· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Equipment Discussions >> Mounts Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 RAK on Tour member Reged: 11/12/07 Loc: Sedalia, Missouri EQ-1 Tripod Leg Fix?       #3028126 - 04/06/09 04:18 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   What does anyone do when the clamp at the bottom of the tripod leg cracks? The clamping screw is fine, but the black plastic that surrounds the aluminum has cracked. Are replacements available, or does one have to make a new clamp out of -- what? Post Extras:       Al Canarelli Post Laureate Reged: 12/06/07 Loc: Central New Jersey Re: EQ-1 Tripod Leg Fix? [Re: RAK on Tour]       #3028240 - 04/06/09 05:05 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Call your dealer or manufacturer and try to buy a new clamp. If that fails, try to buy a used tripod on CN or AM Post Extras:       jayfish member Reged: 08/28/08 Loc: Grand Rapids, MI Re: EQ-1 Tripod Leg Fix? [Re: RAK on Tour]       #3029672 - 04/07/09 11:50 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Here are a couple of things I did. The first was a temporary fix done in the field but if done a little more deliberately could be permanent. I first applied a Cyanoacrylate based glue (superglue) to the both sides of the break. Once the glue got a bit tacky, I mated the break and applied light pressure until it stayed mated. Then I took some 5lb monofilament fishing line and made two tight wraps around the top of the clamp. There is a little lip around the top that makes it easier to keep the line in place. You'll also want to make sure that your first two wraps capture the bare end of the line under them. This will provide an anchor for the next steps. I pulled this as tight as I could then applied glue to the fishing line on the clamp and let it dry. This soaks in and basically fuses the line into one clean, strong band. Once the glue dried, I made several more clean orbits around the clamp applying very high tension as I did so. I then coated the new line with glue, again forming a single strong band of plastic. Once dry I snipped the line as close to repair as possible and applied one more dot of glue to keep the end down. This proved to be a very strong fix. A side benefit to this is that because monofilament is nearly transparent, the repair was barely noticeable. Total time to implement the fix was about 20 minutes. That fix was only for the top of the clamp and lasted until the bottom broke too. At that point I decided to reinforce the remaining clamps in addition to fixing the broken clamp. As before, I used superglue to mate the two sides and let it completely cure. I then took two black 6-inch zip-ties and attached them end to end to form a single long zip-tie. I put these on the top and bottom of each clamp, applied as much torque as possible and snipped the ends off . I used two shorter ties rather than on long tie because the two together form angles that mate with the clamp better then a single tie. You also get two points where torque can be applied rather than one. Total time for this fix was about an hour. I can post some pictures later today if you are interested. Good Luck, Jay Post Extras:       RAK on Tour member Reged: 11/12/07 Loc: Sedalia, Missouri Re: EQ-1 Tripod Leg Fix? [Re: jayfish]       #3029800 - 04/07/09 12:46 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Jay, I really appreciate the ideas! I am a little fuzzy on the zip-tie fix, so pictures would help a lot (I'm a visual learner!). I definitely would prefer repairing the clamp to fabricating something from scratch, and it will be quicker than trying to find an exact replacement part. Post Extras:       jayfish member Reged: 08/28/08 Loc: Grand Rapids, MI Re: EQ-1 Tripod Leg Fix? [Re: RAK on Tour]       #3029882 - 04/07/09 01:21 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I'll see what I can do picture wise. Once you see it you'll . It'll be a little later tonight. Heck, if the sky's are clear tonight it may be tomorrow. Jay Post Extras:       johnfdean Pooh-Bah Reged: 06/04/06 Loc: southern tip of Illinois Re: EQ-1 Tripod Leg Fix? [Re: RAK on Tour]       #3029893 - 04/07/09 01:28 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   On my EQ 2 I replace the legs with wood legs as soon as I got it. Post Extras:       jayfish member Reged: 08/28/08 Loc: Grand Rapids, MI Re: EQ-1 Tripod Leg Fix? [Re: RAK on Tour]       #3030828 - 04/07/09 09:39 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Just for fun I re-did the repair using a single 8-inch zip tie rather than two 6 inchers joined. It worked almost as well and looks fine. Here are a couple of pics. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/jayfish/Leg.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/jayfish/Zip.jpg Jay Post Extras:       RAK on Tour member Reged: 11/12/07 Loc: Sedalia, Missouri Re: EQ-1 Tripod Leg Fix? [Re: jayfish]       #3031740 - 04/08/09 10:26 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks, Jay. I thought that's what it would look like, but a visual always makes it easier. Clever solution - cheap and functional. That's the best kind! Post Extras:       Pages: 1 Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 5 registered and 24 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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