Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?

[mike wilson]

> On 18 March 2018 at 03:55 David Mann  wrote:
> 
> 
> On Mar 17, 2018, at 11:06 PM, mike wilson  wrote:
> 
> > Sometimes, a piece of grit may become trapped between the ball and clamping 
> > piece of plastic, distorting the plastic.  The resulting "pip" will always 
> > cause drag.  Judicious scraping with an extremely sharp implement (I've 
> > used a suitably shaped piece of broken glass) will relieve the lump.  A 
> > light dusting with PTFE spray can work as a substitute for scraping if 
> > there are multiple instances of the issue.  Buying a new pad would be the 
> > ideal answer.  Good luck with that.
> 
> Sounds like a bit of fine sandpaper would do the job.

Only if you want to introduce a much larger number of embedded particles.

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Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?

[Paul Stenquist]

I won’t go beyond an alcohol wipe. The ball is a precision surface. It still 
works. It’s just not perfectly fluid as it once was,

Paul

> On Mar 17, 2018, at 11:55 PM, David Mann  wrote:
> 
>> On Mar 17, 2018, at 11:06 PM, mike wilson  wrote:
>> 
>> Sometimes, a piece of grit may become trapped between the ball and clamping 
>> piece of plastic, distorting the plastic.  The resulting "pip" will always 
>> cause drag.  Judicious scraping with an extremely sharp implement (I've used 
>> a suitably shaped piece of broken glass) will relieve the lump.  A light 
>> dusting with PTFE spray can work as a substitute for scraping if there are 
>> multiple instances of the issue.  Buying a new pad would be the ideal 
>> answer.  Good luck with that.
> 
> Sounds like a bit of fine sandpaper would do the job.
> 
> Cheers,
> Dave
> 
> 
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Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?

[David Mann]

On Mar 17, 2018, at 11:06 PM, mike wilson  wrote:

> Sometimes, a piece of grit may become trapped between the ball and clamping 
> piece of plastic, distorting the plastic.  The resulting "pip" will always 
> cause drag.  Judicious scraping with an extremely sharp implement (I've used 
> a suitably shaped piece of broken glass) will relieve the lump.  A light 
> dusting with PTFE spray can work as a substitute for scraping if there are 
> multiple instances of the issue.  Buying a new pad would be the ideal answer. 
>  Good luck with that.

Sounds like a bit of fine sandpaper would do the job.

Cheers,
Dave


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Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?

[Godfrey DiGiorgi]

It's always a good idea to check with the manufacturer's documentation about 
this cleaning. 
That said, I don't know of any ball head brand that does not recommend cleaning 
the ball with alcohol.

G


> On Mar 17, 2018, at 9:17 AM, John  wrote:
> 
> On a sort of related note ...
> 
> Years ago I had an Epson impact printer. It had rollers that had to be 
> periodically cleaned with alcohol. Then I got one of the early Epson inkjet 
> printers.
> 
> It too had rollers that had to be cleaned. But you weren't supposed to use 
> alcohol. Nothing about it in the directions and/or user guide. I only found 
> out *AFTER* cleaning the rollers & it wouldn't work ...
> 
> I had to call Epson tech support, which should give you some inkling how long 
> ago this was. They did send me replacement rollers.
> 
> I'd check with the manufacturer and see what they have to say.
> 
> I had one of the early HP
> On 3/16/2018 21:48, Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote:
>> Yes, lubricant on a ball head is generally a really bad idea. I don't know of
>> any manufacturer that recommends lubricant of any kind.
>> Really Right Stuff has a video on how to clean one of their ball heads
>> properly. I've found that it is just about exactly the same as the procedure
>> described by Arca-Swiss, FOBA, Kirk Photo, Acratech, and others in their
>> owner's manual and literature.
>> https://youtu.be/eR_a8I3Zd_I
>> I would do this first, before anything else. The likely cause of stiction in
>> a ball head is a tiny—microscopic!—film of finger oil and dirt deposited on
>> the ball's treated surface ... get all of it off and the ball head should
>> work as new again.
>> G
>>> Paul Stenquist Fri, 16 Mar 2018 07:18:02 -0700 wrote:
>>> I use a large heavy-duty Sirui bullhead when shooting off a tripod with big
>>> glass. It’s been excellent for several years, smooth and solid. But I think
>>> it may have picked up a few specks of dirt here and there, and now it has a
>>> bit of a tug and hesitation in its movement. I’m wondering if anyone has
>>> tried lubricating a bullhead with light oil. I think that may make matters
>>> worse by attracting dirt. I can clean it somewhat by rotating it to extreme
>>> positions while wiping it down, but that doesn’t seem to fully solve the
>>> problem. Is lube okay or a bad idea?


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Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?

[John]

On a sort of related note ...

Years ago I had an Epson impact printer. It had rollers that had to be 
periodically cleaned with alcohol. Then I got one of the early Epson inkjet 
printers.


It too had rollers that had to be cleaned. But you weren't supposed to use 
alcohol. Nothing about it in the directions and/or user guide. I only found out 
*AFTER* cleaning the rollers & it wouldn't work ...


I had to call Epson tech support, which should give you some inkling how long 
ago this was. They did send me replacement rollers.


I'd check with the manufacturer and see what they have to say.

I had one of the early HP
On 3/16/2018 21:48, Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote:

Yes, lubricant on a ball head is generally a really bad idea. I don't know of
any manufacturer that recommends lubricant of any kind.

Really Right Stuff has a video on how to clean one of their ball heads
properly. I've found that it is just about exactly the same as the procedure
described by Arca-Swiss, FOBA, Kirk Photo, Acratech, and others in their
owner's manual and literature.

https://youtu.be/eR_a8I3Zd_I

I would do this first, before anything else. The likely cause of stiction in
a ball head is a tiny—microscopic!—film of finger oil and dirt deposited on
the ball's treated surface ... get all of it off and the ball head should
work as new again.

G


Paul Stenquist Fri, 16 Mar 2018 07:18:02 -0700 wrote:

I use a large heavy-duty Sirui bullhead when shooting off a tripod with big
glass. It’s been excellent for several years, smooth and solid. But I think
it may have picked up a few specks of dirt here and there, and now it has a
bit of a tug and hesitation in its movement. I’m wondering if anyone has
tried lubricating a bullhead with light oil. I think that may make matters
worse by attracting dirt. I can clean it somewhat by rotating it to extreme
positions while wiping it down, but that doesn’t seem to fully solve the
problem. Is lube okay or a bad idea?



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Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?

[mike wilson]

If that dosn't work, you may need to dig deeper.

https://petapixel.com/2013/04/22/disassembling-a-tripod-ball-head-to-see-how-it-works/

Sometimes, a piece of grit may become trapped between the ball and clamping 
piece of plastic, distorting the plastic.  The resulting "pip" will always 
cause drag.  Judicious scraping with an extremely sharp implement (I've used a 
suitably shaped piece of broken glass) will relieve the lump.  A light dusting 
with PTFE spray can work as a substitute for scraping if there are multiple 
instances of the issue.  Buying a new pad would be the ideal answer.  Good luck 
with that.


> On 17 March 2018 at 01:48 Godfrey DiGiorgi  wrote:
> 
> 
> Yes, lubricant on a ball head is generally a really bad idea. I don't know of 
> any manufacturer that recommends lubricant of any kind. 
> 
> Really Right Stuff has a video on how to clean one of their ball heads 
> properly. I've found that it is just about exactly the same as the procedure 
> described by Arca-Swiss, FOBA, Kirk Photo, Acratech, and others in their 
> owner's manual and literature.  
> 
> https://youtu.be/eR_a8I3Zd_I
> 
> I would do this first, before anything else. The likely cause of stiction in 
> a ball head is a tiny—microscopic!—film of finger oil and dirt deposited on 
> the ball's treated surface ... get all of it off and the ball head should 
> work as new again. 
> 
> G
> 
> > Paul Stenquist Fri, 16 Mar 2018 07:18:02 -0700 wrote:
> > 
> > I use a large heavy-duty Sirui bullhead when shooting off a tripod with big 
> > glass. It’s been excellent for several years, smooth and solid. But I think 
> > it may have picked up a few specks of dirt here and there, and now it has a 
> > bit of a tug and hesitation in its movement. I’m wondering if anyone has 
> > tried lubricating a bullhead with light oil. I think that may make matters 
> > worse by attracting dirt. I can clean it somewhat by rotating it to extreme 
> > positions while wiping it down, but that doesn’t seem to fully solve the 
> > problem. Is lube okay or a bad idea?

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Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?

[Paul Stenquist]

Thanks Godfrey. 

Paul

> On Mar 16, 2018, at 9:48 PM, Godfrey DiGiorgi  wrote:
> 
> Yes, lubricant on a ball head is generally a really bad idea. I don't know of 
> any manufacturer that recommends lubricant of any kind. 
> 
> Really Right Stuff has a video on how to clean one of their ball heads 
> properly. I've found that it is just about exactly the same as the procedure 
> described by Arca-Swiss, FOBA, Kirk Photo, Acratech, and others in their 
> owner's manual and literature.  
> 
> https://youtu.be/eR_a8I3Zd_I
> 
> I would do this first, before anything else. The likely cause of stiction in 
> a ball head is a tiny—microscopic!—film of finger oil and dirt deposited on 
> the ball's treated surface ... get all of it off and the ball head should 
> work as new again. 
> 
> G
> 
>> Paul Stenquist Fri, 16 Mar 2018 07:18:02 -0700 wrote:
>> 
>> I use a large heavy-duty Sirui bullhead when shooting off a tripod with big 
>> glass. It’s been excellent for several years, smooth and solid. But I think 
>> it may have picked up a few specks of dirt here and there, and now it has a 
>> bit of a tug and hesitation in its movement. I’m wondering if anyone has 
>> tried lubricating a bullhead with light oil. I think that may make matters 
>> worse by attracting dirt. I can clean it somewhat by rotating it to extreme 
>> positions while wiping it down, but that doesn’t seem to fully solve the 
>> problem. Is lube okay or a bad idea?
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Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?

[Godfrey DiGiorgi]

Yes, lubricant on a ball head is generally a really bad idea. I don't know of 
any manufacturer that recommends lubricant of any kind. 

Really Right Stuff has a video on how to clean one of their ball heads 
properly. I've found that it is just about exactly the same as the procedure 
described by Arca-Swiss, FOBA, Kirk Photo, Acratech, and others in their 
owner's manual and literature.  

https://youtu.be/eR_a8I3Zd_I

I would do this first, before anything else. The likely cause of stiction in a 
ball head is a tiny—microscopic!—film of finger oil and dirt deposited on the 
ball's treated surface ... get all of it off and the ball head should work as 
new again. 

G

> Paul Stenquist Fri, 16 Mar 2018 07:18:02 -0700 wrote:
> 
> I use a large heavy-duty Sirui bullhead when shooting off a tripod with big 
> glass. It’s been excellent for several years, smooth and solid. But I think 
> it may have picked up a few specks of dirt here and there, and now it has a 
> bit of a tug and hesitation in its movement. I’m wondering if anyone has 
> tried lubricating a bullhead with light oil. I think that may make matters 
> worse by attracting dirt. I can clean it somewhat by rotating it to extreme 
> positions while wiping it down, but that doesn’t seem to fully solve the 
> problem. Is lube okay or a bad idea?
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Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?

[Igor PDML-StR]

Paul,

I am not an expert with lubricants: I don't have a good broad knowledge 
about which classes of lubricants are better for which jobs. I know only
lubricants for some limited classes of applications and materials that 
I've used in my work. So, my thoughts are rather speculative, but here 
they are.


I'd be hesitant to use oil or any other liquid lubricant. And this is for 
several reasons: dust/dirt is just one of them. Oil penetrating everywhere
(including the locking mechanism) and making everything, including the 
hands oily is yet another one.


As far as I understand Tri-flow is teflon (PTFE) - based lubricant.
My understanding is the teflon-based lubricants are usually dirt and
dust resistant.
At least one of WD-40 (IRC, one from the "specialist" line) products that 
is teflon-based, is advertised as dirt resistant:

https://www.wd40specialist.com/products/dry-lube

So, from the point of view of dust and dirt, TRi-flow can be more 
reasonable (then any oil) for this job.

And they have banana aroma!
https://www.triflowlubricants.com/category/lubricants


Other thoughts that I had include carbon-based lubricants.
But I don't know if they are suitable for this job or not.
I am also thinking if silicon-based lubricants would be fine with 
non-metal surfaces of the ballhead that it might come in contact.


If I were you, I'd research these types of lubricants to see the pro's and 
con's and see which one would be better.


HTH,

Igor



Paul Stenquist Fri, 16 Mar 2018 07:18:02 -0700 wrote:

I use a large heavy-duty Sirui bullhead when shooting off a tripod with 
big glass. It’s been excellent for several years, smooth and solid. But I 
think it may have picked up a few specks of dirt here and there, and now 
it has a bit of a tug and hesitation in its movement. I’m wondering if 
anyone has tried lubricating a bullhead with light oil. I think that may 
make matters worse by attracting dirt. I can clean it somewhat by rotating 
it to extreme positions while wiping it down, but that doesn’t seem to 
fully solve the problem. Is lube okay or a bad idea?


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Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?

[Ken Waller]

I had a similar issue with the big Bogen ballhead years ago and I believe I 
used Tri-flow on it. Check with the Bogen web site it might mention it.

-Original Message-
>From: John <sesso...@earthlink.net
>Subject: Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?
>
>Oil probably isn't what you want. Better getting some kind of dry lube.
>
>I found some stuff called Tri-Flow at a bike shop. Liquid when it comes out of 
>the bottle, but dries to a film that doesn't attract sand or dust.
>
>On 3/16/2018 10:17, Paul Stenquist wrote:
>> I use a large heavy-duty Sirui bullhead when shooting off a tripod
>> with big glass. It’s been excellent for several years, smooth and
>> solid. But I think it may have picked up a few specks of dirt here
>> and there, and now it has a bit of a tug and hesitation in its
>> movement. I’m wondering if anyone has tried lubricating a bullhead
>> with light oil. I think that may make matters worse by attracting
>> dirt. I can clean it somewhat by rotating it to extreme positions
>> while wiping it down, but that doesn’t seem to fully solve the
>> problem. Is lube okay or a bad idea?


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Re: Lubricate a Ballhead?

[John]

Oil probably isn't what you want. Better getting some kind of dry lube.

I found some stuff called Tri-Flow at a bike shop. Liquid when it comes out of 
the bottle, but dries to a film that doesn't attract sand or dust.

On 3/16/2018 10:17, Paul Stenquist wrote:

I use a large heavy-duty Sirui bullhead when shooting off a tripod
with big glass. It’s been excellent for several years, smooth and
solid. But I think it may have picked up a few specks of dirt here
and there, and now it has a bit of a tug and hesitation in its
movement. I’m wondering if anyone has tried lubricating a bullhead
with light oil. I think that may make matters worse by attracting
dirt. I can clean it somewhat by rotating it to extreme positions
while wiping it down, but that doesn’t seem to fully solve the
problem. Is lube okay or a bad idea?




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