peter_may Posted March 17, 1999 Share Posted March 17, 1999 I know this subject has been covered before either here or in photo.net, but I've searched the archives in both places a couple of times and can't find the thread, so please direct me to it if anyone knows of it. Bogen's Quick Release plates have a thin cork layer that is very poorly glued to the metal. It creeps sideways everytime any torque is put on the lens; this is especially bothersome with longer lenses. Eventually the cork pad becomes tattered and fragmented. Someone suggested replacing the cork with another material and a specific adhesive, but I can't recall the details. I think it was automotive gasket material and gasket cement, but I'm not sure. Anybody have a solution for this problem? Thanks in advance for any advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad_hutcheson Posted March 17, 1999 Share Posted March 17, 1999 If you are using the hex plates, you could always buy a 3267 plate with the 90 degree alignment stop. I got one last week, but can't report on how well it works yet. With a little luck I'll have a need for it in the next day or two, and let you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_parker Posted March 17, 1999 Share Posted March 17, 1999 I had the same problem with my QR plate and have since completely removed the gasket. My telephoto only weighs 6.5 pounds and haven't had any problems with the plate coming loose from the lens. If you're using a heavy telephoto such as a 600 f4 I'd recommend using a rubber gasket glued down with contact cement. Read the directions on the contact cement, I believe two coats are required with drying time in between. If you have a fairly light telephoto, I would just remove the cork and keep on shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_bridges1 Posted March 17, 1999 Share Posted March 17, 1999 I removed the cork, and applied a piece of very dense neoprene gasket material, it's about 1/32" thick, with super glue (loctite #425) to each of my Bogen QR plates, and haven't had a problem with them slipping anymore. That was about four years ago. I got the gasket and glue from the shop at work, but I believe almost any hardware, or possibly a auto supply should have the material and super glue, it's fairly common stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_fuhrman1 Posted March 17, 1999 Share Posted March 17, 1999 I would suggest contacting McMaster Carr Supply Co. www.mcmaster.com They are a huge industiral supplier of thousands of parts for manufacturing. You should look in the gaskets section. I would suggest a self-adhesive gasket material, either neoprene which is adequate, or poron which is more expensive but better quality since there is no "memory". You can buy the material either in roll form or sheet form. We use poron in our company's products and it would work fine for your application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dale_wentz Posted June 18, 1999 Share Posted June 18, 1999 I used the back off of one of my old mouse pads. This it has held up very well. Test the glue on the pad first. The 1st one I tried melted, and I had a mess. Dale Wentz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted June 18, 1999 Share Posted June 18, 1999 When I used the Bogen QR plates (on long lenses) I removed the cork/rubber and made a metal-to-metal contact. This does improvethe stability of big lenses. I also removed the thumbwheel screw and replaced it with an allen head bolt. Again this increased the stabilty of the QR/lens attachment since you can tighten it down much harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kim_biledgaard Posted June 20, 1999 Share Posted June 20, 1999 The original Bogen/Manfrotto QR-plates aren't very good for big lenses - at least not in my point of view. I have a Canon 500/4.5 and recently I bought one of the QR's manufactured by Kirk Entreprises. This plate has no cork/rubber and so there seems to be a much better 'contact'. In addition this plate has two screws, not one as the original, so again it's giving a lot more stability! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted June 20, 1999 Share Posted June 20, 1999 I'm sure the Kirk is better, but you can put an extra hole on the Bogen QR plates. I had them on a couple of big lenses at one time, in in both cases I drilled an extra hole for a second mounting screw. Saves a few $ if you spent all your money on the lens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_bick Posted June 20, 1999 Share Posted June 20, 1999 Kirk has modified some Bogen QR plates for me before I switched to the arca style system. I had the same problem Peter May described. For the longer lenses with multiple mounting holes, Kirk made a simple plate made of bar stock with multiple screws to mount to the lens foot. Then they modified one of their Bogen style plates with a slot in the top of the same dimension as the bar stock plate. The modified QR plate screwed on to the bar stock in the traditional style. No slippage or twisting is possible with this set-up. The cost was very reasonable and they FAXed a copy of the design to confirm our phone conversation of the idea. I received the piece in a few days. As usual, their customer service was superb. Kirk has also custom made several additonal spacers for QR plates and macro flash brackets for me to accomodate various lens/camera/QR set-ups. You might want to try this approach if you are not converting to the arca style system. Good shooting. Peter Bick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_debari Posted August 9, 1999 Share Posted August 9, 1999 Yes I had the exact same problem with the cork. I decided to stay with the cork so here's what I did. I caught the problem before the cork was damaged. I CAREFULLY separated the loose cork form the aluminum plate. A sharp piece of plastic(not metal) such as thin plexiglass can be used to assist this to avoid scratching the plate. Then I carefully cleaned the top of the plate with mineral spirits to remove the remnants of old glue. I cleaned the plate a last time with Formula 409 cleaner to remove any traces of mineral spirits from the plate. I next coated the top of the plate and the bottom of the cork with Weldwood Waterproof Contact Cement using a small disposable metal glue brush. Let it dry 15-20 minutes at room temperature(as per instructions). Then I carefully mated the cork to the plate and let it dry at least 24-48 hours. The longer the glue dries the stronger it gets so be patient!! I actually waited three days before using the plate. I now have been using this re-glued cork/plate for almost two years and the cork has not moved one millimeter in cold, hot or wet weather with lenses up to 300mm. I personally think that its best to stick with cork as the material. It seems to have the perfect properties for this application. As for what to do if your cork is already damaged: I have a solution for that also. If you go to a good arts & crafts shop you can buy rolls of very thin(1/16")cork in sheets that DON'T have any adhesive backing. Then cut it to size and glue it with the contact cement. If you cant find it, its distributed by "Hearts and Crafts Cork." They're in Southampton, New Jersey 08088. Ask them for Part#2412 dimensions 24" x12" x1/16" cork sheeting in roll. Its cost is about $2.00 or $3.00. Good Luck! Rick DeBari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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