what is scrim made out of?

rocky1138

Well-known member
So need some protective scrims / screens for some lowel lights and was wondering if anyone knows what material they're made of.

You Can get about 3sq ft of aluminium screen for $0.78 at the hardware store, but that stuff seems to start smoking when hot. So I was wondering if anyone knew what was in the typical scrim / protective screen that is used.
 
Is there a coating on the screen you bought? That might be your culprit. I would think that the screens are made of aluminium. I looked at several sites but none of them said what their screens were made of.
 
scrim

I know that the Arri scrims are steel mesh. I have a rusted few in my light kit...

Lowel Tota's are coated with aluminum inside the doors. I once closed one down too much and the 1k bulb started to melt it off! Yikes. Of course, it says on the light not to do that.
 
Screen or Scrim?

Do you need a Lowel Protective Screen or a Scrim? You can order them from Lowel at 800-334-3426.

A Lowel Tota-Light Protective Screen is Code T1-19.

A Lowel Omni Light Protective Screen is Code O1-19.

There are three types of Scrims available for an OMNI.
Full scrim for an Omni is Code 01-53.
Half scrim is Code 01-55
Graduated Scrim is Code 01-56.

thru-the-lens.
 
I guess I'm looking for screens, not trying to cut the light down, just protect "talent" from possible shattering glass
 
If it's an open face light, you can use a scrim, but it would cut down your light. As TTL posted, you can buy protective screens for the tota($10 bucks). Flimtools in CA has scrims in different sizes and stops.
But you should have some gels in front of the light to soften or CTB, it should stop some of the flying glass if a light went?
 
But you should have some gels in front of the light to soften or CTB, it should stop some of the flying glass if a light went?

I wouldn't expect it to stop it. I suspect that hot glass would burn right through the gel on contact and keep going as if it weren't there. If you've ever accidently touched a gel to a bulb, you know what I mean.

Order the screens from Lowel. You might be able to save some money by somehow making your own, but then if the light explodes and maims someone despite your handiwork your contributory negligence will make it harder to sue Lowel for marketing an unsafe product.
 
The melting point for aluminum is only 1220F or 660C. A confined 500w lamp can generate that much easily. As someone pointed out, anyone who has left the doors on a Tota closed, the reflector doors become a heat trap and the inside melts. I've replaced more than my fair share when students have left them closed.

As for scrims, for the most part they are made out of steel because they have a tighter weave and therefore absorb more of the radiated heat. Steel typically melts in the 2500F or 1370C range...twice that of aluminum. Ironically, the protective screens on a Tota are made from aluminum. They have a wide open weave, and a ring around the outside. This ring helps to draw the heat away from the middle of the screen. Without that ring (other than giving it some structure), the screen would deform or even melt. Heat moves to areas of lower temperature in metal. The ring is behind the lamp, and is much cooler, so the heat radiates off of it. Just a little physics/chemistry lesson for you guys...

Rocky, it was probably a coating that began smoking on your screen, although depending on your wattage, how close to the lamp, and how focused the light was it could have been the bare aluminum begining to melt.

The scrims and protective screens aren't that expensive, and you will have perfectly sized, safe protection for your talent without having to "make it fit." I'm all for coming up with innovative cheap ideas to do things alternatively, but safety isn't something you should mess with. If you are doing it for effect, it is much easier to get a scrim that is exactly what you need. If you have time to tinker around with it, by all means go for it...Just remember the ring...
 
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The melting point for aluminum is only 1220F ...

I knew it melted around 1,200 degrees, too much Discovery Channel, but I didn't know how much heat was generated inside the instrument aside from a lot. I orginally thought it was steel but the screens felt lighter to me than if they were made out of steel. Guess I was wrong, again.
 
Cameradog,
It has been awhile since a light "popped" on me. At least something in front of the light would slow it down. Also distance would help. But I do remember burnt fingers. And yours is a good point.
 
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