PNTA's Favorite Essentials!

Gaff Tape	Our Tried and True Favorites at $14.99/roll: 2" Black Pro-Gaff Tape 2" Grey Pro-Gaff Tape 2" White Pro-Gaff Tape Best Value! Bron's 2" Black Gaff Tape
Spike Tape	Regular Spike Tape Bundle (5 colors), $19.95 Fluorescent Tape Bundle (4 colors), $17.60
Gel	All Sheets of Rosco and Lee Gel - $6 a sheet! Lee Filters - Arranged Numerically Roscolux - Arranged Numerically
HPL Lamps	Choose between Osram or Ushio! 375w, 575w or 750w Regular or Extended Life All are only $14.70/lamp!
Pacific Series	StrandSelecon's Pacific Series Starting at $396.44 Pacific 20Deg Pacific 30Deg Pacific 40Deg Pacific 50Deg
ETC's Source 4	ETC's Source 4 Ellipsoidals Starting at $278.59 S4 5 Degree S4 10 Degree S4 19 Degree S4 26 Degree S4 36 Degree S4 50 Degree

How To be A Theatre Tech Crew

The start of the new school year is upon us!


We present another great article from WikiHow:
http://www.wikihow.com/Be-in-Theatre-Tech-Crew-in-High-School

Some of our recommended tools for the beginning tech are:
- Gloves, We really like the ones from Setwear
- 2" Black Gaff Tape, always have a roll with you, it has tons of uses from tapeing down cables to emergecy repair to an actors' costume.
- Tie Line, much like gaff tape, it has a variety of uses
- the Backstage Handbook, a must have book for any all theatre techs

Learn Set Design For Theatre

At PNTA, we always looking for those tips and resources to help our customers.

Here's a great little article on getting your feet wet in set design:
http://www.wikihow.com/Learn-Set-Design-for-Theatre

Here's a list of books that PNTA recommends to have at your fingertips, in no particular order:
- The Backstage Handbook
- The Stagecraft Handbook
- Stock Scenery Construction Handbook
- Structural Design for the Stage

Ben Nye Foundation SALE!

SALE! Just a heads up to you makeup lovers!
We have a bit of overstock and need to pare down our inventory.
What does this mean? You save!

PNTA has marked down ALL of its Ben Nye Matte Foundation, both online and in its retail store! This is an overstock reduction, so hurry while supplies last!

June - PNTA and Rosco Paint Sale

PNTA is having a Paint sale!

All Rosco paints, coatings, varnishes, primers and tints are 10% off through the end of June '09

• Flourescents
• Iddings Deep Colors
• Off Broadway Paint
• Primers & Acrylics
• SuperSaturated Paints
• Video Paints

Limited to stock on hand; not to be combined with any other discounts or offers.

This sales is valid both in our retail store and online store.

Face Painting Your Favorite Sports Teams Colors

Its no secret that theatre folk are very resourceful.

Recently we've had a few requests for finding face and body paints for showing support for your favorite sports team; specifically for MLS and NFL where fans want to stand out.

We recommend Ben Nye's MagiColor Liquid Paints. They're highly pigmented and dry quickly and are fairly smudge resistant. You can apply with a brush or a sponge.

For Seattle fans:
Seattle Seahawks (NFL) - Green and Blue
Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) - Lime Green and Blue

Lighting Equipment Maintenance

ANNUAL OVERHAUL

ELLIPSOIDALS

1) EXAMINE CONNECTOR

• Is it installed properly?
• Strain Relief?
• Proper wiring? (green wired to green = ground, black wired to gold = hot, white wired to silver = neutral. Hot separated from ground and neutral.)
• Need replacement connectors? Edison/PBG? Stagepin/GSP? Twistlock/TLG?
  

2) EXAMINE WIRE LEADS

• Check for cuts and abrasions. If wire is cut or damaged, replace it. For a quick fix, isolate wires carefully with electrical tape.
• Does wire have a protective sleeve? Consider adding a nylon sleeve.

3) REMOVE LAMP BASE (lamp housing)

• Remove lamp from socket
• Don't touch glass with bare hands. Use a clean cloth.
• Need new lamps?
  

Check for:

• Corrosion in socket? replace socket.
• Very mild corrosion can be treated with Cramolin.
• Loose connections to socket? tighten them.
• Ground attached?
• Signs of heat/arcing damage? Look for the cause, a loose connection, stray wires, and repair.
• Is the lamp the correct one for the fixture?
• Reinsert lamp and set base aside someplace safe and clean.
• Need new sockets?
  

4) REMOVE OR OPEN LENS BARREL

• Remove lenses and clean with glass cleaner and paper towels.
• Make sure you have the correct lenses for the fixture.
• Replace broken or badly chipped lenses.
• Dust out lens tube.
• Reassemble lens barrel.
• Make sure appropriate clips, retaining rings, fieldstops, etc., are in proper places.
• Tip: If lenses are broken, check that the new lenses are a little loose in the housing, to allow for heat expansion.

5) CHECK SHUTTERS

• Insulating knobs on all shutters? Replace knob or shutter if they are missing.
• Too tight? Try graphite spray lubricant or 4-Tec DryMoly (no oil lubricants allowed)
• Too loose? See if there is a way to add tension to the assembly, or tear apart shutter assembly and see if any plates are missing.
• If you do tear apart shutter assembly, keep track of what order the parts belong in.
• Too warped? Hammer against a steel plate, or replace.

6) VISUALLY INSPECT EXTERIOR

Can it use a bit of paint? High heat stove paint works well. Do painting while fixture is disassembled to avoid getting paint on lenses.

7) CLEAN REFLECTOR

Use a soft cloth and water or very diluted glass cleaner (ammonia).

8) CHECK ALL MOUNTING HARDWARE

Yoke bolts, handles, etc., all present and working?

Anything stripped, worn or not 'holding'. Replace bad hardware.

Check main c-clamp bolt: does it move freely by hand, or do you need a wrench? Replace bolt if bent or stripped. Lubricate clamp bolts with WD40.

9) REASSEMBLE INSTRUMENT

10) ALIGN INSTRUMENT

Adjust the relationship between the lamp and the reflector for maximum even light output. Method varies by manufacturer, but all adjust both the lamp's depth and its angle in the reflector.

Note: Always compare instruments with others of the same type to tell what parts are needed.

FOR FRESNELS

Same as above, but skip section 5, and you won't need to remove lens to clean it.

On fresnels, check the lens train (spot to flood adjustment) for smooth operation and proper locking (or friction) hold of flood position.

RECOMMENDED TOOL LIST

• crescent wrench
• screwdrivers
• stand for aligning
• paper towels
• glass cleaner
• gloves (to protect hands from heat while aligning)
• pop riveter (useful for repairing some instruments, and for replacing insulating knobs on shutters)
• "Rocco Wrench" lens ring pliers (or long-nosed pliers) for removing and replacing lens rings
• Pin Splitter (for maintaining male stage pin connectors)
• 4-Tec Dry Moly or Graphite Spray for shutters
• Cramolin De-Oxidizer for treating mildly damaged
• sockets
• GamCheck