[Konvas] Adam YOU NEED 2 TRIPOD

[Adam Frey]

Thanks everyone!
I haven't been able to answer any emails the past 36+ hours, since I had 
to spend some time with the family. But, I finally have a few minutes to 
sit down, relax, and answer some emails... (Rita, I'll be send you and 
email, off-list, tomorrow).

Okay, even though they are all old and/or worn, I still enjoy my wooden 
sticks. I like the nostalgic look and, since they are wood, I like the 
ease of being able to repair them again and again and again (believe it 
or not, I was trained as a carpenter in the US Air Force).

My six foot tripod is an old set of (I believe) Birns and Sawyer sticks, 
which were well worn from years of use. It was getting to be in pretty 
bad shape - the 5/16" bolts were slightly bent, but even worse the 
tripod was so well worn that, anymore, the bolt holes were much larger 
than the bolts (not enough to stick in a 3/8" bolt though), so the 
tripod was not the most stable.

So, I bought a new set of 5/16" bolts from the local hardware store 
yesterday afternoon. I took the JB Weld and filled the bolt holes on the 
bowl and legs. I let it dry for about 5 hours or so, then took a 5/16" 
drill (the same diameter as the bolts) and drilled the holes back out on 
both the legs and the bowl (btw: it takes 24 hours for JB Weld to fully 
harden, so it was a little easier to drill without doing too much damage 
to the actual bowl or legs. Since it was still mildly pliable, pretty 
much only the JB Weld was drilled out).

btw: the entire time I was working on the tripod, I had "Dad's little 
helper" stealing everything from my wrench to the bolts. I'd highly 
recommend, if at all possible, not hiring the younger help... hehe

This morning, I remounted the legs, and, sure enough, the tripod was a 
LOT more sturdy than what it was before.

At the same time, I have a much shorter wooden Akeley tripod, minus the 
akeley gyro head (really wished I had that). I stuck a flat based Miller 
head in it and was amazed when I realized that it works quite well. The 
Miller head is really smooth on pans. Very sturdy, although in the 
process of putting them together, I accidentally broke out the 
ball-bearings on the bottom of the bowl - won't hurt anything for the 
current setup, but if I ever get an Akeley gyro head, I may have to do a 
bit of MIG welding. The biggest problem with the Akeley/Miller setup is 
the legs are too short...

I also have a wooden set of Miller baby-legs - but the bowl is quite 
small. The other two heads won't fit it.

Speaking of which, how do they measure the bowls anyway? 150mm, 100mm, 
75mm - Is that the size of the ball on the bottom of the head, or the 
bowl itself?

Whoops, I was just asked to come to bed (didn't realize how late it's 
gotten). I'll finish this email in the morning. Until then, hope 
everyone has a good night...


Adam Frey
Director/Cinematographer
Crimson Chain Productions
http://crimsonchain.com

Crimson Chain Productions
PO Box 35
Libertytown, MD 21762