Category Archives: Tools

36 Knots, Bends, and Splices

By Eric Hart | Published: August 11, 2010
Who here likes knots? Who doesn’t like knots? When I was first starting out as a stagehand apprentice, I was told there were three knots I should memorize: the square knot, bowline, and clove hitch. These, I was taught, made up the bulk of all knots needed in theatre. Any other specialty knots came into [...]
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Five Prop Quick-Fixes

By Eric Hart | Published: June 21, 2010
Sometimes you need to fix things right, and other times, you need to fix them right now. Here are four things which prop people rely on to fix a prop when the audience is already seated and the curtain is about to go up. Hot Glue It’s a common prop adage that “anything can be [...]
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Old-fashioned Carpentry Tools

By Eric Hart | Published: November 27, 2009
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend, as well as this old-timey picture (circa 1881) of tools. Feel free to save it and print it, or whatever you wish.
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The Future of Making Props 2

By Eric Hart | Published: May 18, 2009
In the last post, I looked at desktop fabricators and how they might impact the future of building props. In this post, I’ll check out what kind of new materials will change how we make props. New Materials One of the grandest changes in the way we make things came from the development of plastics [...]
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The Future of Making Props

By Eric Hart | Published: May 15, 2009
Every once in awhile, I thought I’d try to look ahead at the future of building props. Prop-making has come a long way in the last few decades, from papier-mache and chicken-wire, to sculpted Styrofoam and CNC-routed parts. Today, I’ll take a peek at desktop fabrication. Desktop Fabrication If you need a color copy of [...]
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  • About

    Eric Hart

    I am Eric Hart, the assistant props master at the Public Theater in New York City, and a longtime prop maker.

    This site is a way to share my work and the things I've learned over the years. It's also a way to connect with other prop makers, props masters, and artisans, as well as a collection of all things of interest to props people from around the internet.

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