camera slipping on a Tiltall

My Zone VI/Wista camera originally came with a Zone VI tripod and

Bogen 3047 head. It works well most of the time, but the "little"

Tiltall gets more use away from the truck. I occasionally notice an

annoying tendency for the camera to slip loose on the tripod head and

rotate. My Wista has two tripod screw bushings for different

balancing. The two holes are about 1 3/8" apart. I plan to thread a

short bolt in the back hole from inside the camera, leaving the front

threads protruding about a quarter inch. The radius of the table on

the Tiltall is just over 1&5/8". I'll file a notch in the edge of

the table for the protruding screw. The two point contact will

prevent any slipping.

 

The bolt could be switched to the middle hole, allowing the back

bushing to be used to hold the camera. The bolt would then fit

against the front of the revolved table. A socket head bolt (using

an Allen hex wrench )could be used instead from beneath. The bolt

could even be nylon. A shim with an edge could be made to keep 35mm

cameras from slipping when used in vertical mode.

 

I thought about posting this after the fact, but by posting it

beforehand, I can benefit from your thoughts. I will certainly post

the results. Thanks in advance.

Hello Ken,

 

As you may recall from the Tiltall discussion a few weeks ago I have one of

the original models from teh 1950's. They originally came equipped with a

thin blue rubber pad that fit on top of the head. My rubber pad died a few

years ago and I cut a new one to replace it. With the rubber pad things don't

move. Without it it is easily possible.

I replaced the blue pad on my tiltall with a circular piece of rough leather; and bonded it on with 5 minute epoxy; this was 3 decades ago. The tripod is from the late 1960's.

Ken; how is the camera really slipping?

I long ago put some non slip self adhesive material on top of my Tiltall Professional. It is designed to be put on steps or other surfaces where people might slip and fall. You should be able to find such material at any good hardware store. I've haven't had any problems since then. The material has stuck to the tripod top for some 30 years, so I guess the self stick adhesive must be pretty good.

 

One other minor problem I have with the Tiltall is that although the vertical locking screw is tightened down sufficiently to prevent vertical movement, it sometimes allows lateral rotation because of slippage. So it is worthwhile checking that you have tightened down sufficiently to prevent that. Also, with use the tripod surfaces tend to get slippery, possibly because a microscopic layer of aluminum wears off and acts as a lubricant or it just may be grime. It makes itself known as a black slightly greaselike layer which comes off with a good wiping down. So cleaning your tripod regularly can avoid that problem. I do it when I think of it, or when I seem to be having troubles, which means once a month or so.

Ken: For non-slip material try a cheap ping pong paddle from a sporting good store. The pebbly rubber surface peels off and makes a very good tripod surface to stop rotation.

Thanks, everyone for your thoughts. I think I'll try replacing the worn rubber surface before trying anything more major. I got a chuckle from your responses....I guess any repair which hasn't been around for at least three decades is still iffy! It's refreshing to see what I call the 1940s Popular Mechanics Home Wisdom still alive and well in our fast paced throw away world.

 

ps....I have noticed the guys who have made good repairs on their tripods spell well, too. Thanks again.

One more note about the Tiltall. Mine is a Marchioni from about 1971. Eventually the felt ring in the lower end of the slide tube will get loose. When it does, the tripod will appear to work normally, but will have little damping to kill vibration. Be sure that felt ring offers some resistance when you raise and lower the column, or try wiggling the post where it exits the tube at the bottom. This is a problem even if the column isn't raised, so it's worth checking.