Custom Steel Gobos $59.95 at GoboMan.com

GoboMan.com realizes that the recession is still going on, and has lowered prices on both custom steel and custom glass gobos. You can see the new lower price at http://www.goboman.com/. Custom Steel Gobos are now $59.95

GoboMan Launches LED Gobo Projector

GoboMan has announced the introduction of the 6w LED GoboMan Gobo Projector Light. The new LED fixture is designed to be a long life version of the popular GP75 GoboMan Projector Light. This LED Gobo Projector is designed with all the same features of the GP75, but with an amazing 100,000 hour lamp life. Steve Hoffman owner of GoboMan explains that the similarities are intentional, "Everything is the same in the LED version as far as operation and simplicity of design, and we just increased the lamp life with the 6 watt LED lamp. The ease of operation is a key feature of our Projector Light, and we didn't want to sacrifice any of that by changing around too many things in this obvious next step."
GoboMan's Rebel Hoffman agrees, "We've had such a great reaction to the original GP75 75 watt Gobo Projector, that we knew that people would want a longer life unit for retail applications, so we started working to introduce this LED version. Because of the little heat generated by the LED lamp, you can even project 35 mm slides, and the long lamp life makes it ideal in a retail environment."
Like the previous model, the LED version includes everything included for immediate projection, even the gobos. Five steel gobos and four glass color filters come standard along with the LED lamp

GoboMan Launches LED Gobo Projector

Gobo Earrings from GoboMan.com

Goboman came out with a line of gobo earrings that are still available at www.goboearring.com. or www.goboman.com. They are $10.00 a pair, and ship free in US Post.

Color Gel Filters and Making Split Gels

Here are some ideas on how to use your color gel filters, and turn them into Split Gels.

Sometimes you find you need a subtle mix of colors to achieve the look you want, such as a sunset, water or a stained-glass window effect.
Sometimes you feel the need to add extra excitement to a pattern.
These effects are easily attained through the use of split gels- various pieces of gel taped together. The light from an instrument will blend the colors a little bit, but you’ll still get enough separation of color to achieve some interesting and unique looks. There are endless ways that colors can be used together to achieve a myriad of looks. It is important to note that a split gel will look entirely different depending on which way it is inserted in the instrument, which instrument and beam spread is being used, even which pattern you are using with the split gel. A stained-glass window split will have three different appearances when used with three different window patterns.

Help my Gobo is burning!

Actually, all gobos burn to some degree. If a Gobo Projector unit is new, or the gobos are new, oils can burn off and create a small bit of smoke, this is normal.

What can be a problem is, that if the lamp in your Gobo fixture is not properly focused in the gate, which can create a hot spot, or uneven burn.

The newer instruments are genreally cooler than the older lighting instruments, but you should still make sure that your lamp is bench focused, to avoid a hot spot, or a cocentrated burn area. The attached pictures show 3 different gobo burn types.

The bottom picture shows a burn from a older traditional unit, showing a nice complete burn across the gobo.

The middle picture shows a lamp that is out of focus and is creating a hot spot. A hot spot from a non focused lamp will cause your gobo as well as you gel to burn out early.

The top picture shopws a typical burn from one3 of the newer cool beam units which create far less heat than older units.

The typical gate temperature of an older 1k unit, was over 1700 degrees at the gate, newer cool beam units, have dropped the gate temperature to less than 500 degrees.

Is there a standard size Gobo?

Is there a standard size gobo is a good question. The answer is no. The problem is that gobos differ in size for each lighting instrument. There are certainly some gobo sizes that are more popular than others, but there is no standard size Gobo. Each lighting fixture takes its own unique gobo size, although there are some crossovers in gobo sizes, most instruments take their own unique size.
When sizing a gobo, there are two measurements that are crucial, IA (image area) or VA (viewable area), and OD outer diameter. There are many websites online that provide lists of which lighting instruments take which gobo size and what the exact measurements are.
There must also be a match between the gobo size, and the correct sized matching gobo holder.Like the lighting fixtures, every gobo has it’s own size gobo holder. A good example of this is the ETC Source Four, which can take either a A size gobo holder, or a B size gobo holder, and also accepts a glass pattern holder, so not all gobo holders are the same, or a standard size for each light.
Below are some common gobo size names:
A, B, D, E, Q, M,D....