Another Christmas has come and gone. A few of us may have “Christmas in July” but for most people, our beloved color wheels will be put away for another year. My guess is that each year more color wheels are damaged due to improper or careless storage than wear out during the holiday season. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Storing your color wheel properly is easy. But you do need a little planning. Here’s how:
- Remove the wing nut and star from the color wheel light. Slide the color wheel off the motor shaft. Put the wing nut and star in a small zip lock bag.
- Carefully lay the color wheel on a flat surface. Do not try to fit it back in the original box. Those boxes were made intentionally small for shipping purposes. Do not take the sections apart. Do not remove the metal clips. Clips can be sharp and cut you. Lenses get brittle with age. It is best to leave the wheel assembled. You need a piece of cardboard big enough to fold a sleeve for the color wheel with a little overlap. A box will also work well if you have one large enough to cover the wheel. Wrap the color wheel in bubble wrap, add the bag with wing nut and star and place in the sleeve or box. Put it in a safe storage spot for next year.
- Now for the motor and light. Look at the picture. Any bump or knock in the Danger Zone can break the motor shaft off or damage the gears in the motor. When this happens your unit is ruined. You need a box large enough to protect the light, the motor, and the entire length of the motor shaft. Carefully wrap the unit in bubble wrap. Do not put any pressure on the motor shaft. Place in the box. If you have the original box, it may be large enough for this purpose. If your original box is in bad shape due to age, hang on to it for resale value, but you may want to store both in a larger, more secure box. It is not necessary to remove the bulb after each season. Make sure the bulb is secure in the fitting before you plug it in next year. Do not overtighten.
Your color wheel has lasted for over fifty years. With a little storage TLC we want it to last for another fifty.
Keep’em Spinning,
Z