stripped tripod socket

I stripped out the tri-pod socket on my 8x10 deardorf. Fortunatley it is drilled for the

1/4" size tripod so I assume I can get it redrilled for a 5/8" tripod size, my question is

does anydody know where I can get this done cheap in the chicago area? I figure a

camera repair place is going to charge a ton but maybe somebody know a little

machine shop that'll do it cheaper.

Doug,

 

The quick, good, and cheap solution (a rare combination) is a helicoil insert to return it to 1/4-20. A decent auto shop can even do it. BTW, I hope you meant 3/8" if you go that route and not 5/8"....

 

Steve

Take a deardorf to an autoshop, lord have mercy.

Doug,

 

This is a very simple repair. If you can find a good hardware store, they will have the tap you need to do it yourself. It is not rocket science, if you can tighten a bolt, or drill a hole you have all the skills necessary to do the job yourself. In addition, the cost ought to run less than $20.00 or so.

 

Pete

I wouldn't recommend tapping a Deardorf as a first attempt at tapping. Either practice first, or have someone else do it. The helicoil idea is good, if you want to retain a 1/4-20 thread. If you like 3/8-16, and if there is enough material in the insert, it can be drilled to a larger size and tapped. The size drill for a hole to be tapped 3/8-16 is 5/16. To get the hole perpendicular to the surface you might need a drill press, particularly with an existing, deformed hole.

I fixed a 'bunged up' thread on a flash head recently by running the correct size tap in the threads - no drilling involved. You might try just that much and see if that fixes it. Put some oil(for steel) on the tap first. Home Depot has these.

a 5/8-11 is a one of the standard tripod thread types for surveying equipment.

Also at many hardware stores you can find a gizmo called a Tee Nut. It's basically a threaded tube with a flange at the end. Some of the flanges have prongs which you hammer into the wood -- I'd avoid these on the Deardorff! Get the kind that has little holes for screws in the flange.

 

When you remove the one that's in the camera, the tee nut might just slip right into the same spot, nice snug fit. Then you only have to decide whether you want to drill a little hole for the screw through the flange.

 

Lots of the old Ansco view cameras and many others used tee nuts, many made of brass. I don't recall if Deardorff ever used them, but I believe they sometimes did.

 

You might also find a "tube" with threads both on the outside and the inside. If your camera doesn't have the tee nut, this might be what you have (if it isn't the big metal plate on the bed of the camera.) I guess this tube would be the helicoil mentioned above.

 

If it's the big metal plate, then the helicoil should work great. Practice on some scrap metal first, make sure you got it down, or even on wood.

 

I do know that there are devices like this made for wood as well. I know that the advice for screwing these inserts into wood is that, rather than use a screwdriver to screw it in (it's slotted on one end for this purpose), get a regular machine screw and nut, put the nut on the screw, screw the screw into the insert, then use a wrench to screw the insert into the wood. You get much better control this way. Then you just have to get the screw back out of the insert with the wrench.

Simply nail your deardorf on top of another 10x8 camera. You will have the added bonus of being able to take stero shots.