Background Support

[clark_king4]

<p>I know there are tons of threads but i wasnt able to find one that hit on my question exactly. I am building a home studio where space is not a huge issue. I would like to find a VERY sturdy, more permanent solution to a backdrop support system. I will be using 107 in paper rolls, fabric and maybe muslin. I am fine with mouning support brackets to the wall behind the supports stands or to the cross bar for extra stability. <br>

Every support system i ve looked has reviews that state that the cross bar becomes sagging or not as stable as the user would like. I am looking to avoid this situation. I know that some buy separate heavy duty light stands and the cross bar separate. I love my Manfrotto Bogen tripod but I am disappointed at the reviews that there background support systems have received. <br>

Any suggestions?</p>

<p>Thank you,</p>

<p>Clark</p>

[robatkinson]

<p>For a DIY solution...</p>

<p>bolt two sturdy L brackets to the wall on either side of the background at the height you wish the top of the back ground to be. Buy a length of steel pipe to rest between them. You can get a sliding clamp on the pipe at each end of the background roll to push in and stop it unravelling more. gaffer tape the ends of the pipe to the L brackets to hold it in place and keep it easily removable.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>I believe Bogen sells brackets that can screw into the wall that hold one or even two or three steel pipes to support a roll of seamless (or a cloth backdrop). In my basement studio, I have 2x4s running perpendicular to the overhead joists, then U-bolts holding pipes to that, so the rolls hang from overhead. I have found that half-inch copper pipe does sag a big. Electrical conduit is more rigid. And then there's outright steel pipe, which is very study but maybe overkill.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Indeed, check out Manfrotto's various devices. They've got the real thing - including geared rollers, etc. Solid, professional stuff.</p>

[henryp]

<p>The Manfrotto AutoPole Expan Kit should do just what you want. Two uprights snap to floor & ceiling and to those are attached a set of brackets which can hold three or six background. You can use cored seamless but I've found PVC pipe about the same diameter as the seamless core works very well and there's almost no sagging at all.<br /><br />Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>As a student I had a holiday job in a paper-mill where 3 ton rolls of paper were fed into large rotary guillotines. The stand behind the machine took up to 4 rolls of paper at a time and the support axles running through the centre of the rolls were no more substantial than builder's scaffolding.<br>

The trick was to wedge out the ends of the paper roll onto the support axles. This way the central length of the steel axle took no weight, and the paper roll ran true without bumping up and down with every rotation. The wedges used for those 3 ton rolls were steel, but for background paper you could just use wood. The upright supports or wall brackets should then take all the weight of the roll and the centre rod just acts as a guiding axle to allow rotation. So if the horizontal support rod is bending in the middle, it's either too long for the paper roll in use or the uprights aren't set in close enough.</p>