Freeing a stuck ball head from a tripod - ideas?

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MidnightUK

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Any suggestions on how to free a ball head that has screwed too tightly onto the tripod thread?

Its only been on there about 10 days. I have been using a heavy camera and lens and I think it has gradually screwed on tighter and tighter from the weight. I have tried a number of (non damaging) things to grasp the ball head collar with bu to no avail..Its a beveled collar so makes getting hold of it difficult as the edge is relatively narrow.

If I cant get it off its not the end of the world, but its more handy to be able to move it to other fittings. Thanks for any ideas.
 
I regularly get this happen with my gimbal, I find that putting on a rubber glove allows me to grip the metal sufficiently to unscrew it. :)
 
What make of tripod is it? some have small grub screws under the head to hold it and slackening these does the trick.
 
Grip the ball head collar in a workmate or vice with the jaws protected then turn the tripod to unscrew, used this method to remove a stuck seat post in a bike frame.
 
Some (relatively) gentle heat might help. You could try pouring a kettleful of hot water over the lower part of the head, being careful to avoid pouring it over the top of the tripod itself.
 
Ethel Prescott wears Marigolds! :jawdrop: ;):D
 
I think you'll find it's Roger (Gramps) who wears the rubber gloves. Not sure a gimp mask will help grip... :P
 
Nod said:
I think you'll find it's Roger (Gramps) who wears the rubber gloves. Not sure a gimp mask will help grip... :p
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Don't forget the gag!
 
Most pro tripods have grub screws under the head base . Not many people use them. Some of them only prevent the head unscrewing. others also prevent the head screwing on too tightly. Using them can prevent this happening again. It is quite easy to drill a location point in the first sort to lock the head screwing in either direction.
 
tijuana taxi said:
@MidnightUK did you try any of the ideas?
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@MidnightUK logged off 7 minutes after asking his question, and hasn't been back since. I really wish people would have the decency to at least log back in and check their threads, and maybe even actually thank people for their time and effort, but I guess that's the way the world is going these days...

Common Decency - getting less and less common by the hour.
 
mickledore said:
:lock:???
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if it was down to me it'd be more a case of

banhammer2.jpg.572dbcf68429c9eea2cdfe90b87cbebf.jpg


but Marcel's a bit of a softy and won't let me loose very often...
 
TheBigYin said:
@MidnightUK logged off 7 minutes after asking his question, and hasn't been back since. I really wish people would have the decency to at least log back in and check their threads, and maybe even actually thank people for their time and effort, but I guess that's the way the world is going these days...

Common Decency - getting less and less common by the hour.
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Apart from being rude, it's also rather odd to ask a question then never look to see if it was answered. Bit like when someone asks you directions then they ask someone else the same question a minute later.
 
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tijuana taxi said:
Apart from being rude, it's also rather odd to ask a question then never look to see if it was answered. Bit like someone asking you directions then asking someone else the same question a minute later.
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As I've said elsewhere, lots of people browse the forum as "guests" - i.e. not logged in... and only log in if they want to make a reply. If that's the case, then they may well have seen the replies, got the information, and are basically just too pig ignorant to actually thank people for their time and efforts :(
 
Why? Do you think Mark might have administered a 3 pronged enema? :whistling:
 
TheBigYin said:
@MidnightUK logged off 7 minutes after asking his question, and hasn't been back since. I really wish people would have the decency to at least log back in and check their threads, and maybe even actually thank people for their time and effort, but I guess that's the way the world is going these days...

Common Decency - getting less and less common by the hour.
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Hi. Yes I did log off, because sitting at a computer the whole day hoping someone might reply while I am logged on and unable to go and do anything else is not practical. I also said at the end of my initial post "thanks for any ideas" as I do think its nice to thank people for being kind enough to reply and I did not known when I would get a chance to log back on. I have no interest in following emails or forums on mobile phones so I have to be sat at a computer to go back and check things.

I cannot get to the underside of the tripod head as the tripod design does not permit that. I have not had chance to try the other techniques yet. Since posting I have in my spare time (which unfortunately has been somewhat short this week due to issues beyond my personal control) mostly been trying to process the several hundred photos I took at the weekend for a local charity.

Hopefully in the next couple of days when time is less overbooked and stressful will be able to get back to the tripod situation and post back to let people know how it goes.

Until then, I thank everyone again for the helpful suggestions. I hope to try them out soon.
 
Right, finally had a chance to have a go at it again today.and to do a quick write up

Its a Benbo tripod.

I have tried

- the rubber glove,
- heating the ballhead under running hot water
- gripping with a silicon mat
- leaving the base/thread area to soak in WD40
- leaving the base/thread area to soak in GT85

I have a strap wrench but I think the area that could be gripable is so narrow it is unlikely to hold it well enough. However once I have located said wrench (housemate had a reorganisation session, woe) I will give it a try.

Asking to use a friends vice is another possible but I think, again because of the narrow colllar, that could be heading towards damaging the ball head, which I don't want to do as its not all that old and is nice to use.

At this rate, it looks increasingly like its going to be permanently stuck on there, which is a total pain, but better than writing off the ballhead.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions and for the witty comments. :-)
 
Where abouts in the south are you? I don't like being defeated!!
 
Which brnbo is it? Trekker 2?
 
Mark twiglet said:
Which brnbo is it? Trekker 2?
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Its the shorter one, rather than the bigger one. I think that statement shows I cant actually remember the number off hand..... oops

I think I might have a go with one of those plumbers grips - I think I know where that one is! Not tonight though, too dark and late for a garage search.

Like you I dont like defeat - Frankly I feel a bit stupid and embarrassed to have got it stuck. I did not over tighten it myself though, just the weight of the camera and lens. I think I might try to get a ball head with a more gripable base and retire this one to other tripods it has been easier to release from (first time it has stuck), I am careful about not over tightening things - building a greenhouse using aluminium bolts is an excellent way of learning how to judge and learn caution :--)

I will try out the wrench thing and post again to let you know if that works. Broadly speaking, sort of Bristol ish.
 
Bristolish? Ah I'm down over weekend and in Wiltshire Tuesday! I know the area well! My stepdad had benbo tripods and I know they can be a pain
 
Mark twiglet said:
Bristolish? Ah I'm down over weekend and in Wiltshire Tuesday! I know the area well! My stepdad had benbo tripods and I know they can be a pain
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I hope you have a fun trip. We are still getting some nice sunny days at this end of the country. Bring some warm stuff for the cloudy days and the evenings though.

Not had this Benbo long, only a few months and not used it much yet. Got it 2nd (or multiple) hand in Taunton. Seems to be one of the earlier ones. Someone has renewed the feet fairly recently. On the whole so far I quite like it, though it is odd and somewhat heavy. Its been quite good for what I wanted it for. I was originally looking at a Vanguard , one with a horizontal option. Then I came across this Benbo by accident and it was a lot cheaper and looked as if it would cope with the horizontal requirement, plus I had seen there were sometimes issues with the Vanguard collar liner fracturing.

I can see disadvantages with the Benbo, but the flexibility of the leg positioning has been useful. I admire the tenacity of the nature photographers who used to hike Benbos so far back in the day.
 
BillN_33 said:
two of these - one on the head - one just below the connection

happens a lot - I usually carry two small ones, (Boa) in my bag - cheap and effective
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Thats quite comforting, I thought it was just me messing it up.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
Most pro tripods have grub screws under the head base . Not many people use them. Some of them only prevent the head unscrewing. others also prevent the head screwing on too tightly. Using them can prevent this happening again. It is quite easy to drill a location point in the first sort to lock the head screwing in either direction.
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This is very helpful. I will look out for this option on my next tripod purchase.
 
For the amusement of the curious we finally, yes FINALLY !!! got this head unstuck last week after all this time, using a hairdryer on the highest setting to warm up the base of the head, a plumbers adjustable spanner with quite sharp 'teeth' and one person to push down on the spanner while the other turned it. Due to the very narrow and bevelled base of the head, it had proved very hard to grip with anything else. It has done very minor damage to the panorama scale as the teeth bit into the metal slightly but it is very minor and I don't care as I can now get a different head, one with a base that is more grippable or of a design that allows the ball to be tightened enough to turn the head without damaging the ball-grip system / causing the ball just to slip.

Terrywoodenpic said:
Most pro tripods have grub screws under the head base . Not many people use them. Some of them only prevent the head unscrewing. others also prevent the head screwing on too tightly. Using them can prevent this happening again. It is quite easy to drill a location point in the first sort to lock the head screwing in either direction.
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Thank you so much for pointing this out. With the design of the Benbo head, its not going to be possible to drill up through it. I will use a head with a much wider base next time, the one I used was small so was well inside the diameter of the benbo mounting area, again making it hard to grip to unscrew. Its a great tripod, I just need to choose heads with more consideration.

I also now have another tripod with the grub screws you mentioned and they are excellent at stopping the head twisting, esp when the centre column has been moved to the horizontal position (this position with a heavy camera and lens is what caused the over tightening in the first place). Thanks to your tip I will avoid anything without the additional under platform securing screws in future as its such an improvement in securing the camera, so it does not unscrew itself from the tripod mounting plate/screw or get too tight. I am guessing this situation is less of a problem if you only use the centre column in the standard vertical position.

Mark twiglet said:
I don't like being defeated!!
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Well, I gave up for months then thought I would have another go. Its been annoying the hell out of me all that time. It was my last try before considering getting out the hacksaw and wrecking the head to get the tripod free.

I am ridiculously happy that I finally defeated the stuckness :-)

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. I hope you find it helpful / amusing to be updated.
 
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