JBP Graphics wrote:
Sounds like you may want to talk to a patent lawyer and then go into production or maybe even talk to Westcott like they did with the Joel Grimes Beauty Dish Switch.

Thanks.  I've thought about that, but dunno.  Still baffles me as to why the wind umbrellas exist, but none here in photo land. Golfers have had them for some time now on the fairways, but they never made it to our side - yet.

I've about had it with setting up soft-boxes in the field.  When I set up, I arrive a couple of hours ahead of time just to put the stuff together.  And they get dirty and are bulky to carry even when broken down.  My old Lighthouse Moonlights I leave partially assembled as the aluminum frame is circular for great catchlights, but they are about 36" diameter even in the case I made for them and they still need some time to assemble and put onto a studio head.  One of my larger six- foot ones needs a counter-balance weight on the backside of the flash and an additional support stand to prevent stressing its mount.  Least an umbrella can slide under a seat and are generally cheap enough to toss if broken, just they suffer wind issues and from bad U-V issues.

As to the fabric and U-V, some soft-box covers are U-V brightened as well.  Bad idea as you can be 1,000+ Kelvin off easily and end up with a bad color-crossover for the effort.  I used to gel those modifiers which is another time-consuming step that shouldn't exist if the things were made right to begin with.  But I guess textile makers make white cloth with the U-V added to make it bright so that's what we get.

What steered me to the "U-V Killer" stuff was a hunter.  During this Covid isolation I took to photographing wildlife.  Birds, on some days, were very skittish around me and other days not so much and they'd come within a couple of feet of me.  I learned from the hunter that some of their hunting and vest apparel has the U-V brightener in them and deer and birds see it easily down into the 420nm U-V range which makes their clothing appear as a large visible threat.  Removing the UV fabric component makes them less skittish.  Fwiw, the "U-V Killer" stuff looks like milk with a very slight yellow color. With the mix of alcohol to it, which works as a drying agent and to help permeate the stubborn polyester water-proof fabric, it gets rid of the U-V.

Maybe Wescott will see this thread and get to thinking...