Technical Design Solutions for Theatre

Improved Soft-Covered Stock Masking Units

James Hull Miller

 

Using back-flap hinges to join two standard-frame flats into stock masking units results in three problems. First, the crack at the hinge line between the flats may or may not remain masked, depending on how much the hinged styles warp over time. Second, the projecting cornerplates and keystones used on standard flats are a nuisance. Making each folded unit as much as one-third thicker than it needs to be, they eat up storage space at a surprising rate. And, though they offer convenient hand-holds, they also pose a tearing threat to the fabric surfaces of stock flats, which undergo repeated handling. Finally, because the units typically fold one way only, they are seldom built ...