arches

[jck46]

i understand the whole sleeve idea but how do you get the 1 1/4 conduit  sleeves to bend with the1/2 inside piece to get a nice smooth arch

[Ron Boyd]

Typically, you won't bend 1 1/4 conduit to match the arch created by the 1/2 inch piece. Here's what I've used, although, mine was not 1 1/4 inch, it already has the bend created for you.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/203299573?productId=203299573&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&MERCH=REC%2d%5f%2dproduct%2d3%2d%5f%2d203294463%2d%5f%2d203299573%2d%5f%2dN

Edited March 26, 2013 by Ron Boyd

[Klayfish]

Great question, I was going to ask it myself.

Ron,

So what do you use for the 1/2" piece inside?

Edited March 26, 2013 by Klayfish

[Ron Boyd]

1/2" Grey PVC/Conduit. It's really hard to get the arch right to make a nice and neat looking arch. I have since converted my arches to Pixels. I attach the pixels to the same 1/2" conduit and then attach that to this:http://store.winterlandinc.com/search.asp?keyword=arch&search.x=0&search.y=0

 

Makes everything nice and neat and professional looking. If you look at my 2 vids from 2012 on my webpage, you can see them in action. They will be on the right side of the display

[LightsinMaine]

I've always used 1" grey PVC and put rebar in the ground 7' apart. Always had a nice curve to it. And I always did my arches with CCRs (RGB) which gave me more colors for the same price really (1 CCR 16' created 2 8' arches)

[MikeA]

It will depend on how long each section is and how many sections per arch.  Stan back 30 - 50 feet like most of your spectators will be and I bet it will look smoother than you think.

[thevikester]

I've done the sleeve methods for a few years, a 10 foot arch with 7 sections/sleeves, about 17 inches each, looking at them in the daylight, not so tight looking, at night when you have them moving, MikeA hit it on the head, its extremely smoooooooooth looking. its all in the sequencing JCK

[crackchecker]

 

I've done the sleeve methods for a few years, a 10 foot arch with 7 sections/sleeves, about 17 inches each, looking at them in the daylight, not so tight looking, at night when you have them moving, MikeA hit it on the head, its extremely smoooooooooth looking. its all in the sequencing JCK

 

Same here! Might not look super in the light up close, but at night during the show it's smooth as silk.

I use grey conduit over rebar with my actual sleves being 1 1/2 well pipe. The well pipe likes to stay in its rolled up state so when I cut it and wrapped with lights is just glides on over the core.

[martinmc]

Typically, you won't bend 1 1/4 conduit to match the arch created by the 1/2 inch piece. Here's what I've used, although, mine was not 1 1/4 inch, it already has the bend created for you.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/203299573?productId=203299573&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&MERCH=REC%2d%5f%2dproduct%2d3%2d%5f%2d203294463%2d%5f%2d203299573%2d%5f%2dN

thanks for the link i had been looking for 1 inch pipe with not much luck, the  1 1/4 should be easier to work with and it just qualified for free shipping  

[Big Sanch Mafia]

1/2" Grey PVC/Conduit. It's really hard to get the arch right to make a nice and neat looking arch. I have since converted my arches to Pixels. I attach the pixels to the same 1/2" conduit and then attach that to this:http://store.winterlandinc.com/search.asp?keyword=arch&search.x=0&search.y=0

 

Makes everything nice and neat and professional looking. If you look at my 2 vids from 2012 on my webpage, you can see them in action. They will be on the right side of the display

Couldn't you attach your lites right to the arch frames and bypass the PVC?

By the way, I watched your frosty vid, awesome set up. What type of lights are around the upstairs windows?

[Ron Boyd]

The way that frame is and the way the Rainbow Pixels were designed last year, I could not for the life of me get it right. The PVC was a last ditch effort to get everything neat, and it worked. I understand Greg has redesigned these pixels for this year so I may not need the PVC. As far as the windows, that was 4, 50 count strings in RGBW and painstakingly zip tied to themselves. It took about 2 hours per string to get it somewhat symmetrical. I then covered the strings with 1" Split Wire Loom. That was all zip tied to a PVC frame that was hung on the windows. This year, the windows will have CCPixels instead of normal LEDs. I really did not like the results of the windows so I decided to put pixels on instead.

Edited April 11, 2013 by Ron Boyd

[Big Sanch Mafia]

The way that frame is and the way the Rainbow Pixels were designed last year, I could not for the life of me get it right. The PVC was a last ditch effort to get everything neat, and it worked. I understand Greg has redesigned these pixels for this year so I may not need the PVC. As far as the windows, that was 4, 50 count strings in RGBW and painstakingly zip tied to themselves. It took about 2 hours per string to get it somewhat symmetrical. I then covered the strings with 1" Split Wire Loom. That was all zip tied to a PVC frame that was hung on the windows. This year, the windows will have CCPixels instead of normal LEDs. I really did not like the results of the windows so I decided to put pixels on instead.

Good idea on the windows, sounds like a good mount of work tho.

[Ron Boyd]

Yes a lot of work and I was not satisfied with he way they looked. That's he reason for switching to pixels on the windows this year

Edited April 12, 2013 by Ron Boyd