# Pan Screw or Yoke Bolt?



## JHWelch (Jan 13, 2010)

For focusing Source Four fixtures, I have almost always loosened the yoke bolt on the to move the fixture from side to side. I almost never use the pan screw, usually just to store the C-Clamp while it is off the light... 

Just wondering, is it easier to move side to side with the pan screw? I am starting to think so, at least for lights hanging with the C-Clamp above it. Maybe not lights on the cat-walk.

What do most people do?


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## Van (Jan 13, 2010)

Most people, I have found don't use the "f-it nut", as invariably it causes the instrument to not only pan but when re-tightened it can cause the instrument to lift slightly as well.


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## cprted (Jan 13, 2010)

Call me crazy, but if it's called the "pan screw," you'd almost think it was intended for panning an instrument. Then the yoke bolt, which keeps the instrument attached to the C clamp and in the air, doesn't have to be loosened off ...


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## gafftapegreenia (Jan 13, 2010)

For reasons I don't fully understand I prefer the pan screw.

The biggest reason they are hated is that people always have to over tighten nuts, screws, bolts, etc. People get wrench happy and gouge the spud. 


I don't know, its just something about loosening the bolt that keeps the light in the air that I don't like.


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## Anvilx (Jan 13, 2010)

What about the the Belleville Washer?


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## Les (Jan 13, 2010)

gafftapegreenia said:


> I don't know, its just something about loosening the bolt that keeps the light in the air that I don't like.



Yes, but you would have to loosen it A LOT for the light to fall. And if you're using a safety cable, it's a moot point, other than a lost/falling bolt. Falling bolt still dangerous - yes, but unlikely. 

I usually just pan the instrument by grabbing the yoke and tugging it in the target direction, and re-tighten if necessary. If I am panning to the right -- great! I usually don't have to re-tighten.

I usually keep my yoke bolts tight enough to firmly lock the instrument into place, but not so tight that my method is difficult or impossible. I too have found that the pan bolt often changes the tilt of the instrument ever so slightly, usually by moving the stud out of the inevitable divot that it caused.


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## Van (Jan 13, 2010)

cprted said:


> Call me crazy, but if it's called the "pan screw," you'd almost think it was intended for panning an instrument. Then the yoke bolt, which keeps the instrument attached to the C clamp and in the air, doesn't have to be loosened off ...


 Remember when referring to the engineeing world "intention" and "Reality" can be miles apart. As to loosening the bolt which keeps the instrument attached to the C-clamp; If you're loosening the yoke bolt 2.5" to pan the instrument, as opposed to the 1/4 turn it takes, then you're doing something wrong.


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## sem6727 (Jan 13, 2010)

I prefer the "pan screw" method. However, I'm used to the term f* nut. For me it is just easier to loosen one tiny little screw, as I often find that the yoke bolt was victim to a wrench happy techinician and therefor is too tight. Also I find it is easier to tighten the unit with the pan screw rather then the yoke bolt. I've had to refocus a unit more then once when trying to tightening the yoke bolt by accidentally knocking the unit out of focus. I only use the yoke bolt if the pan screw is broken off. 

Now I think the next question will be cresent wrench or Jesus wrench?


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## chris325 (Jan 13, 2010)

Les said:


> I usually just pan the instrument by grabbing the yoke and tugging it in the target direction, and re-tighten if necessary. If I am panning to the right -- great! I usually don't have to re-tighten.
> 
> I usually keep my yoke bolts tight enough to firmly lock the instrument into place, but not so tight that my method is difficult or impossible. I too have found that the pan bolt often changes the tilt of the instrument ever so slightly, usually by moving the stud out of the inevitable divot that it caused.



I like to use this method often, especially when I need to quickly refocus a fixture and don't feel like going to get an Altman wrench. As for which bolt to loosen, the little tiny pan screw is snapped off on half of our S4 Zooms, as a result of people overtightening the screw. When tightened correctly, the pan screw works well, if I can get the wrench in depending on how it's focused. If the screw is overtightened/gone, then I use the yoke bolt.

With the Colortran 5/50s (most of our inventory) there are actually specific yoke knobs on a few, easier to use than the pan screw, but a S4 in general is way less of a pain to use than those things.


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## derekleffew (Jan 13, 2010)

chris325 said:


> ...With the Colortran 5/50s (most of our inventory) there are actually specific yoke knobs on a few, easier to use than the pan screw, but a S4 in general is way less of a pain to use than those things.


Unless ALL of my fixtures have had the 5/16" Pan Screw replaced with one of these, (see http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting/10437-c-clampery.html, posts 21-24), I prefer NOT to have any choice:


Mega-Clamp

When a fixture is overhung, loosening the pan screw can be problematic, as the unit drops ~3/4", and the jolt is enough to break the lamp filament, especially if the lamp it lit, as it typically would be during focus.

gafftapegreenia, I think you're paranoid. Most yoke bolts are at least 1" long and 13 tpi, so after a few complete revolutions of the head one would think the fixture would be loose enough to pan.

Just my 2¢. YMMV.


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## JChenault (Jan 13, 2010)

In one venue I work in , the pan screws have been replaced by a handle. IE I can loosen and tighten it by hand. In that venue I use the pan screw ( or pan handle). In any other venue I use the yoke bolt.

I never take a crescent wrench to the pan screw.


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## fx120 (Jan 13, 2010)

I have been slowly swapping out our old Altman C-clamps out with Global Truss trigger clamps which only have the single nut at the yoke.



From the factory they come with M10x1.5 wingnuts, which we have swapped out for standard hex nuts for additional holding power when you need to mount an instrument on a vertical pipe.


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## chris325 (Jan 13, 2010)

derekleffew said:


> When a fixture is overhung, loosening the pan screw can be problematic, as the unit drops ~3/4", and the jolt is enough to break the lamp filament, especially if the lamp it lit, as it typically would be during focus.
> 
> gafftapegreenia, I think you're paranoid. Most yoke bolts are at least 1" long and 13 tpi, so after a few complete revolutions of the head one would think the fixture would be loose enough to pan.
> 
> Just my 2¢. YMMV.



Although the pan screw method is a bad idea when overhanging, I would assume that the large majority of fixtures aren't overhung in most applications. However, I will make sure to remember that.

As for the 5/16" Pan Screw alternative, the ones that Colortran made were metal, transfer heat from the fixture easily, and can be really difficult to loosen. However, new shutters are on the "desperately need to be replaced" list before pan screws (wait... Leviton doesn't make 5/50 shutters anymore... I want some Source Fours.... )


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## Dionysus (Jan 14, 2010)

I tend to use the Yoke Bolt, sometimes using the Pan Screw.

I find that some people (rookies) tend to overtighten the Pan Screw thus leading to diviting or other problems such as snapping off the head of the Pan Screw. This has led to common names for the Pan Screw such as "the holey #%@& bolt" or the "$#I7 bolt", even the "no-no-screw".

As long as the Pan Screw is never overtightened it's fine to work with (as long as the yoke is DOWN, not side or top yoked).

If yoked up or side yoked, for obvious reasons it is ideal to use the Yoke Bolt instead of the Pan Screw regardless of any argument.

Yes the Pan screw allows for adjustment without loosening off something holding the rest of the fixture to the clamp itself, however you should never get the yoke bolt THAT loose to pan an instrument. In addition to that, you are *REQUIRED* to have a safety chain affixed to catch the instrument if, for instance the Yoke bolt fails or is removed.

When focused my common phrase SHALL BE FOLLOWED "Love it, *Lock it*, Leave it.", i.e. make sure that things like the yoke bolt are *locked* (or appropriately tightened down) before moving on to the next fixture.

Cheers.


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## GreyWyvern (Jan 14, 2010)

Pan screw if the yoke is down, but yoke bolt if it is up.

When it is on its side, I still tend to use the pan screw, as loosening the yoke bolt introduces more play to the fixture. I just feel like I can control the fixture better that way.


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## WestlakeTech (Jan 14, 2010)

I use the pan screw. I don't know why, but we always called it the Jesus Nut at my high school... makes no sense since it's not a nut and it has nothing to do with Jesus.

Basically, there's no 100% right or wrong way to do it. Just try 'em both and do whichever one you prefer.


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## derekleffew (Jan 14, 2010)

WestlakeTech said:


> ...makes no sense since it's not a nut and it has nothing to do with Jesus. ...



It's a bolt head, not a nut, but IS (square) nut-shaped.
Some use "Jesus!" as an expletive, when the head shears off the shaft.

Makes perfect sense, but the term should be avoided nonetheless, for a variety of reasons.


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## iLightTheStage (Jan 14, 2010)

I also like the method of having a tightened f-nut, and a firm yolk bolt, so that during focus, I can just pan it at the yolk, and 8/10 times it doesn't need a wrench to it when focused. 

I always use the yolk bolt because usually I'm coming from below the light, and that's easier to reach, and trying to adjust the f-nut can be difficult with your wrench hitting between the fixture's yolk and the truss. Plus, I work primarily with rental gear, which usually has a ton of divots in the stem, making it possible to loosen the f-nut and having it randomly tighten on you while panning. 

But that's all my two bits.


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## Cashwalker (Jan 14, 2010)

The majority of my fixtures are hanging from Unistrut, so I don't have pan bolts. On the 4 fixtures that are hung with clamps, I still use the yoke bolt. I always sandwich the yoke between two large washers, so there always _just_ enough slip to adjust the focus without loosening it. If it's too loose after focus, then I tighten it again.


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## Van (Jan 14, 2010)

So I'm only minorly dismayed at the number of responders who say " Ijust tug on the Yoke..." or, " ..that way you don't need to re-tighten the yoke bolt...". If you loosen the Yoke bolt or can tug on the yoke and the fixture moves then that fixture is not "Locked - Down" any passing doofus can accidentally hit it with their head, leg, arm, whatever and knock it out of focus. If you are on my electrics crew you WILL tighten theat yoke bolt back down after focusing. "Carpenter Focus" fixes make me angry...


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## chris325 (Jan 14, 2010)

Van said:


> If you loosen the Yoke bolt or can tug on the yoke and the fixture moves then that fixture is not "Locked - Down" any passing doofus can accidentally hit it with their head, leg, arm, whatever and knock it out of focus.



For any fixture that is hung where non-technician traffic is around (backstage, etc) I always fully tighten the pan screw and yoke bolt, as those fixtures and the trees they are clamped onto tend to get bumped into. However, there is rarely anybody but technicians, and non-technicians are informed beforehand not to touch any fixtures unless explicitly instructed to.

Whenever I hang yoke down or with the yoke positioned parallel to the stage (the latter being rather common,) I always fully tighten both bolts.


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## Les (Jan 14, 2010)

Van said:


> So I'm only minorly dismayed at the number of responders who say " Ijust tug on the Yoke..." or, " ..that way you don't need to re-tighten the yoke bolt...". If you loosen the Yoke bolt or can tug on the yoke and the fixture moves then that fixture is not "Locked - Down" any passing doofus can accidentally hit it with their head, leg, arm, whatever and knock it out of focus. If you are on my electrics crew you WILL tighten theat yoke bolt back down after focusing. "Carpenter Focus" fixes make me angry...



Van, if it's any consolation, I require my fixtures to be tight enough to necessitate a pretty firm tug. Also, my method (pulling the yoke and hopefully not having to re-tighten) is primarily used for minor adjustments, where even a 'locked down' fixture can be tweeked in to place. For more involved movements, I always loosen the fixture, focus it, and lock down when I'm finished.


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## WestlakeTech (Jan 14, 2010)

derekleffew said:


> It's a bolt head, not a nut, but IS (square) nut-shaped.
> Some use "Jesus!" as an expletive, when the head shears off the shaft.
> 
> Makes perfect sense, but the term should be avoided nonetheless, for a variety of reasons.



Touche. We were never actually taught to call it that. We were taught "pan screw." Jesus Nut was just a term used among students. I'm really not sure of how it got spread around. Though I think for the most part it's died out with my graduating class anyway.


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## Les (Jan 14, 2010)

WestlakeTech said:


> Touche. We were never actually taught to call it that. We were taught "pan screw." Jesus Nut was just a term used among students. I'm really not sure of how it got spread around. Though I think for the most part it's died out with my graduating class anyway.




Actually, "Jesus Nut" isn't exclusive to your school - it's a pretty common term in the industry. However, I'm with derekleffew on avoiding calling it that. You never know who you might offend, and it's better to be safe [and professional] than sorry. Besides, simply calling it a pan screw takes less breath than "Jesus Nut", "F**k Me Nut", and all those other nicknames.


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## chris325 (Jan 14, 2010)

The Jesus (Altman) wrench is a fairly common term, as a result of the wrench's shape. But with how awesome it is, sometimes it deserves the name. The nickname, along with "Dracula wrench" was even mentioned the in the glossary article about the Altman wrench.


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## Les (Jan 14, 2010)

chris325 said:


> The Jesus (Altman) wrench is a fairly common term, as a result of the wrench's shape. But with how awesome it is, sometimes it deserves the name. The nickname, along with "Dracula wrench" was even mentioned the in the glossary article about the Altman wrench.



Yes, but in the case of the Jesus Wrench, Jesus isn't used as an explicative. Many people consider shouting "Jesus!" (as you might when you sheer off a pan bolt head) as using God's name in vain.


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## Grog12 (Jan 14, 2010)

gafftapegreenia said:


> I don't know, its just something about loosening the bolt that keeps the light in the air that I don't like.



Exactly. +1


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## Les (Jan 14, 2010)

Grog12 said:


> Exactly. +1



Still, the way I see it, you have about an inch of bolt holding that 15lb light up. That's a lot of bolt for 15lbs. Backing it out 1/32" isn't going to cause you any problems unless you just don't know what you're doing. Similarly: Loosening the focus knob to run the barrel out would be considered "just as risky" since you are loosening the bolt that keeps the lens tube from falling out, but I don't think any of us ever think twice about it.
A mere 4x 6x1/2 hex head sheet metal screws keep the heavy soda lime lenses and their tube from detaching from the gate of an Altman 360Q and potentially falling to the audience below. 

One reason I avoid the pan screw if/when I can is because it is a big pain running the jaws of my crescent wrench so far in to fit that tiny bolt. I don't think that I am sacrificing safety by taking this shortcut, however.


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## gafftapegreenia (Jan 14, 2010)

Actually any time I have to loosen the tube knob in the air, let alone change a tube in the air, I ALWAYS worry about it falling, even if it's very unlikely. 

The thing is, sure we as trained technicians know to keep the yoke bolt tight, however there is a world out there that doesn't. These are the people that would leave the yoke bolt loose. And you know what, I see it happen daily! You can't tell me this is a common sense thing because just a few months in academia will show you most people can't even figure out righty-tighty. If I'm going to train someone on tightening a light I might as well train them the right way, and for me the right way is to use the pan screw. The world is full of people who are mechanically inept and when these people show up on my crew to get their departmental shop hours in I'd rather them be loosening the bolt that affects the horizontal movement than the bolt that holds the light in the air.


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## Lotos (Jan 14, 2010)

Les said:


> Still, the way I see it, you have about an inch of bolt holding that 15lb light up. That's a lot of bolt for 15lbs. Backing it out 1/32" isn't going to cause you any problems unless you just don't know what you're doing. Similarly: Loosening the focus knob to run the barrel out would be considered "just as risky" since you are loosening the bolt that keeps the lens tube from falling out, but I don't think any of us ever think twice about it.
> A mere 4x 6x1/2 hex head sheet metal screws keep the heavy soda lime lenses and their tube from detaching from the gate of an Altman 360Q and potentially falling to the audience below.


 
While I agree with you, personally, I use the Pan Screw whenever I am focusing a standard hung light. The Yoke Bolt is used only when I am undoing it against gravity. It's just the way I was taught...

All the C-Clamps on my fixtures get checked before they go up in the air, to make sure there's no damage, everything moves freely, etc... If there is a problem, a new clamp goes on the fixture, and the old one goes into my 'parts' box.

I also expect the same of any electricians I hire... As I've yet to have a single one of them successfully 'justify' their use of the Yoke Bolt for focus adjustments. (I usually get the 'quicker' argument... Which I do not support)

And as for 'pulling' a fixture into focus... imho That's a quick way to seize the Yoke Bolt if you over-do it... And then when the LD asks you to "No, no, go back the other way a bit" you literally have to 'shove' the light and ruin the focus to get your movement back.



Les said:


> One reason I avoid the pan screw if/when I can is because it is a big pain running the jaws of my crescent wrench so far in to fit that tiny bolt. I don't think that I am sacrificing safety by taking this shortcut, however.


 
As I said above, this is the common retort when I catch an electrician using the Yoke Bolt in a standard hung fixture instead of the Pan Screw... That just doesn't fly with me... 'Faster' is *never* an excuse. If it's that big of a deal for you, I'll tether a Combonation Wrench of the appropriate size for the Pan Nut to your harness centre ring. 


NOTE: I know, you're not trying to justify with 'faster'  You understand the workings of the light itself and the physics involved, I personally agree with your logic, I am just illustrating a point


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## Les (Jan 14, 2010)

99% of the time, I don't loosen the yoke bolt to pan an instrument. I pan the instrument by grabbing the yoke and pointing it in the direction I want. If I want the pool of light 5' more to the right, this is easy, even if the instrument is overly locked-down (in which case I might even deliberately loosen it off a little). [Maybe I should stress, I only do this with subtle changes and touchups -- a little bit that-a-way] If panning to the left, I always make sure the yoke bolt is the proper tightness after I'm finished. For more drastic changes, yes I use the pan screw. In my experience, it is hard to over-torque a c-clamp's yoke bolt as long as it's using a proper flat washer. Not unheard of, but I have had WAY more issues with mega clamps and their belleville washers. That and the ETC lock washers.

I should also mention that many of the venues I work in have their FOH positions so that the instruments are yoked out about 45* because of low clearance between the pipe and the catwalk deck. In these cases, the pan screw is fairly inaccessible. I use the pan screw whenever possible, but the constraints on clearance sometimes don't allow it.


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## WestlakeTech (Jan 14, 2010)

Les said:


> *Actually, "Jesus Nut" isn't exclusive to your school *- it's a pretty common term in the industry. However, I'm with derekleffew on avoiding calling it that. You never know who you might offend, and it's better to be safe [and professional] than sorry. Besides, simply calling it a pan screw takes less breath than "Jesus Nut", "F**k Me Nut", and all those other nicknames.



Never said or thought it was. Just been curious as to how it came to be at Westlake when we were taught to call it a pan screw.


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## Les (Jan 14, 2010)

WestlakeTech said:


> Touche. We were never actually taught to call it that. We were taught "pan screw." *Jesus Nut was just a term used among students.* I'm really not sure of how it got spread around. Though I think for the most part it's died out with my graduating class anyway.



I must have misunderstood your above post since you didn't lead on to knowing it was an "industry term". No worries


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## KeepOnTruckin (Jan 14, 2010)

If you have those clamps from The Light Source, they do not have a provision for a pan screw, so all adjustments are made via yoke bolt.\

As for alternative names for the pan screw, I heard that the reason it was called a Jesus Bolt is becuase you pray to Jesus that it would not be sheared off right when you need it. If it was then it became the F**K it nut .

I worked with a bunch of old colortran lekos that had a hand knob on the end of the pan screw instead of a square head, so that it could be adjusted with a hand. I found that to be the easiest method of adjusting.


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## chris325 (Jan 14, 2010)

KeepOnTruckin said:


> I worked with a bunch of old colortran lekos that had a hand knob on the end of the pan screw instead of a square head, so that it could be adjusted with a hand. I found that to be the easiest method of adjusting.



Same here. It's about the only thing I like about those Colortran 5/50s.


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## mstaylor (Jan 15, 2010)

I started using the yoke bolts years ago after I boought my first Sears 5/8-3/4 speed wrench. One end works the attachment bolt and the other fits the yoke bolt. I would carry a small 4in C wrench to tighten a pan bolt.


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## Anvilx (Jan 15, 2010)

gafftapegreenia said:


> The thing is, sure we as trained technicians know to keep the yoke bolt tight, however there is a world out there that doesn't. These are the people that would leave the yoke bolt loose. And you know what, I see it happen daily! You can't tell me this is a common sense thing because just a few months in academia will show you most people can't even figure out righty-tighty. If I'm going to train someone on tightening a light I might as well train them the right way, and for me the right way is to use the pan screw. The world is full of people who are mechanically inept and when these people show up on my crew to get their departmental shop hours in I'd rather them be loosening the bolt that affects the horizontal movement than the bolt that holds the light in the air.



I hear you, I had 3 Pars that I left to the tech one class to hang. For some reason three people ended up doing it. Maybe none of them had used a ladder and wanted to share the experience. 
Anyhow when I went up the next day to gel and focus, they were hung three different ways! One in particular that stood out was the one that the pipe was placed under the pipe bolt so that it was also touching the top of the shaft. If such a person can't handle the initial hang then how can I expect them to be able to do anything else in the air safely?


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## Scarrgo (Jan 15, 2010)

In all my years of lighting I have used the yoke bolt, many years with a jesus wrench while using altmans. When I switched to S4's I moved to the speed wrench, My most used tool. That being said, the light must be tight, it drives me crazy every time I come across a loose light. I am not perfect and I make my share of mistakes, but please wrench down that light...
P.S. I hate using that horrid bolt on the side of the clamp

Just my two bits

Sean


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## mbandgeek (Jan 18, 2010)

I used to use only the Yoke bolt, but i find that the Pan Screw is actually easier.


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## Grog12 (Jan 18, 2010)

Les said:


> Still, the way I see it, you have about an inch of bolt holding that 15lb light up. That's a lot of bolt for 15lbs. Backing it out 1/32" isn't going to cause you any problems unless you just don't know what you're doing. Similarly: Loosening the focus knob to run the barrel out would be considered "just as risky" since you are loosening the bolt that keeps the lens tube from falling out, but I don't think any of us ever think twice about it.
> A mere 4x 6x1/2 hex head sheet metal screws keep the heavy soda lime lenses and their tube from detaching from the gate of an Altman 360Q and potentially falling to the audience below.
> 
> One reason I avoid the pan screw if/when I can is because it is a big pain running the jaws of my crescent wrench so far in to fit that tiny bolt. I don't think that I am sacrificing safety by taking this shortcut, however.



Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. The yoke bolt is meant soley to hold the c-clamp to the yoke.

Most people don't realize that when they loosen the yoke bolt to focus a light then move it back and forth to focus it they generally loosen it even more, and aren't keeping a hand on the bolt itself. Sure the light is saftied but the bolt isn't.

A good electrician keeps their hand on both the screw and the lens when running a barrell minimizing that risk.


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## zuixro (Jan 18, 2010)

All of our fixtures have Sure Clamps, so we don't have the "F*** it nut". Usually I use the Yoke Bolt.


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## derekleffew (Jan 18, 2010)

Wow, ALL of your fixtures have Sure Clamps? That must have been expensive!



Rosco/JR Clancy Sure Clamp


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## zuixro (Jan 19, 2010)

derekleffew said:


> Wow, ALL of your fixtures have Sure Clamps? That must have been expensive!
> 
> 
> Rosco/JR Clancy Sure Clamp



Yep, all of them. Except for the two ETC Revolutions. 80ish S4's and 40ish fresnels. Plus all of our drop boxes (2 each x 12 drop boxes). Plus all our PAR's (I don't even know how many) and the old Kliegl ERS's (They still see regular use in the studio, don't laugh).

Yeah, we have a lot of Sure Clamps. We just did a huge lighting upgrade like 4 years ago (at least $500k).


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## MrsFooter (Jan 19, 2010)

At Footer's old high school, they very often use 19 Degree S4's for spotlights. A year or so ago, we attended opening night of The Wiz, when in the middle of the second act one of the spots suddenly dropped and swung wildly and there was a clatter and a cry from the audience.

The students were told to pivot their "spots" by loosening the pan screw, but decided it was easier to use the yoke bolt instead. After an act and a half of back and forth, the yoke bolt had worked its way loose of the clamp and the fixture fell out. It was saved from crashing to the house only by its safety, and even still the gel frame fell out of the fixture and hit an audience member below. No one was hurt, but it looked very badly on the theatre.

What I'm trying to say is that if we were meant to pan using the yoke bolt, they wouldn't have bothered putting a pan screw on the clamp. There are already too many lazy morons working in technical theatre, why be part of the problem?


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## Les (Jan 19, 2010)

Maybe more people would embrace the pan screw if they made the d***ed thing easier to work with.

For me, the pan screw / yoke bolt debate is more of a "do as I say not as I do" kind of thing. If I am teaching a bunch of new crew members, it's pan screw all the way. If I am on a catwalk touching up focus and the beam needs to move 2' stage right, maybe I'll swing the instrument using the yoke. If it feels too tight, I'll make the necessary adjustments to the yoke bolt (you want it tight but not so tight that it's bound up). If it feels too loose, I'll re-tighten the yoke bolt. I will use the pan screw before I take a wrench to the yoke bolt though. One good thing about touching every instrument's yoke, is that it allows you to confirm that they are all the correct tightness. Some of you will not agree, and I accept that. It's not something that I will teach to a bunch of new recruits (unless you count this post), but I am familiar enough with what I'm doing to not get the yoke too tight, or so loose that it can be moved by someone bumping up against it (or falling and proceed to swing wildly about in the air). 

Something tells me that the next debate will be along the lines of connecting and disconnecting instruments under load or cutting power first.


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## chris325 (Jan 19, 2010)

MrsFooter said:


> It was saved from crashing to the house only by its safety, and even still the gel frame fell out of the fixture and hit an audience member below. No one was hurt, but it looked very badly on the theatre.



How did an audience member get hit by an (assumed) hot gel frame and walk away unhurt?

Also, for all those not using safety cables, here's a great reason to invest.


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## MillburyAuditorium (Jan 19, 2010)

I usually use what is convenient at the time, but of course I always check to make sure the bolt is tight enough afterwards if I do use it. 
We have safety cables on all our lights. And two on these long heavy multilight fixtures.
Our yoke bolts are really long too.


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## MrsFooter (Jan 20, 2010)

chris325 said:


> How did an audience member get hit by an (assumed) hot gel frame and walk away unhurt?
> 
> Also, for all those not using safety cables, here's a great reason to invest.



I've been informed that my memory was faulty, and she wasn't hit by a gel frame, she was hit by the yoke bolt that fell out. I imagine the reason she didn't get hurt is because it probably fell into her lap, as opposed to falling squarely in the center of her skull. I'm not entirely sure, since we were sitting much further back and, well, it was dark.


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## dcollins (Jan 20, 2010)

If it's a source four, the gel frame would have been clipped in anyway to prevent it from falling out and hitting people.


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## jmac (Jan 20, 2010)

Les said:


> 99% of the time, I don't loosen the yoke bolt to pan an instrument. I pan the instrument by grabbing the yoke and pointing it in the direction I want. If I want the pool of light 5' more to the right, this is easy, even if the instrument is overly locked-down (in which case I might even deliberately loosen it off a little). [Maybe I should stress, I only do this with subtle changes and touchups -- a little bit that-a-way] If panning to the left, I always make sure the yoke bolt is the proper tightness after I'm finished. For more drastic changes, yes I use the pan screw. In my experience, it is hard to over-torque a c-clamp's yoke bolt as long as it's using a proper flat washer. Not unheard of, but I have had WAY more issues with mega clamps and their belleville washers. That and the ETC lock washers.
> 
> I should also mention that many of the venues I work in have their FOH positions so that the instruments are yoked out about 45* because of low clearance between the pipe and the catwalk deck. In these cases, the pan screw is fairly inaccessible. I use the pan screw whenever possible, but the constraints on clearance sometimes don't allow it.



What are the issues with the ETC lock washer (gets too tight?), or pro/con versus the flat washer? Just got some c-clamps from BMI with the flat washer, and didn't know if I should change them to the lock washers, or change my ETC c-clamp lock washers to flat ones...


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## jmac (Jan 20, 2010)

fx120 said:


> I have been slowly swapping out our old Altman C-clamps out with Global Truss trigger clamps which only have the single nut at the yoke.
> 
> 
> 
> From the factory they come with M10x1.5 wingnuts, which we have swapped out for standard hex nuts for additional holding power when you need to mount an instrument on a vertical pipe.



Recently got some Global Truss Pro Clamps to go with a crank stand t-bar. I noticed the yoke bolt is 3/8" in lieu of 1/2" (is this ok?), and there is nothing to keep the bolt from spinning when you tighten the stop nut. You need an Allen wrench. Seems rather inconvenient to have to carry the A-wrench around.

Thoughts? Should I have gotten the Trigger clamp model? It looks like the bolt head is held in place. What are other advantages of the trigger clamp? Thanks.


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## Grog12 (Jan 20, 2010)

zuixro said:


> All of our fixtures have Sure Clamps, so we don't have the "F*** it nut". Usually I use the Yoke Bolt.




Man, no top hanging at your school eh?


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## zuixro (Jan 20, 2010)

Grog12 said:


> Man, no top hanging at your school eh?



You can manage it. You just have to lift up on it, and tighten it down really well. We have 2 rows of pipes on all the FOH positions so we don't usually have to top hang. 

Now that I think about it, that was like $10k in clamps. Wow.


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## Grog12 (Jan 20, 2010)

zuixro said:


> You can manage it. You just have to lift up on it, and tighten it down really well. We have 2 rows of pipes on all the FOH positions so we don't usually have to top hang.
> 
> Now that I think about it, that was like $10k in clamps. Wow.



Yeah, you should stop doing that as its not designed to top hang. They function correctly when the weight pulls down on them and not the other way around.


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## zuixro (Jan 20, 2010)

Grog12 said:


> Yeah, you should stop doing that as its not designed to top hang. They function correctly when the weight pulls down on them and not the other way around.



I didn't think you could top hang them, but I was told by multiple people that it was ok to do. Usually the ones that are top hung are so tightened down, that we just end up leaving them there. 

Side hanging them kinda worries me, they feel like they're about to slip off.


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## gafftapegreenia (Jan 27, 2010)

I was hanging lights for our next show today (Source 4 ERS's and PAR's) and I realized why I like the pan screw. When using a c-wrench, as I normally do, (Since I really only want to carry one wrench) it takes less adjustment of the knurled knob to go between the pan screw/clamp bolt than it does to go between the yoke bolt/clamp bolt, thus its a time saver, AND lessens how much one needs to move their thumb to adjust the wrench, thus a time save, less repetitive motion, and thus less carpo tunnel. I paid attention to how many loose yoke bolts I found and, as a majority, most were acceptable. Final tightening can be saved for the lighting focus.


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