Set Design and Construction: Cleaning a cyc

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Cleaning a cyc

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Set Design and Construction
Forum Discription: Post your questions or suggestions about designing or building a set here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2041
Printed Date: 4/27/24 at 2:59pm
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Topic: Cleaning a cyc

Posted By: 75director
Subject: Cleaning a cyc
Date Posted: 9/24/06 at 2:50pm

Is there anyway to get paint out of a cyc backdrop?

We had a volunteer who splattered a little bit of paint onto the cyc while painting. Tiny little specs, hardly visible from more than about 10-15 feet away. But still wondered if there's anyway to get them out. The volunteer feels really really bad and if there was a way it could be fixed that would make her month I think.

The cyc is untreated muslin and hasn't been painted before.

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks!

Replies:

Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 9/24/06 at 11:03pm

If it's latex paint you might try a product called "Goof-Off." It's formulated to remove painting mistakes (hence it's name.) It can usually be found in hardware stores near the cleaning supplies or paint department.

Follow the instructions carefully. Try a little on an inconspicuous spot before attempting to clean larger areas to see how the muslin reacts.

Good luck.

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"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone

Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 9/24/06 at 11:29pm

This is always a hassle, with what I presume, it is unbleached raw cotton calico/muslin.
Besides the fabric weave shrinking & tightening up after applying water, the paint pigment can fix & set into the weave of the fibres. Depending how the cyc was produced & if it has panels that are sewn or epoxy glued together. Wether or not it can be reversed & just rehung, looking at it on your site I couldn?t pick up how it was done.
You could try washing it out & bleaching it, but it looks like a massive job to this. You could try using bicarbonate of soda & brushing off the specks. Frankly if it is not that noticeable, don?t worry about it, as any action you take, might cause a bigger reaction & it will become more noticed.
There again depending on the colour & type of paint specks, I suppose you could blot them out using paper correction whitener, but this would be a tedious job if it is extensive.
While you might be able to pick them out, if the punters can?t, leave them alone, unless someone else here can help!
Never having had the need to clean a cyc, especial one made from raw cotton calico/muslin.
However if it is unbleached you could try washing it & bleaching it, but from the size of your cyc pictured on the website, this might be a big operation & cause more headaches than you could wave a stick at.
Depending on the colour & type of paint used in the specks, you might get away with just lightly blotting them out using liquid paper to mask.
Otherwise while they might be noticeable to you, because you know where they are there. If the punters can?t pick them out - leave them alone!
Depending on how your cyc has been made up from either sewn or glued panels. Is it possible to reverse hang the whole cyc if the specks cover a number of panels &/or just the one panel section?
Also I hope you don?t mind but from your picture gallery, may I suggest what also could help, if you used stretchers on your cyc to take out the ripples & tighten it up, this can help covering up visually the specks.
Cloth stretchers are easy to make up yourself or there are plastic innovative type holdons these days, available from Halls;- http://www.hallstage.com/uploads/documents/Holdon%2 0Leaflet.pdf
& other theatre suppliers.

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Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}