Jon Fairhurst
October 15th, 2014, 11:09 AM
We bought some inexpensive Fresnel lights a while ago, and they look great. The one problem that we've had is with the electrical connection from the lamp socket to the lamp. Turn the light on and it works great all day. Turn it off for a break, let it cool, and turn it back on and it might not fire. This really sucks when you have cast and crew ready to go!
The first time this happened, we replaced the bulb and it still didn't fire. We checked the connections and figured that the switch might have gone bad. We removed the bum light and shot a different scene.
Later that day I figured that it might be a bad connection from fixture to lamp. Fortunately, I had some copper coat, painted it on the bulb leads, inserted the bulb, and we were back in business.
Copper coat is used on automotive head gaskets. There is a spray and a liquid version. For this application, you want liquid. You have to stir it up well to get the copper into the liquid. After painting it on, it's a bit tacky, but it doesn't act as an adhesive and the copper slurry fills the gaps with conductive goodness.
Napa Auto Parts isn't a sponsor here, but it's probably okay if I provide this link:
NAPA AUTO PARTS (http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Gasket-Sealer-Copper-Coat-4-oz-KW-Copper-Coat/_/R-KW_401504_0006406066)
If you want to add this to your kit, I'd recommend keeping it in a plastic bag as you don't want slop on the lip of the can polluting your grip bag. You might want to bring disposable gloves for the rare time you'd need to use it.
So copper coat is one solution. I think it's better than sanding connectors as that can expose the metal to air and cause corrosion.
Are there better (less sticky and messy) solutions out there for our lighting kits? (Note that when applied properly, it stays put and doesn't run or cause problems, but the process of applying it could get messy.)
The first time this happened, we replaced the bulb and it still didn't fire. We checked the connections and figured that the switch might have gone bad. We removed the bum light and shot a different scene.
Later that day I figured that it might be a bad connection from fixture to lamp. Fortunately, I had some copper coat, painted it on the bulb leads, inserted the bulb, and we were back in business.
Copper coat is used on automotive head gaskets. There is a spray and a liquid version. For this application, you want liquid. You have to stir it up well to get the copper into the liquid. After painting it on, it's a bit tacky, but it doesn't act as an adhesive and the copper slurry fills the gaps with conductive goodness.
Napa Auto Parts isn't a sponsor here, but it's probably okay if I provide this link:
NAPA AUTO PARTS (http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Gasket-Sealer-Copper-Coat-4-oz-KW-Copper-Coat/_/R-KW_401504_0006406066)
If you want to add this to your kit, I'd recommend keeping it in a plastic bag as you don't want slop on the lip of the can polluting your grip bag. You might want to bring disposable gloves for the rare time you'd need to use it.
So copper coat is one solution. I think it's better than sanding connectors as that can expose the metal to air and cause corrosion.
Are there better (less sticky and messy) solutions out there for our lighting kits? (Note that when applied properly, it stays put and doesn't run or cause problems, but the process of applying it could get messy.)