Author Topic: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock  (Read 5510 times)

David Paterson

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ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« on: February 01, 2018, 18:54:22 »
I have a rather old but much used and much loved ArcaSwiss ballhead on which the rotating base - quite suddenly - refuses to lock, no matter what I try. The whole upper part of the unit, plus whatever camera is in use, is free to rotate. Does anyone have experience of this problem and, more importantly, was there a fix?

I'm rather dexterity-challenged these days so a complex repair will probably be too difficult, but any and all advice welcome.

Bjørn Rørslett

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2018, 21:50:53 »
I'm sure there is a fix, but am not familiar with that head so cannot produce any useful answers. A competent mechanic or repairman ought to be able to disassemble the head and find the root cause, though.

richardHaw

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2018, 06:23:55 »
i have opened several. some uses a rubber or silicone-type stud inside while others use metal.
how it operates is basically the knob squeezing the rubber or metal part (with rubber pads for friction) and that is what's holding the ball. :o :o :o

possibilities:
  • the rubber probably has gotten brittle/hard so it doesn't grip any more. ::)
  • something that holds the nut to the knob has come undone

I also have that super hard silicone grease for repairing tripods. you can't just use any type of grease for this. some people use automotive lithium grease. while that was acceptable before it's not advisable now that there are better options available. the silicone one that I use repels water very well. I used to shoot at the sea every weekend and it does the job. however, I have to relube it often because of the very fine sand particles that can make the tripods gritty.

one important part is graphite powder. I ran out of it and they aren't cheap here in Japan. They are great for lubricating the ball and the helicoid for the S and Contax cameras because they're dry, so no damping/resistance.

Seapy

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2018, 10:23:49 »
Richard, Excellent description of the damped 'silicone' ball head damping and locking mechanism but Davids problem is I think, specifically the rotating base.

Is far as I know the base doesn't benefit from the damping of the ball.  The base is usually a separate simple friction lock. My Benbo tripod legs have plastic pads to lock the extension, which age harden and split with repeated clamping and releasing, making them useless.  My best guess is there will most likely be a nylon or Delrin friction pad which locks the base rotation and that the pad has split apart.

Shame about the reamed screw, that's no big problem, it will either extract or drill out easily and be replaceable. Probably three new screws and a new nylon/Delrin (or possibly bronze?) friction pad which will probably be simple and easy to make and will effect a lifetime repair.
Robert C. P.
South Cumbria, UK

David Paterson

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2018, 11:57:40 »
Thanks for these very helpful posts. However I'm having a problem with PMs at the moment - my messages are being blocked for some reason. 

It does sound as if the repair would be beyond my own capabilities.

Seapy

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2018, 12:38:26 »
OK David, I have sent you PM...

Basically if you can't deal with it and you have no local solution send it to me and I will do my best to sort it.

If you can PM me your eMail? Perhaps you can send but not receive?

Perhaps Admin can Unblock your PM's?
Robert C. P.
South Cumbria, UK

Seapy

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2018, 18:00:37 »
PM mystery solved...

My preferences were set to receive PM's form Admin only for some reason, I can't remember changing that.

Anyway I have now set to receive PM's from everyone.


Edited, spelling, or rather, auto correct!
Robert C. P.
South Cumbria, UK

richardHaw

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2018, 12:51:40 »
I see, I got confused  :o :o :o

not sure if the Arca Swiss is similar to the ones I have opened but this sounds like something got loose, a nut perhaps and it jammed ::)

Seapy

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2018, 15:45:20 »
No Problem!

It's on it's way to me this weekend, may have it Monday.  Will document the process and see what  the trouble is.
Robert C. P.
South Cumbria, UK

Seapy

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2018, 13:19:48 »
Mended!  ;D ;D ;D

Will explain later, have to dash...
Robert C. P.
South Cumbria, UK

Seapy

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2018, 16:56:49 »
OK, caught up, sort of.

This rather took me by surprise, my suspicion that it was a simple fault was right, but not being familiar with this ball head it threw me for a moment.

The faults were two fold, firstly the body of the retainer sleeve for the rotation lock was loose, it should have been tight.  Secondly the rotation locking knob had been unscrewed over-strongly which had unscrewed the body of the retainer sleeve from the main ball head body.   I wasn't sure how it worked at first, not wishing to damage anything I approached it gingerly.  Eventually I gripped the retainer body in a pair of pliers and applied some force, Yea! the knob came loose in it's retainer.  Job done!  Almost.

I extracted the reamed screw, identified the thread as M3 x 0.5mm pitch.  I rummaged through my boxes of screws and found some stainless steel Torx screws which I had salvaged from one of my Mac computers.  It was my liquid cooled G5 Tower, these screws secured the logic board to it's mountings and are really nice quality.  However, they were cheese head, not countersunk.  Off out to the lathe, eventually found some aluminium bar, drilled and threaded it M3 and screwed one of the screws I had found into the end of the bar, tightened it then cut a countersink at 45º so the screw fitted perfectly.  Then I did two more, these replaced the other two original screws.  They need a TX8 driver.

The three other screws accessible through the hole in the rotating base must be left well alone...  They are special screws which are designed to tighten but not unscrew.  They have a clever 'one way' clutch design which allows the screws to be driven in but not unscrewed without either special tools or destroying them by grinding or cutting the heads off.

Some pix...

The rotation lock screw and housing, in the unlocked position, as I found it, unscrewed tightly and jammed:



The rotation lock screw and housing, in the locked position, achieved by screwing the knob in:



The lathe, set up with aluminium bar in the chuck:



Close up of the screw:



And from the back:



These pix were taken with my D3300 and my rough, workshop 18-105 VR lens.

I propose to apply some thread lock to the rotation lock screw housing threads to prevent the housing coming loose again in the future.  I may apply a tiny amount to one of the rotation plate screws too.  One, the one which reamed had had thread lock applied.  If anybody thinks it would be better not to apply Locktite please tell me, these screws are small and could ream again with Locktite applied.

Your thoughts David?
Robert C. P.
South Cumbria, UK

David Paterson

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2018, 17:11:32 »
Robert - I'm overwhelmed - I was the guilty party in over-loosening the locking knob, and I was the one who mashed that screw-head . . . but I was 100% correct about one thing - I thought the repair was far too difficult to do by myself, and it was.

Thank you very,very much. I owe you, bigtime.

Akira

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2018, 18:19:31 »
Wow, Robert, that's an impressive job!

Dave, glad your problem is solved.
"The eye is blind if the mind is absent." - Confucius

"Limitation is inspiration." - Akira

simato73

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2018, 23:22:11 »
Wow!
I am glad to be part of Nikongear, only here do you find this kind of knowledge and goodwill.
Simone Tomasi

Bjørn Rørslett

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Re: ArcaSwiss ballhead won't lock
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2018, 23:25:19 »
Amen to that :D