Now and again a client comes back with an inspired idea or process.
This is from John Crone of Manor Studio Cobh in Ireland.
Full build detail in John's pic essay here.
Like many strokes of true genious it is so simple.....

DD

Nice. Two questions:

1. Why does does the vicegrip need to be left in salt water for a week?
2. How did he make the metal cuts/notches?

1. It's a joke about letting those vise grips get rusty.
2. Article doesn't say. Usually cut with aviation snips unless the metal is so thick it has to be cut with a grinder blade.

Have not seen that slotted material in the USA. It does look ideal for this application. Anybody know of a source in the USA?

Yes I was ribbing John about his rusty Vice Grips. He is on hols so I don't know how he did the cuts. A very fine hacksaw I expect. I have no idea what that Duct, Trunking, Tray, Raceway, is called. I am sure some Electrical installers could help us out here. I see it all the time in factories and even supermarkets. They hang it from the ceiling, up amongst the lights and ducts. It is used to support and contain multiple cable runs. So cable duct, truck, tray, raceway? Links plse.
Should be available everywhere I expect.


DD

http://www.mphusky.com/images/2011se...ghflangein.pdf

one company in the US - different pattern

ventilated duct is the right search

Thanks Rod, got the ball rolling.
A UK one Steelworld Fabrications Limited - Cable Tray

DD

Looks like they call it cable tray in the USA as well. Being a product marketed to the electrical market, probably not cheap. I noticed that there are some wire mesh trays out there, too, besides this slotted metal tray.

Jeez rocks you gave me a little scare there. I googled and found some simply amazingly high prices, just like you said.
But a little persistence found the same brand at 1/3 the price.
So about 10 bucks a trap I reckon.
Legrand Swifts MRFL100PG Pre-Galvanised Medium Duty Straight Cable Tray Width 100mm Length 3 Metres, MRFL100PG

DD

I've been looking at this as a possible option. Comes in various thicknesses and finished, can be welded with the appropriate glue.

Plastic fascia board 5m

I guess it depends on how well the edges can be glued together and how stiff the material is over the length of the trap.

In the USA, wooden facias tend to get covered with a thin layer of vinyl or aluminum trim stock custom bent on site. I have not seen a similar product here.

Stiffness may be an issue, though being a L section may help. I might get a piece just to have a go on one trap.

Glueing should be fine, it's a proper weld rather than a glued joint as such. The two pieces become a single piece, using the same solvent to part melt the surface. Same system that renders glued PVC pipes watertight. The trick would be mitreing the joint so as to make the surfaces flush.

I've solvent welded polycarbonate. The edges had to be cut carefully and then held together for the solvent to wick itself into the joint by capillary action. Seems like I had to buy a particular blade for the saw to make that cut, too.

Tried to dial the thread title back a tad but it doesn't seem to translate.

A little construction detail.



DD

It looks about as simple can one can get: notch a single stick of channel to fold for each corner, but cut the tail long enough to fold over to rivet the whole thing into one rectangle.

No sawdust. No cutouts. No glue. It really is inspired.

I totally agree. I think this is a bit of an Eureka.
I will relay all these good vibes to the inventor John Crone.
I note the lengths available here are 3M, while the insulation here is 1.2 x 0.6
Unless the stuff is available longer there must be two rivet corners.
A bit of metal waste perhaps, which would bump the price a little. However two rivet corners would make the construction a lot easier IMO.

DD

DanDan, do you know the final weight of one trap? I like how simple this is. If I can get a good price in the US I will do it. I can't damage my ceiling and I need clouds.
If they are light enough I can use 3M sticky hooks.

Command strips will certainly not work for this application, and the possible damage that could happen due to it falling would make this a no go for me.

Those sticky hooks have a 5lb weight limit for the large ones, and that weight limit is for the hooks to be positioned on a wall with the force downward, not the ceiling with the force downward.

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That's wise.
I'm sure this has been mentioned in another thread, but will the lack of a frame affect the performance of a trap/cloud?
Any suggestions on getting a cloud up there?

They are not light. With medium duty cable tray they would be a bit heavier than RealTraps. If one could find a cheap light duty tray they would be about the same.
I reckon they are lighter than most wooden frame DIY efforts.
Clouds are difficult, I find Hilti Kwik Tog 2 Plasterboard anchors work very well.
Afaik, the SaggyBags or GIK's are the lightest commercially available.

DD

Clouds need to be anchored into the ceiling joists, IMO. Electronic stud finders will find the joists through a single layer of drywall, but I've never tried them on two layers.

One way of suspending a cloud would be to wrap insulation in fabric panels as usual and then suspend them from the ceiling using a cattle panel as a open grid. Paint it your favorite color if you wish.

The 16'x50" panel can be cut to a shorter length with bolt cutters, a jig saw, a hack saw or a grinder.

Feedlot Panel, Cattle, 16 ft. L x 50 in. H - 3502077 | Tractor Supply Company

With a little thought, they might also be bent or welded into a shape that could be used for wall panels.

i cant damage the ceiling. its part of my rent agreement.

That is the case in a lot of situations unfortunately, but I haven't come across a way to safely hang clouds damage free to the ceilings (other than building a frame with posts in the room).

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Thats what I was thinking about just now. I have a ceiling fan too.

I imagine it to be easy enough to build something like this out of PVC. Would post a rough sketch but I am at my cabin in the woods currently, not at home!

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My thanks to DanDan for putting up the details on my DIY traps.
I located the 3 metre (10 feet) steel cable duct trays in an electrical wholesaler and they were cheap. I will find out the exact price and let you know.
The reason for the vice-grips (rusty variety!) was to crimp the edges of the duct. The space between the sides was too tight for the insulation batts, but following crimping I had a snug fit.
The entire frame was made out of one length, with a small bit of waste duct.
I cut the duct using a minigrinder with a fine metal disk. It is possible to use a hack-saw, but much slower.
The total weight of a trap is 10 kg (22 pounds US).
I made about 12 in all and they work a treat.

In other words, DanDan forced you to open a GS account?


Just kidding! Awesome job and welcome to GS!

Ingenious trap design.

Got the gears in my head turning with options.
Looks like they cut a bend notch on end, left a flange piece, that
is cut from the actual length(which is why the corner flange underneath has
slots that match up with slots on top piece in corner)
Then riveted into flange piece.

I like that a lot !
He just need to paint the frame now !

Thanks for the welcome Gearslutters!
Yes, DD can be very persuasive, my badly twisted arm is evidence of that!
Just one correction to my last (first post). The duct was actually 5 metres long. That's how I was able to make the frame in one piece with only one joint.
I actually like the silver metallic finish. You could spray/paint the frame before assembly to match the decor of the studio. In DDs case that would be WHITE of course. His control room is the cleanest and brightest I have ever seen. Dark shades are compulsory on entry!