Sand Removal from tripod locks
As much as I tried to keep sand out of my tripod after our beach outing recenlty, some has gotten into the locking mechanisms on the legs. I have some clean unused makeup brushes and thought about trying that to brush out the sand. It's not much, but enough to "hear" it when using the locks and its hard to get the locks closed as well.
Since San Diego is a beach town, I figured many of you have experience in this? I have a manfrotta tripod btw.
How do you deal with the sand?? Any must do's or don't do's?
thanks!
Suzanne
Have you tried using a can
Have you tried using a can of air to blow out sand particles? If you are hearing them rattle they are likely not embedded into any of the joints. You may need something like a scribe for pickout anything stuck or wedged, but be careful
Depending on the material of your tripod you may also be able to flush with water, but if doing so dry really good and then apply lubricant to the moving parts....for metal either wd40 or even a graphite based lubricant would be good to keep things moving smoothly. Graphite can be messy but does a great job of keeping action smooth.
Clark visit my most recent gallery http://agiledogs.smugmug.com/
I'm not saying its the right
I'm not saying its the right thing to do... but hose it off. I've had my Manfrotto out in some pretty deep ocean water - when I get home I just turn the nozzel to "jet" and hose it down. In the long run (very long run) it may reduce the life of the tripod but I can't see it lasting me less than 10 years still. Maybe in 10 years i'll want a fancy new tripod?
http://www.christopherwoodphotography.com
What kind of tripod and what
What kind of tripod and what kind of locks, lever, know or twist? I had to replace broken levers on a couple of Manfrotto tripods and at the same time I disassembled them and cleaned them thoroughly. It's not hard to do, especially since Manfrotto has exploded parts views available for download on their website. Other brands of tripods are similar...
John, I have the Manfrotto
John, I have the Manfrotto 190XPROB 3 Section Aluminum Pro Tripod
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N7VPRW/ref=oss_product
Thanks all for your input, I do appreciate it!
Suzanne
Suzanne,Here is the
Suzanne,
Here is the Manfrotto web site page that has the exploded views for your tripod in pdf format:
http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/spare_parts_db_detail/site/manfrotto/op/n...
I am willing to help you with it if you are unable to get all the sand out of the locks. Contact me via e-mail...
I agree, hose it off with
I agree, hose it off with fresh water.
I only use an old tripod at the beach. Cover legs in plastic bags helps.
See my beach photo tips:
http://www.markholmesphoto.com/news/photography-techniques/113-10-tips-f...
Thank you John for the
Thank you John for the links. I did try canned air and that helped some, but the sand is still in those lower locks. I can get them open and closed, but it's harder to do so because of the sand. Do you need special tools to take the manfrotto apart? I think I would only need to do the lower locks.
I will try the hose wash next on power, see if that helps - since both Chris and Mark think that would be okay to do.
Wish I had read your tips first Mark. I didn't have it in the water, but just on the wet packed sand. If only........the if only's.
Thank you also John, for offering to help me further - I might take you on that.
Suzanne
If I remember correctly, the
If I remember correctly, the only tools I used on my tripods were common hand tools, primarily metric sized socket wrenches. Manfrotto provides a plastic socket with the tripod to adjust the tension on the locks, but I found they weren't durable and had a tendency to break. I used Craftsman sockets instead...
This was Manfrotto's
This was Manfrotto's response to my question:
For routine cleaning, or whenever sand or water get inside the legs, you must disassemble the entire leg, simply by unscrewing the 8mm bolt from each locking collar and removing the various sections. Wipe the tubes down with some WD-40 on a soft rag. For sand, the insides of tubes must also be done. This can be done with a thin dowel and a rag wrapped around one end. For getting into the crevices in the locking clamps, an old toothbrush works well.
Do not lubricate the leg tubes. Reassemble and go.
Suzanne
That's about right. If you
That's about right. If you want help, let me know.
Manfrotto's cleaning
Manfrotto's cleaning instructions are fine, but I don't have time to take my tripod apart after every shoot. It's extreme punishment for any tripod at the beach with all the salt air corroding and sand grinding down all the fastenings.That's why I keep a second tripod just for beach use. You could pick one up on eBay. The one I have is a Bogen, which is nice and heavy, with clip locks. All the springs that hold the locks show heavy corrosion.
I wear glasses and whenever I have been on a beach shoot, I notice an oily film on them from the salt air. It's safe to assume this film is also coating your lens and camera, so brush down your camera after use and wipe with pec pads.
Mark, pec pads - never
Mark, pec pads - never heard of those. Goggled them - can they be found locally? I did brush off my camera, but did not use anything specific on it. I can see why you use a secondary tripod for beach use. Do you use the pec pad dry, or use them in addition to something else.
many thanks
Suzanne
Suzanne, they are just lint
Suzanne, they are just lint free pads that I use for cleaning sensors:
http://www.photosol.com/padproduct.htm
I am sure eny microfiber cloth or camera wipe would work. I just dampen it very slightly. Don't use chemicals.
Pay particular attention to wear the lens mount meets the camera to remove any particles that might drop into the camera as you remove the lens.