at around £30 per sheet it was the most expensive part of the light.

as for wiring,if you already own a controller then you must have some sort of light you can use to work out the wiring.

in short if you set aside 1 day and about £100 you should be able to make 2 large light screens quite easily.

cheers

mick