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Author Topic: AirWall Hanger  (Read 18507 times)

Lennox Foster

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AirWall Hanger
« on: May 06, 2010, 06:23:15 PM »

I would like to use  Air Wall hangers to hang 1 S4 leko each to project break up pattern on a wall.

Are all Air Wall hanger created equally? If not what would you recommend?

What are the risk of using Air Wall hangers? Damaging an Air Wall or having a light fall would make for a bad day?

Are the Hangers universal or do you need special hangers for different Air Walls?

I am open to suggestions if hanging 1 S4 leko from 1 hanger is not efficient.

I am looking for some advise.

I will also continue researching by doing a search.
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Ray Cerwinski

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Re: AirWall Hanger
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2010, 05:19:08 PM »

I use these. It's just a piece of steel stock cut and drilled. weld a nut on the back and assemble the other nuts and washers on the stub of threaded rod. Quick, cheap, reliable. There have been times the plate wouldn't fit inside the track, but I can count those occurrences on one hand.

As for suspending wire, you can use some more of those plates to keep the wire up inside the track and I usually finish off at the end with a beam clamp to pull the cable taught and then wire-tie it or use some tieline.

If you aren't into DIY, The Light Source has an endless amount of hardware for different tracks and rigging applications.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/Rayski/photo2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/Rayski/photo.jpg

and then some examples in use...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/Rayski/photo4.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/Rayski/photo3.jpg
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Ray Cerwinski

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len woelfel

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Re: AirWall Hanger
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2010, 07:00:03 PM »

I always use these http://www.alumalok.com

Craig Leerman

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Re: AirWall Hanger
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2010, 01:59:26 AM »

For a single light or cable pick, I usually use the clamp from http://www.future-light.com/products/awh.html

I also use these with the "J" hook if I need to hang a bar.  I have a ton of these. They are well built and come with nice hardware. I have yet to run into a track they don't fit in.

<<<<<NOTE>>>>>  When I hang a light or a bar, I put in extra airwall track clamps and run a safety cable to the extra ones!


I also have a few of the Mega 7" Hangers from the Light Source.  These are nice clamps, and they also make a 4" version. http://www.thelightsource.com/products/88/view

The Alumalok clamps are also very nice.

Also, FYI, Titan makes a line of clamps that fit specific tracks.  http://www.airwallhangers.com/

If you use the same track styles a lot, these might be a good ide.

<<<<<NOTE>>>>> Make sure you do not overload an airwall track, and do not clamp or hang off of the track's trim moulding, you must use the track itself (the portion that the walls hang from, NOT the trim pieces)  


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Tom Bourke

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Re: AirWall Hanger
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2010, 03:01:57 AM »

I just built some thing similar.  I used weld nuts because they have a bevel that centers the bolt for me.  I was able to purchase the 2" square washers premade.  All I had to do was weld.

I have also used hangers from a local rental house that were just 3/8" 2" flat stock cut in 6" length and drilled and taped in the center.  They also gave me some wider ones that did not fit the track at the venue I was in.  There is a local venue that needs the wide stuff tho.  Make sure to check the track during a walk threw.

For cable management I use 1" and 1 1/4" PVC 2 hole conduit straps.  Just place over the cable, squeeze and twist it into place.  Currently I have 2 dozen instruments and mirror balls in the air with my welded 2" clamps along with another 2 dozen of the conduit clamps.  It looks very clean.
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Lennox Foster

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Re: AirWall Hanger
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2010, 05:23:31 PM »

Thanks very much to everyone. There is not much time to build a fixture. My supplier say they have the Mega Air Wall Hanger. I will try those. I am very cautious of anything that hang above anyone's head.
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Dennis Patel

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Re: AirWall Hanger
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2010, 08:42:05 PM »

Hey Guy,

i am very new to this... i am mobile DJ and its getting real competitive with lighting within the market that am focusing in. in any case, i have seen few companies do hanging pit spot and sometimes even trussing with 2 to 4 250w moving head fixtures. now i want to be able to do that as well. To be more direct i am doing my research on how does one go about Hanging, you equipment. this post was awesome. OP pretty much asked everything i was wondering about and lot of you guys help me understand a lot. i was wondering if its not too much trouble would someone mind breaking it down how does one rigg pin spot or truss on this hanging wall.. equipment you need, things you need to know about (hanging wall hanger capacity etc) and finally how safe is this if done correctly. thanks in advance...

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len woelfel

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Re: AirWall Hanger
« Reply #7 on: December 14, 2010, 10:06:11 AM »

IMO, the liability is too great to give you an answer.  Here's the basics of the conversation.

Me:  Do this, that and the other.

You:  OK.  You do a job, and because of something I may not have told you or because you didn't understand something, something fails.  You or the injured party sues me because I didn't tell you something.

You really should work for someone else and at a minimum get some experience before you do this.  Better still would be to take classes in rigging.  As the old saying goes, if at first you don't succeed, rigging and skydiving aren't for you.

Dennis Patel

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Re: AirWall Hanger
« Reply #8 on: December 14, 2010, 09:48:32 PM »

well thank you for the respond and wise words sir..its highly appreciated.

No offence intended here sir.IMO, i believe one cant be held responsible for sharing some knowledge or some tips. it is true, best way to learn is  by experience.however, no one is born with experience, taking classes or working for someone sounds like a good alternative but now this becomes and matter of opportunity. I am an engineering student at a university and i do what i do pretty much as a part time job/business. My objective was to learn from the experience people, gather as much knowledge as i can and IF i am absolutely comfortable i would try to execute it as safely as possible.

one can just as easily read some of the posts above, buy the items posted in the links and go on about doing this. Myself, on the other hand wanted to go over the basics and find out a thing or two from people with experience in this field and not just go in thinking " I GOT THIS." Like i mentioned in my previous post i have seen some of competition companies do it.As far as i know they r doing it without any training or experience. i am not saying thats right nor am i that inconsiderate.since many of you might have already done this before, i wanted to see how it worked out,is it possible to do it safely? etc.

initially, i am just looking to rigg some lite weight pin-spots which probably weight a small fraction of the folding wall sections hanging on the overhead tracks or AirWall hanger (i m not sure what they are called)i am curious about any factors that need to be taken under consideration, any special procedure or guidelines to follow etc.

one again thank you for your input and i look forward to any wise words that you may have to share.
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Craig Leerman

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Re: AirWall Hanger
« Reply #9 on: December 15, 2010, 07:34:03 PM »

The problem with rigging is that to do it well and safely, you have to be taught hands on by a competent rigger.  Reading and learning about rigging is great, but you can read everything ever written about rigging and you will still not be safe!

That's why the question "How do I rig this or that" usually gets the response "Hire a rigger!" The simple fact is that there is no getting around bad rigging. If you make a mistake, somebody could die or get seriously hurt.

The other problem in this topic is that Airwall tracks (airwall is a generic term for the moveable walls used to separate large ballrooms into smaller rooms) come in many styles and types. Without knowing the track shape and track style, and its manufacturers rated capacity, you will not know what hardware is needed for your application.  Sure, there are many generic types of airwall hangers (like the Future Light ones I use), but not all hangers fit all tracks!

In fact, airwalls are not the best thing to hang stuff from, it's just that sometimes they are the only thing in the ceiling that will work. In many cases, rooms have other things to rig from that are better and safer than airwall tracks.  For instance, many hotel ballrooms have drop ceilings. Simply remove a tile and you may find some large support beams or trusses overhead, hidden by the false drop ceiling. Way safer and stronger to rig a beam clamp or wrap a spanset around a beam or truss than use an airwall.

If the drop ceiling was installed correctly (as they are in many commercial properties) you can use a special "Ceiling Tile" and rig a light from the drop ceiling grid itself.

Future Light has a rigging tile.

http://www.future-light.com/products/tilemount.html


Here in Vegas, most hotels have Unistrut built into the ceiling for hanging lights and decor from. And many rooms have built in 1-2 ton ceiling points from which you can hang motors and truss from. Way better than rigging from an airwall track.

The 2 main problems with rigging from airwall tracks are:

1)  You don't have a lot of weight capacity as the tracks are made to support wide wall segments, not a single point load

2) Its easy to damage some tracks if you don't know what you are doing

Other problems include getting grease all over the place as many tracks use a thick grease for wheel lube, airwalls not being in a great position for the lights, and of course, the hall wanting to move a wall while your fixtures are bolted to the track!  Some gigs you can ask every person who works at the building and every person connected to the event if the walls need to move, and for some reason, somebody will still decide that a wall needs to move after you have placed all your stuff up in the air!

Last, as I stated in a previous post, many people use the trim moulding to rig from, and not the track itself. That is very dangerous as the trim pieces are not meant to take any weight and can fail with even the lightest of loads.  Rig only off of the airwall TRACK (where the walls hang from), not the TRIM.


My advice to you is to find a qualified rigger in your area and take the rigger to the track you want to hang from, and have them decide what hardware you will need.  Then hire them the day of the show and have them install your stuff. That way you will get the right hardware for the track, and will be shown how to do it correctly.  It may cost a bunch, but that's the only way to safely do the job.

Craig
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