# Fairy Balls



## icewolf08 (Jan 28, 2008)

Does anyone know of a good source for 6" to 8" frosted or milk plastic globes? I need to make some fairy balls for Midsummer. The plan is to stick a battery and LED in the globe to illuminate them.

I suppose if you know of a source for 6" to 8" light up spheres that are pre built that would work too.


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## genericcomment (Jan 28, 2008)

First of all it's really hard not to say something funny to your question. 
Secondly I thought of something you could use however it involves fireworks in a way. Artillery shells sometimes come as thin white plastic balls from some manufacturers. I mean you can just buy the shell with no explosive material in it. I believe they make any size from 1in to larger than 10in in diameter. Also they split apart at the middle to make it easy to put the led and battery in. The only thing is the plastic shells do have a cylindrical base where the lift charge is intended to go but it's your call if you want something like this. I'm not sure if I can post the website they sell these casings because of the no pyro rule here but if you email me I can give you the site. Unless for this circumstance they do will let me post the website.
Here is a picture of what it looks like, and the manufacturer largest size is 6in. http://www.cannonfuse.com/store/pc/catalog/158ballshell.jpg

I have found a place that sells 8in ball shells also but you decide first if that's what you like.


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## gafftapegreenia (Jan 28, 2008)

I'm going to try and give a serious response, as hard as that is with the title.

The balls are probably a blow molded item. Seek out some of the blow molding companies and they may have what you want. I feel like this item might be related to pools some how. 

Also check Michael's and Jo-Ann's, they may have said object.

I feel like I've recently seen what you want...but cannot remember where.


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## derekleffew (Jan 29, 2008)

And Icewolf08, please be sure to post pictures of your furry, I mean fairy, balls when complete.


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## soundlight (Jan 29, 2008)

Ignoring the humor, I think that the fireworks shells might be your best bet. They do have that nice split feature for loading the electronics in before sealing them.


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## tgates (Jan 29, 2008)

A search for plastic balls on google turns up.. well, plasticballs.com. They seem to have an array of different sorts of plastics. Polyethylene might be what you want. I also saw that rose brand sells some clear ones, perhaps with a bit of sanding or light dusting of paint they would work?


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## tgates (Jan 29, 2008)

Oh, I also just found this at a place that I know a lot of people have done business with. I don't know why didn't look there first. They don't show a description on the website so I'm not sure if it's anything like what you need, but it might be worth a call. Even if these aren't what you are looking for, it's a good place to start, anyway:

http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/Lighting_Globes


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## icewolf08 (Jan 29, 2008)

Good useful information so far. I assume it was Derek who moved this thread... Interesting, we have been having a debate as to what department this project fell under at the theatre. General consensus though is not scenery. Started as props, then got dropped on me because they light up (though I still think it is props).

As to the nature of the question, and Fairy Balls and such, you all should have sat in at our last production meeting. This is going to be a very _interesting_ production of Midsummer!


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## derekleffew (Jan 29, 2008)

Yes, I moved the thread, for one reason to see if anyone would notice. But also I think they should be considered props, especially if they are to be hand-carried, or set dressing, and then, once procured, turned over to electrics for illumification. Although they light up, they really don't provide useful illumination, or fall into one of the five functions or four controllable properties, of lighting. Just my 2¢. On the other hand, as the ME, since you're the one who has to illumify them, you should have a say in what exactly is procured.


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## Logos (Jan 29, 2008)

Illumify? Illumification? And you're the one giving van a hard time?


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## derekleffew (Jan 29, 2008)

Logos said:


> Illumify? Illumification? And you're the one giving van a hard time?


I just made those up, but feel they need to be on the list of "words that aren't but should be." Thank you for noticing. I was hoping someone would. Shall we submit them to Noah Webster?


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## Charc (Jan 29, 2008)

That's an interesting topic. I noticed it at my internship, and was wondering on some of those lines. I remember what one props guy said, which is that props is sort of a jack-of-all-trades position in that you need to know electricity, painting, construction, etc.. From my understanding though is it seems like props jobs have become more about procurement than production, and areas of knowledge like electricity are unknown, and get handed off to the ME.

Should the ME know these things? Probably, but not necessarily. So why is it his responsibility all of a sudden? Is anything related to electricity automatically the electrician's realm? A great example of this came up during the first shows of the theater's season. A few scenic elements (columny things) had a line of small bulbs up the length of the face. Whose responsibility is it to wire this? It has to get done at some-point during fabrication, so does this mean the ME needs to trudge over to the scene shop for a day, while holding up everyone else?

If there is one thing to be taken away from this, props in relation to electrics, I think it's that prop masters should have an okay grasp of basic electronic components. The bigger stuff, sure, outsource it to the ME, but plan ahead. Little DC stuff shouldn't be that hard for simple effects, and shouldn't throw you off too much if you mess-up. You'll at-least be able to lighten the load of the ME, who may be cutting R119 and R132 for every ERS in the plot.


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## soundlight (Jan 29, 2008)

At the theatre that I worked at this past summer, the ME was responsible for everything electrical in the main building. (This was a very, very small theatre - 280 seats or so, summer stock, rehearsal room in basement, shop on the other side of town, costume shop and theatre offices in another building down the street). He was responsible for everything down to replacing the flourescent tubes in the rehearsal room to replacing dressing room A-lamps to ordering replacement lamps for all of the fixtures.


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## Charc (Jan 29, 2008)

soundlight said:


> At the theatre that I worked at this past summer, the ME was responsible for everything electrical in the main building. (This was a very, very small theatre - 280 seats or so, summer stock, rehearsal room in basement, shop on the other side of town, costume shop and theatre offices in another building down the street). He was responsible for everything down to replacing the flourescent tubes in the rehearsal room to replacing dressing room A-lamps to ordering replacement lamps for all of the fixtures.



Facilities work sucks! The ME at the theatre I'm interning loves the fact that he doesn't have to do facilities work. Walking into the greenroom at lunch, the end section of the load-out crew couldn't figure out why the people in-front weren't going into the green room, and why the lights were off. Someone said: "Electricians...", I loved the reaction one of the last guys walking-in had when he saw two people rewiring a fluro fixture: "Oh, like _actual_ electricians...!"


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## derekleffew (Jan 29, 2008)

In the olden days of Broadway, and most other places, EVERYTHING electrical fell to the Electrics Dept., includiing all audio (unless mechanical effects, (thundersheet, anyone?)) and scenic hoists/winches. Thus the Master Electrician was over the Sound Op, and it may still be that way today, due to IATSE's rules/regs. Ask on your tour and report back. The House Electrician is in charge of relamping the rest-rooms, and operates Houselights for the performances.

But yes, the ME or an assistant would come to the scenic shop and wire whatever needed wiring. Likewise the props dept. acquires/builds a chandelier, but the electrics dept. wires it. Today, with so much specialized and jobbed-out equipment on Broadway, one company does it all, and delivers a completed unit to the theatre.

Alex and Van and others can now tell stories of finger-pointing and "that's not my job" and "I'm not wiring that POS, it won't accept 12/3 SOOW!" etc.


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## Logos (Jan 30, 2008)

On the West End the Chief LX (read ME for US translation) is actually responsible for the plumbing too. I think it probably dates back to when LX chiefs were gas fitters.


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## Logos (Jan 30, 2008)

derekleffew said:


> I just made those up, but feel they need to be on the list of "words that aren't but should be." Thank you for noticing. I was hoping someone would. Shall we submit them to Noah Webster?



Why the h*ll not at least they are useful. I hear they are going to put proactive in and I hate that word.


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## gafftapegreenia (Jan 30, 2008)

They had better put in pwn too. Have any internet acronyms made it in yet?


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## Raktor (Jan 31, 2008)

gafftapegreenia said:


> They had better put in pwn too. Have any internet acronyms made it in yet?



Not sure about acronyms, but this is in there.


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## gafftapegreenia (Feb 1, 2008)

Hehe. I find that I often do use The Google.


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## derekleffew (Feb 1, 2008)

Logos said:


> On the West End the Chief LX (read ME for US translation) is actually responsible for the plumbing too. I think it probably dates back to when LX chiefs were gas fitters.


I was rather taken about when I got a call on the radio that the clothes washer was leaking and there was a flood. But since it was just outside the Main Electrical Vault I didn't argue the point. The discharge hose had come out of its hole, probably during an especially active spin cycle. Stuck it back in, then called Public Area Dept. to come mop up the water.


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## icewolf08 (Feb 1, 2008)

Well, here is an update. I ordered the Pro product from cannonfuse.com and unfortunately they are not translucent as pictured. At least they were cheap. Our props master has a floating solar globe thing on order that should be in Monday for us to look at. I also have a lead on some globe shaped lamp shades here. So we will see what works.


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## derekleffew (May 28, 2008)

Too little, too late, too expensive, but this came up on another forum.


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## Conner8809 (May 28, 2008)

you could look for those huge fishing ball things?


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