ballhead loose on tripod

[pai]

hi guys, i've had this problem on more than one ballhead and tripod combo, so i must be doing something wrong...

after some use, the ballhead becomes a little loose, and starts rotating. i have to keep tightening it back. but i don't dare to over tighten in case it gets stuck, or worse, once when taking them apart, the screw on the tripod came out with the ballhead :sweat:

is there anything i'm doing wrong? it seems to be such a stupid problem to have...

 

[benedium]

can tell us which ballhead and tripod you using?

 

[zcf]

Is it you didn't lock/turn it tight enough in the first place :sweat: ? May be have to show some photos to tell?

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

hi guys, i've had this problem on more than one ballhead and tripod combo, so i must be doing something wrong...

after some use, the ballhead becomes a little loose, and starts rotating. i have to keep tightening it back. but i don't dare to over tighten in case it gets stuck, or worse, once when taking them apart, the screw on the tripod came out with the ballhead :sweat:

is there anything i'm doing wrong? it seems to be such a stupid problem to have...

u can try putting epoxy... hehehe... or superglue...

anyway, if my monopod, then its normal lor, but on my tripod it have 3 screws to tighten from bottom so it won't get loose... cos i guess the principle is, tripod u may do panorama rotation, but on monopod dun do...

 

[pai]

hehe dca, epoxy cannot lah. next time if have to WTS, you'll see me posting MUST SELL AS SET already lor.

i know what you mean by those 3 screws, but mine don't have...

benedium, i try it on more than one ballhead and tripod... that's why i said it's probably my fault, not equipment problem. i guess maybe just do as zcf suggests and just tighten it more lah.

just that... with an older tripod i did this, then when i take out the ballhead, the screw came out with it. had to remove with pliers after that so nowadays i very :sweat: about over tighten.

 

[yanyewkay]

on the centre column of the tripod should be 3 screws for you to tighten to your tripod head. just tighten sufficient will do.

 

[SilentWave]

You might want to try applying clear nail polish on the base of the ballhead before you tighten it to the tripod.

 

[pai]

on the centre column of the tripod should be 3 screws for you to tighten to your tripod head. just tighten sufficient will do.

my tripod don't have those screws. thanks for the suggestion tho...

and... nailpolish? :dunno:

 

[SilentWave]

Yup. Clear nail polish. It is no where near as strong as glue, but it can still acts as an adhesive if you tighten the head to the tripod before the nail polish dries. The advantages of doing this are: it can be easily bought and fairly easy to clean with acetone or 70% alcohol. If you don't feel quite comfortable doing this, try to apply a few small drops of the nail polish first, tighten the ballhead to the tripod, and let it dry completely. Then, try removing the ballhead from the tripod and feel how much resistance you get. If a few small drops are not enough, remove the ballhead, clean both of the bases completely and apply more nail polish. Repeat process until you get a fairly good holding strength.

 

[maestrolik]

hi guys, i've had this problem on more than one ballhead and tripod combo, so i must be doing something wrong...

after some use, the ballhead becomes a little loose, and starts rotating. i have to keep tightening it back. but i don't dare to over tighten in case it gets stuck, or worse, once when taking them apart, the screw on the tripod came out with the ballhead :sweat:

is there anything i'm doing wrong? it seems to be such a stupid problem to have...

Hi, this is what the guys in CP taught me to do. You buy those one piece thin leather from carrefour, the type that are used for the in soles of your shoe. Cut out the desired shape and stick it to the base of your ballhead using watever glue you think is sturdy enough. The added friction btw the leather and the base of your monopod will be strong enough to prevent the ballhead from rotating. :bsmilie:

 

[pai]

both methods are interesting and worth considering. thanks.

 

[ericp]

The thin leather suggestions sounds interesting, but may not work. I put gaffer tape on my tripod base, and it still did not grip strong enough. I'm going to use a variation of the nail polish trick ... I'm going to buy thread locking compound (from a car accessories shop or r/c model shop) and using that instead. There are 2 types AFAIK, blue and red, and IIRC, the blue one is the one that can be unfastened with a firm twist of the hand, while the red locks really tight and may require mechanical help. Or I may just take the easy way out and just use nail polish !

 

[maestrolik]

The thin leather suggestions sounds interesting, but may not work. I put gaffer tape on my tripod base, and it still did not grip strong enough. I'm going to use a variation of the nail polish trick ... I'm going to buy thread locking compound (from a car accessories shop or r/c model shop) and using that instead. There are 2 types AFAIK, blue and red, and IIRC, the blue one is the one that can be unfastened with a firm twist of the hand, while the red locks really tight and may require mechanical help. Or I may just take the easy way out and just use nail polish !

I tried, it works. You just have to experiment with it:sweat: gaffer tape is different from leather in terms of grip strength

 

[SilentWave]

The thin leather suggestions sounds interesting, but may not work. I put gaffer tape on my tripod base, and it still did not grip strong enough. I'm going to use a variation of the nail polish trick ... I'm going to buy thread locking compound (from a car accessories shop or r/c model shop) and using that instead. There are 2 types AFAIK, blue and red, and IIRC, the blue one is the one that can be unfastened with a firm twist of the hand, while the red locks really tight and may require mechanical help. Or I may just take the easy way out and just use nail polish !

The thread locking compound should work just fine or even better. Actually, some people suggested to use blue Loctite but it might not be readily available in some countries. You are also correct that the red one locks really tight and IIRC heat is required to unfasten it, so don't use that one unless you want to fasten the ballhead to the tripod permanently.

 

[dominator]

Just get a LOCTITE 243 (Blue Removable) will do to solve your problem.
I had used Loctite it in many applications at work or home and of cos in my tripod too

If you can't find it in hardware shop just go to sim lim tower basement and sure you will get it.