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We used some of the Rosebrand Tightweave muslin to create a translucency for a stained glass window. We pulled it taught by hand and then sized it with a glue mix. After we put them up one piece has started to wrinkle pretty severely. I have tried to spray it with hot water and to steam it, and that works for a bit, but as it dries it wrinkles again. I’m going to try spraying it with an alum/water mix next, but I’ve run out of ideas on how to fix this. We can’t take them and stretch them by hand anymore, both because of how tight they are sized and also because of a lack of time before we start filming. If anyone has any sort of ideas I’d really appreciate the help!
I believe it was Angelique Powers who wrote an article here on FR versus non-FR muslin. Browse through for the article. Essentially, because FR chemicals are sprayed on the material, it doesn’t tighten up and stay tight. It sags. I’ve had the same thing with 24’x40’ drops and it’s infuriating. If you can, best to tack it back more and get the wrinkles out that way.
Hi! Rachel from Cobalt here… this is a particularly knarly problem.
So sorry you are having troubles, but frankly not surprised. Please find out if your stained glass will be lit only with backlight. In that case even those horrid wrinkles probably won’t show. Sidelight is hell on wrinkles, backlight is one way of lighting that wipes them out.
If you <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>really</span> need to get rid of them, Up front, I’m going to say that your best bet, (since you are filming) is to steam or wet it right before you film so it will be tight and film it while still wet and flat, before it relaxes again when it dries.
It’s very standard for pre flame retarded fabrics to act this way.
(The Rosebrand Tightweave PARTICULARLY will do this. It’s so bad that we won’t touch it here. It’s pretty sad, I had high hopes that it would be wonderful.)
Alum may work, too. At about a half cup per gallon of warm water (you can also use thin paint) you can douse it pretty good and hope it dries flat. When you use alum don’t be alarmed that initially the fabric will TOTALLY wrinkle and stay very wrinkled until the final moments of it’s drying. So stay patient until totally dry. You might take a LONG lunch so you aren’t knashing your teeth waiting… 🙂
Pre flame retarded fabrics for backdrops and such can also be trouble. Through our many years of dealing with fabrics here there have been eras when they weren’t so bad and actually shrank up. Then the supplier would switch THEIR supplier and there would be a different chemicals it is dipped in, and then there would be an era of trouble. Its a real wild card, as you can’t tell what the fabric will d before you starch it!! 🙁 Particularly the Bleached FR was almost impossible to seal and also would “let loose” when dry, even with multiple coats of starch. One set we ended up spraying the surface with water first so it would tighten, then paint it while still wet an flat.. UGH. bad memories!
Some pieces would dry tighter and stay flat as one put more layers of paint on.
To avoid this we aren’t using pre flame retarded fabrics any more and do it in house.
(the exception is the IFR scrim, which is just fine.)
In any case, one always hopes that the wrinklyness will be solved onstage by the lovely lighting designer who knows how to light the wrinkles out.
I hope anyone with other experiences chimes in here… I know that Its more info than you asked for, but it’s such a trouble that it is nice to open up a discussion about it!
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