Update in 2023. Arca Swiss B2 ballhead disassembly.
My Arca Swiss B2 ballhead eventually jammed solid. There was a design flaw with the plastic ball follower, which swelled with time, making smooth motion impossible.
This could be fixed by Arca Swiss repair agents, who had been provided with replacement followers. In 2022 I decided to open up my B2 ballhead and solve the problem myself.
The trick with disassembly is to use heat to soften the glue holding the grey cover plate on the large tension knob. Use a soft craft glue for reassembly.
The hard part of disassembly was getting the stuck ball follower out of the body, which required a lot of tapping with a plastic hammer and softwood blocks. Once it was out I reduced its outer diameter with four grades of emery paper, from 400 up to 1200 grit. I pressed the outer circumference against the flat sheets by hand, then pulled and rotated a bit over 90 degrees, moving around the full circle several times, progressing up through the grades of emery paper. Eventually the ball follower was a better fit. After reassembly this Arca Swiss B2 works perfectly, just like a bought one, which it is. Very expensive it was. 🙂
Please enquire with a reply for better guidance on doing this if you need to, but it's a pretty straightforward, follow-your-nose procedure.
Regards, Rick.
