Ideas please: hinging hardboard

[Night Train]

I am building the set for my local amateur theatre and I needed a quick way of changing the backdrop for a small build out area. I thought about painting the back drop on hardboard but being able to turn a sheet of it like the page in a picture book. The backdrop needs to be free standing or at most fixed to the flooring so I can't hang a canvas on the theatre wall.

I am thinking of using two full sheets of 8x4 hinged together on the long sides so that one will fold over to reveal a third sheet and a different backdrop.

I've thought of using butt hinges but as there is no thickness of material to fix onto I would have use pop rivets and penny washers but it would also look ugly and may be difficult to disguise.
I could also use 70mm duct tape but it could be difficult to paint onto and also may not stick well enough to the rough side.

Any other thoughts please before I start looking for another solution?

Thank you,
NT

 

[matt]

How about not hinging it but making it so that the sheet that needs moving/flipping can be fixed either way round to the back board? Magnets, velcro, some kind of hook arrangement over the top?

Alternatively, rather than use a sheet of board, why not paint the alternative backdrop on to a 8x4 sheet of fabric that can be rolled up and popped over the back of the main backdrop until needed?

 

[Night Train]

I am thinking of ease of use in the dark for the amateur stage hands.

The potential difficulty with the canvas is the weight of it and also having painted on canvas before I know that it curls up on the edges because it is unstretched. I can't have any fixings to the wall and so everything will need to 'hang' on the thinest backdrop I can get away with so I am trying to avoid too much framework.

I am also avoiding velcro due to the noise. It is fine for interval changes but I need to have at least one change during the performance while that end of the stage is dark and the 'stage ninjas' are there.

If I can make a secure framework then they could hang the drops on hooks but the hooks will be 8' up and may be difficult to find.

Oh, also the backdrop needs to be on both sides of a corner, 6' wide on one side and 8' wide on the other so 8x4 'page turn' on one wall and 8x3 'page turn' on the other.

 

[pren]

Hey.

Does it have to be hardboard? Just thinking that it might be a bit floppy over an 8x4area. Are you intending on mounting it on any sort of frame?

Off the top of my head, I'd make the 'book' design by creating three 8x4 torsion boxes using hardboard and softwood battens. These would serve as the 'canvasses', with two boxes being fixed side by side. These two would have the scene 1/scene 2 backdrop painted on the left and right.

The third box could then be hinged from the two frames as there would be more 'meat' to fix it to. The 'scene 1/ Scene 2' images could then be painted on either face.

Any good?

Incidentally, I recently helped out with the assembling of a very impressive stage set for a local schools production of Sweeny Todd. The set was hired from a company specialising in this. All of the non-load bearing/bracing parts of the set/scenery were made from torsion boxes with either canvas or light (4mm-ish) ply. The canvas 'frames' were simply braced at the corners with triangles of ply. They were very strong for their construction.

HTH.

Cheers.
Bryn

 

[Night Train]

I can fix the fixed, main sheets to 8' horizontal battens behind to keep them flatish and then to the wall with sticky backed velcro to keep it up. the page can then hang loose and be held in position with a strategicly placed stage prop.

Torsion boxes would be good but they would need to be thin so that there is very little step when the page is turned. How thin do you think I can get away with?

 

[pren]

Also:

Just remembered that the stage set I helped out with was held together with pin hinges. These allow for quick assembly of set parts as well as quick, tool-less takedown.

The 'knuckles' are alligned and the pin is simply slid through the barrels.

Simples! :lol:

HTH.

Bryn

 

[Night Train]

I've used loose pin hinges before, they are great for knock down work. If I was one of the stage ninjas then no problem but I have to train a small number of impractical budding actors to do this while I act. Last time they couldn't even close over centre latches correctly!

 

[pren]

Torsion boxes would be good but they would need to be thin so that there is very little step when the page is turned. How thin do you think I can get away with?

I've never made a torsion box anywhere near 8x4 but when I made some to act as a top for some fitted cupboards, they were 42mm thick and surprisingly strong. These were made from 18x34mm redwood, sandwiched between 3mm hardboard.

If the box is to be stood vertically and wont be roughly handled, then I'd say that huge strength wasn't really a major issue. As long as you can make a frame up that is adequately braced to resist sagging then you should be ok.

I don't really want to give you a specific dimension as it would be based on nothing more than 'stab-in-the-dark' guesswork, I'm afraid

HTH

Bryn

 

[matt]

How about using some ring-binder type loops to act as hinges. You could make reinforced holes in the hardboard (I've done this before using the eyelets for fabric).

 

[Night Train]

The eyelets sounds good, could use big keyrings to do it.

I also like the idea of a thin torsion box. That could be a good investment for the theatre as they can be reused. I might see about using 2x1 PAR battens so that there is a big glue area and only a nominal 1" thick. They could be made as a tongue and grove if I off set the battens to the edges.

 

[matt]

Or zip ties.

 

[Night Train]

Or zip ties.

Zip ties have a habit of tightening up when people mess with them. I use a lot of them as a sparky.

 

[xy mosian]

Hi all,

Sticking my nose in. I am not experienced in stage set work, only photography set work which generally allows more time. In terms of a silent and small section hinge, how about a fabric hinge of the type used on wooden clothes horses. The last one I made used short lengths of seat belting, from a scrap yard of course. The hinge could be attached with rivets, glue, staples etc.

xy

 

[Woodcrafts]

What about strips of canvas glued to the edges of the hardboard and to the backing? You might need to glue a strip on the reverse side as well for added security. This could then be primed and painted as part of the set and be invisible to the audience. (When I used to build scenery I would use PVA glue (evostic resin W) whenever I needed to glue canvas.)