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| A baby pipe clamp |
The pipe clamp is the electric department's most common way to hang light fixtures. It is a ubiquitous tool for us. It is strong and easy to use.
Pipe clamps are specifically intended for hanging lights on steel pipes; typically used in studios. Pipe clamps will damage alloy pipes like speed rail and truss. Here is a closeup of speed rail with some pipe clamp damage:
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| This pipe is not only gouged but dented from the pipe clamp being over-tightened |
Sometimes you will see an old piece of speed rail with so many dimples it is almost golf ball like.
A rigger showed me a trick to protect pipes. Simply put a penny between the bolt and the pipe. It works great.
Don't over-tighten pipe clamps. It is unnecessary and does not make the connection anymore secure. Pipe clamps are designed to be unable come off the pipe even if it is slightly loose. Of course, always use a safety cable, too.
Generally you never use pipe clamps on truss. When I've had to, I will also put a strip of rubber matting between the clamp and the pipe so the "teeth" of the jaw don't leave any marks along with the penny trick. It works great.
PS: Theatrical and show riggers never use pipe clamps. They use clamps designed specifically for truss. Truss clamps leave no marks or damage to alloy pipe.
If you are working with truss, order truss protectors. These are rigid plastic (nylon?) sleeves which you put on the truss to protect it from the pipe clamp. Another option is to replace the mount on the light with a truss clamp if it will fit.
PPS: I was a rigging grip on Ides of March. For some reason, we needed to rig some pipe clamps. I was sent to get some. I went over to the main unit grip truck and asked the best boy for them. He looked at me like I had 2 heads and said, there are no pipe clamps on a grip truck! You have to get those from the electrics!
PPPS: I first real "job" was freelancing at Block Stages in Cincinnati, OH. It was an in-house Procter & Gamble production facility. We mostly shot inserts for national commercials and shot test commercials. It was (foolishly) shut down years ago as a cost saving measure.
The DP there would only finger tighten pipe clamps if he set them. (It was that informal of a place; the DP is hanging lights sometimes.) He would get mad if he went up a ladder and could not loosen a pipe clamp with this fingers. He said, there was no reason for the bolt to be tightened as it could not ever come off the pipe. He had a point.