How to lubricate a ballhead

[betazone]

Hi guys,
I have a Manfrotto 486RC2. May I know what type of grease/lubricant should I use to maintain it? Thanks very much for your advice.

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

if its working fine, den dun grease it. otherwise it will be too slippery to grip.

just keep it away from dust, water, then you won't have much problem. and dun put in the dry box....

 

[+evenstar]

Hi guys,
I have a Manfrotto 486RC2. May I know what type of grease/lubricant should I use to maintain it? Thanks very much for your advice.

I don't think you'll need to grease it, unless you went to wipe off the grease that's already there...:dunno: :dunno:

 

[West_ray]

wd40 lor ... as long as it work any lubricant can be use ... those used on human ones also can try ...

 

[betazone]

Thanks for all the replies.
Actually the thought of greasing it came about, because few months back I brought it on a flight to Holland, when I reached there noticed a think white translucent film has found on the ballhead not sure is there any chemical change or not. That's why I think of cleaning it off and relubricate it.
Any of you have similar experience ?

 

[dominator]

don't use grease or oil.

avoid wd40 too, if you noticed wd40 is use to losen up rust or squeaky parts. try spraying on any rusty moving parts and you will find out it will not last for long before getting rust again.

if really need to lubricate on the ballhead, go for silicon spray.

 

[Feinwerkbau]

Here's what I would do:

Clean the ball and socket thoroughly, then use a DRY film type lube. Personally, I'd use Molybdenum Disulphide in a spray form with alcohol as the carrier. The ancohol dries off and leaves a very thin, dry coat that does not attract dust and gunk. If you're not familiar with Moly, it is one of the slickest substances known to man. Teflon feels like fine sand-paper, and silicon like sludge in comparison. Obviously, considering it's so slick, it should be used VERY sparingly, and discertely! It is also inflamable and a highly toxic substance, BTW.

I use the dry Moly spray by Birchwood Casey for firearms from Chye Whatt Seng (gun shop) at Golden Mile Complex. The last time I bought it about 5 years ago for about $12/can. I still have it and use it fo all sorts of stuff that requires a very high level of lubrication!!!

 

[dominator]

Here's what I would do:

Clean the ball and socket thoroughly, then use a DRY film type lube. Personally, I'd use Molybdenum Disulphide in a spray form with alcohol as the carrier. The ancohol dries off and leaves a very thin, dry coat that does not attract dust and gunk. If you're not familiar with Moly, it is one of the slickest substances known to man. Teflon feels like fine sand-paper, and silicon like sludge in comparison. Obviously, considering it's so slick, it should be used VERY sparingly, and discertely! It is also inflamable and a highly toxic substance, BTW.

I use the dry Moly spray by Birchwood Casey for firearms from Chye Whatt Seng (gun shop) at Golden Mile Complex. The last time I bought it about 5 years ago for about $12/can. I still have it and use it fo all sorts of stuff that requires a very high level of lubrication!!!

Care to explain why teflon feels like fine sandpaper?

 

[smallaperture]

Any "good" lubricant, teflon, grease, oil or Moly would reduce the grip of the ball head which is bad. When you tighten, you want your camera and lens to stay where it is and not slip down or sideways. Unless, of course, your camera and lens balances perfectly on the head - which is a 1 in a 1000 chance, and becos the CG is higher up, it is intrinsically unstable!

My advice is just to clean it up and that's it. BTW, the ball head housing is made of alu alloy and the ball is of synthetic material, so no worry of corrosion. Unless you pour strong acid into it, otherwise it should be fine. For an amateur, it should last you more than 20 years!