# Strand Pattern 23



## siank8 (Oct 29, 2009)

Hi, I'm a student doing some research in to the pattern 23 and i was wondering if anyone had any actual expericence with them and if they could tell me about the performance, output, maintanaince, lamp life and any other useful information about it.
I know they're still around and are still being used, but what do you think the modern equivalent of the patt 23 is? a source four jr? they're small and widely used. ?
Any information would be great.
Thanks


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## Les (Oct 29, 2009)

I would say the Strand Patt23 is more similar to Altman 3.5Q than an ETC Source Four Jr.

Hopefully someone from "across the pond" will chime in. We don't see too many of these here in the states.

Welcome to Controlbooth!


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## kiwitechgirl (Oct 30, 2009)

We still use them occasionally, although they've pretty much been phased out within our lantern stocks now - pretty much they're kept for when we've run out of other profiles! I also like to use them on a mirror ball, as you get a quirky image reflection due to the optics. While they never quite reached the brilliance of the Pattern 223 (still my fresnel of choice!) they were pretty revolutionary when first designed. I love the fact that they're so easy to get into for lamp replacement - and you can easily get your whole hand in, not like some profiles which are awkward to relamp at the top of a ladder (Selecon Pacific, I'm looking at you....while I love them, dealing with a blown bubble up a ladder is a PITA!). Ours must be well over 30 years old and they're still going strong; we clean the lenses and reflectors once a year, and some of them have had the cable replaced, but they don't give us much trouble. They're not the brightest 500w unit I've ever used, but considering their vintage, they do pretty well! If you haven't already, you may want to check out the Strand Archive where you'll find all sorts of useful info.


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## ojno (Oct 30, 2009)

They are a surprisingly decent fixture. They have a couple of weird notes though:

- The original Patt23 (not 23S), which is what we have, didn't have shutters or slots for them, which can be annoying. However they partly make up for it by coming with a selection of donuts, which is useful.

- The original T/1 'bubble'-type lamp, with a bayonet fitting, is AFAIK not halogen, and so is quite dim by modern standards for the same wattage. You can get kits to retrofit them for a modern (GY9,5 iirc?) lamp socket, or get halogen lamps for the weird P28s fitting, which are expensive due to their specialist nature.

They certainly were widely used though the only place you'll really see them now is in a school or community theatre. Don't replace them just for the sake of it though, when used with a modern lamp and kept clean they're just as useful as any other small profile. 

...I know the lamp retrofit kit exists but I can't find it at the moment, can someone else help?


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## Dionysus (Oct 30, 2009)

Our community theatre still has a bunch of "pattern" instruments, including the patt23. However I have not used them for quite some time, usually differing to something more modern when permitted.
The Patt23 is still a useful fixture occasionally, as it can do some neat little things, like when you want to pick-out a signal prop on stage. The doughnuts are very useful, along with the iris (which was not stock I believe, but we have a couple).

I agree that they would compare better to the Altman 3.5Q than the S4jr. Still not a match anyways.

They make cool little specials, and have funky optics indeed.

I've also used them on a mirror-ball before for a new-years eve dance, and it looked very nice.

Ours still have the not-so-friendly original wiring, which is part of the reason I don't usually bother to use them. Along with the UK J-Clamps instead of C-clamps. Don't use them often enough to justify spending the money on 'upgrading them'.

The lamps are hard to find indeed, I'm happy I haven't needed to get new ones for quite sometime. Still have a couple spares in stock.


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## indyLD (Oct 30, 2009)

The 23 has a special place in the hearts of many UK lighting techs of a certain age and they are still found in many theatres, schools and church halls today.

Although the 23 is not comparable with modern fixtures like the S4 junior, the optics have stood the test of time and they remain pretty handy lanterns in the right hands. There are more modern spots that chuck out a much less pleasing light.

Different versions of the 23 include 0, 3 or 4 shutter varieties and fixed or adjustable lamp trays. The orginal T1 lamps are still available ( I changed some today at a venue who were doing their yearly maintenance) but the more modern Halogen upgrade T17 lamp fits the original base is a bit more brighter and more robust. The glass bubble of the T1 has a habit of becoming detached from the metal base.

You can always tell from the deck if a 23 has been rigged upside down, as the lamp base creates a indent in the beam oval that should be at the top for a correctly oriented lantern.

I think the standard lens kit beam angle is around 20 degrees or so.

The Strand pattern range has good and bad fixtures and the 23 is very much in the good team, along with the 123 and 743/223 fresnels. Google the Strand Archive, if you haven't seen it already.


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## church (Oct 30, 2009)

I have used the strand Patt 23 since I was 14 back in the mid 1970s. I own six of them and they still see regular use.

When they were first introduced they made the same impact on the industry as the S4. I grew up in the U.K. and used them extensively in schools and profesional theatre. They replaced the older generation of stage spots.

When first introduced they used a large T1 tungsten lamp that had to be burned base down and had a pretty short life about 150 hours if I remember correctly. The lamps were expensive i know in 1976 we used pay 5GBP a lamp which was a lot of money as a licenced electrician only earned 30GBP per week.

When first introduced they had a smooth rear and front reflector and no shutters. The front refl;ector was if my memory serves unique at the time and would later be copied by CCT as a midlife upgrade for their SIL range of zooms.When the shutters were introduced they were available with a square gate. Originally they were silver grey in colour. When the Mk2 came out it had a faceted reflector which improved the light output although the front reflector remains smooth. 

Three of my fixtures were the square gate versions which I have modified to a round gate and they still have the originl reflector even though they date from the early 1960s and show no signs of cracking, burnt spots or loss of reflectivity. these fixtures also have the ability to slide the lampholder backwards and forwards to improve the bench focus - it makes no difference and was not included on the Mk2 version.

They use a plano-convex lens arrangement, the normal fixture had a single lens which givesa 3.5m spread at an 8.5 m throw. In the earliest versions this was a stepped lens. This lens was soon replaced by a regular lens and there was a Patt 23W version available which used two identical lenses which shortened the throw to 4.5m, this was ideal for the typical English school where the 1st electric was only 12 feet above the stage. There was also a fresnel lens version available. In all cases there is a halo filter required which is placed on the flat side of the innermost lens or where it would be if it was fitted, without this filter which is simply a thin metal disk with a large hole in the centre you will not be able to achieve a decent focus. The later units also have slots for an iris or gobos. The gobos do not work well except for out of focus break up. Interestingly the full size S4 iris will fit this fixture.

There is also a conical narrow beam lens tube available called the 23N; which uses a 6*9 lens. This increases the throw to 15.5m. Often used in schools with an iris as a follow spot.

In North America we have the advantage that we can use the BTL lamp which really improves the light output - I use the HPL lamp in mine which really makes these useful fixtures because they are small, relatively lightweight and outperform a number of newer fixtures by a significant amount.

Strand also made a 23N version which has a large diameter lens tube which was re badged in the 80s as the Patt 823 and used a 650W halogen lamp. The 650W lamp was available in a P28 base and could be used in any of the patt23s and worked really well providing a light output that held its own against the 1000W tungsten lamps found in many fixtures at the time.

One advantage for cash strapped schools and theatre groups was the 4in*4in colour frame which meant you could make filters out of the leftover offcuts from sheets or the corners of burn't out filters from the Patt137 floods and other fixtures widely used at the time. I know it sounds cheap now but in the days of three day weeks, miners strikes, dock strikes etc this was important stuff.

When Strand was acquired by the Rank Organisation the fixtures changed to a green colour. In the late 70s this was poorly applied and had a nasty tendency to depart from the fixture in large strips.

Today when you see these fixtures they are frequently neglected and will not perform well, usually they are missing the halo filter which is still available from specialist suppliers in the U.K. and can be made from 24 guage steel sheet in 15 minutes and the yoke clamp will normally be loose so the fixture will droop. This is easily fixed, just remove the four screws that hold the front reflector in place and tighten the nuts on the bolts.

Overall a fixture that was a major step in the industry and has survived beyond what could have ever been expected because the original design was good and the build quality was for its time excellent. Strand really got it right with this fixture, the 123, the 223 and the 743 and sadly replaced these fixtures with inferior products.

As an aside for any of you Doctor Who fans have you ever noticed that their shape looks like a Cyberman's head?


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## siank8 (Nov 2, 2009)

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful stuff. does anyone know how much one would go for now? i know its probably dependant on condtion. theres one on ebay for about £90 but you never know with ebay. church do have any idea of how much the unit would have cost in the 60's or 70's?


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## church (Nov 2, 2009)

The Strand Archive shows they were sold for 44GBP in 1978 and 55GBP in 1980. To try and give you an idea of how much this was in 1979 I made 35GBP per week as an engineering intern and when I graduated in 1981 I made 65 GBP per week as an electronic design engineer designing RF amplifiers.

Or to put it another way as a newly graduated engineer in 1980 I could of bought 87 patt 23s with my entire years salary a new graduate engineer today who just leaves university could buy 150 S4s with their entire years salary. Just shows how the pricing of things has changed.


The pricing for a used one depends on where you are. In the U.K. they seem to command a pretty good price in good shape. In Canada where I live now they do not command anywhere near the same pricing. If you are able to refurbish them you can sometimes get them for free over here.

Hope this helps.


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## gordonmcleod (Nov 6, 2009)

The BTL version was the best but I have seen some that used a 500QCLMC lamp mounted axially in the back
Also I more than once seen a glowing red hot PATT23N with a BTR in it 

Fuse also made a version that was a little squatter blue in colour and had no shutters
Overall it was a very efficient and compact fixture far better than the 3.5Q from Altman Its first reel competiton came from the Colortran MiniEllipse and the CCT Minuet


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## stevegs (Aug 17, 2010)

siank8 said:


> Hi, I'm a student doing some research in to the pattern 23 and i was wondering if anyone had any actual expericence with them and if they could tell me about the performance, output, maintanaince, lamp life and any other useful information about it.
> I know they're still around and are still being used, but what do you think the modern equivalent of the patt 23 is? a source four jr? they're small and widely used. ?
> Any information would be great.
> Thanks


 
Not being flushed with cash, we still use 6 of them in our theatre. Lamp life is reasonable (230V version) - use a T28 halogen (500W). Have a look at the Pattern 23 Refurbishment page I put on our website to see how I upgraded them to get through nanny UK electrical test regulations. I intend to add a drawing for a converter block that will take a GY9.5 base and the cheaper T18 lamp when I have time....


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## dmoes (Aug 17, 2010)

Hmm all this Patt 23 talk makes me want to review mine. we rarely use them. have about six. last time I used them was for Caberet where they were hung so that they not only lit the stage but so that the fixture was a visble part of the set dressing. this worked well. 

after reading this thread however I think I am going to have a look and maybe fix them up if needed.


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## gcpsoundlight (Aug 20, 2010)

I have never liked them. I occasionally use them for blues, but the amount of crud, dust etc. that builds up in them is unbeliveable, and they don't get used much, so no-one knows. I have seen that many with corroded and miswired sockets.


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## David Ashton (Aug 22, 2010)

stevegs said:


> Not being flushed with cash, we still use 6 of them in our theatre. Lamp life is reasonable (230V version) - use a T28 halogen (500W). Have a look at the Pattern 23 Refurbishment page I put on our website to see how I upgraded them to get through nanny UK electrical test regulations. I intend to add a drawing for a converter block that will take a GY9.5 base and the cheaper T18 lamp when I have time....


 
Wrong, a T18 might cost 10% less than a T17 but it is typically 400hr as opposed to the 750hr life of a T17/28 and the base life is considerably less.Stick with the T17/28.What test regulation does it offend?


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## Catwalker (Jun 1, 2014)

We have 3 pattern 23s, 4 pattern 743s, and 5 pattern 223s. Glad to see I'm not alone with vintage lighting! Our 23s are generally used above the stage for a spotlight. They are excellent for this purpose, allowing us to save our SLs and Source Fours for FOH.


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