Lamp storage at DVinfo.net

John Locke · February 6th, 2004, 11:23 PM

How do most of you handle your lamps for your fresnel lights? Do you remove them each time and store them in their box, or just leave them in the fixture until they burn out, transporting the light with the bulb in place?

I've just gotten my first fresnel, and from all the warnings about how delicate these lights are, I'm suprised they don't suggest wearing bunny suits and using medical-precision robots to put them in place.

Don Berube · February 6th, 2004, 11:29 PM

Hi John,

Since my kit travels a lot, I always de-bulb (after allowing the bulbs to cool down) at the end of a shoot as I am re-packing my kit. I store the bulbs in a tupperware container with foam padding - that way, when I am travelling with my kit, the bulbs are well protected. Also, make sure you turn off the fixture before you move it into a new position. The filaments inside the bulbs are even more sensitive when hot.

Works for me.

- don

P.S.: You can still wear the bunny suit if you insist.

Jeff Donald · February 7th, 2004, 02:16 AM

It depends on the type of travel for me. If the trips are just local I leave the lamps in place, in the fixtures. If traveling long distances, I remove the lamp. The big key for me in lamp longevity is not moving the light until the lamp has completely cooled.

John Locke · February 7th, 2004, 07:56 AM

So your one of those Tupperware-types, eh Don? Then I guess me in my bunny suit and you with your Tupperware collection would make quite a pair.

Thanks for the info, guys. I'll make sure to let them cool completely before moving them, and will take the precautions you mention.

Rick Bravo · February 7th, 2004, 10:28 PM

Don and Jeff are right on. Let your lamps cool completely before storing and packing.

If the lights are to reside in a studio or on a shelf, in the office, we leave the bulbs in the lamps. There is no real reason to remove the bulbs unless you expect to travel with them at which point, the Tupperware theory works very well.

Also, always remember to never handle the bulbs with your bare hands as the oils on you fingers will adhere to the bulb and cook off at high temperatures, thus shortenting the life of the bulb and possibly make for some dramatic, catastrophic failures, (explosions) of the same!

RB

P.S. The bunny suit, although kinky, has its own special allure, if I do say so myself!

February 6th, 2004, 11:23 PM	#1
John Locke Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Austin, TX USA Posts: 2,882	Lamp storage How do most of you handle your lamps for your fresnel lights? Do you remove them each time and store them in their box, or just leave them in the fixture until they burn out, transporting the light with the bulb in place? I've just gotten my first fresnel, and from all the warnings about how delicate these lights are, I'm suprised they don't suggest wearing bunny suits and using medical-precision robots to put them in place. __________________ John Locke SursumFilms.com

February 6th, 2004, 11:29 PM	#2
Don Berube Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Boston, MA (travel frequently) Posts: 837	Hi John, Since my kit travels a lot, I always de-bulb (after allowing the bulbs to cool down) at the end of a shoot as I am re-packing my kit. I store the bulbs in a tupperware container with foam padding - that way, when I am travelling with my kit, the bulbs are well protected. Also, make sure you turn off the fixture before you move it into a new position. The filaments inside the bulbs are even more sensitive when hot. Works for me. - don P.S.: You can still wear the bunny suit if you insist. __________________ DONALD BERUBE - noisybrain. Productions, LLC Director Of Photography/ Producer/ Consultant http://noisybrain.com/donbio.html CREATE and NETWORK with http://www.bosfcpug.org and also http://fcpugnetwork.org

February 7th, 2004, 02:16 AM	#3
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	It depends on the type of travel for me. If the trips are just local I leave the lamps in place, in the fixtures. If traveling long distances, I remove the lamp. The big key for me in lamp longevity is not moving the light until the lamp has completely cooled. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 7th, 2004, 07:56 AM	#4
John Locke Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Austin, TX USA Posts: 2,882	So your one of those Tupperware-types, eh Don? Then I guess me in my bunny suit and you with your Tupperware collection would make quite a pair. Thanks for the info, guys. I'll make sure to let them cool completely before moving them, and will take the precautions you mention. __________________ John Locke SursumFilms.com

February 7th, 2004, 10:28 PM	#5
Rick Bravo Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 574	Never move when hot! Don and Jeff are right on. Let your lamps cool completely before storing and packing. If the lights are to reside in a studio or on a shelf, in the office, we leave the bulbs in the lamps. There is no real reason to remove the bulbs unless you expect to travel with them at which point, the Tupperware theory works very well. Also, always remember to never handle the bulbs with your bare hands as the oils on you fingers will adhere to the bulb and cook off at high temperatures, thus shortenting the life of the bulb and possibly make for some dramatic, catastrophic failures, (explosions) of the same! RB P.S. The bunny suit, although kinky, has its own special allure, if I do say so myself! __________________ "The future ain't what it used to be." Yogi Berra. www.rbravo.com