Cracked leg clamp on Skywatcher EQ3/2 tripod

[Swoop1]

I don't think we have a Kit Doctor board so am putting this here.

Last night, whilst packing away after a bit of imaging, I discovered that one of the clamps on the tripod leg (secures the extender leg to desired length) had cracked and was now a tad loose.

Has anyone else expereienced this and what did you do to rectify the situation?

Thanks

Matt

[Davey-T]

If it's plastic you can get two part super glue for plastic.

Dave

[Klitwo]

20 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

If it's plastic you can get two part super glue for plastic.

Dave

If all else fails...you can use a radiator hose clamp of an appropriate length bent at right angles wrapped around the original tripod clamp as a temporary fix. 

Klitwo

[Louis D]

Is it one of these cheap aluminum and plastic tripods?

If so, yes, I've seen it before on a 127mm Mak I was interested in buying second hand on a similar mount.  The seller hadn't bothered to mention it in the description, so I was really ticked off having made the drive to his home to possibly buy it.  It boggles the mind they use a cheap, flexible plastic where metal should have been used.  I took a hard pass on the scope/mount/tripod after realizing how cheaply made everything was.  I ended up mounting a 127mm Mak on a DSV-2B alt-az mounted on a used Manfrotto 058B tripod.  It's solid.

I suppose the simplest workaround for your situation would be a thumb screw type dryer hose clamp or small C-clamp on the lower section preventing it from retracting inside the upper section.

[Cozzy]

Very common with these plastic clamps. You can buy a replacement. (I have seen them on Astroboot)

A friend of mine had the same issue on two of the clamps on his skywatcher Aluminium tripod.

I got a work mate to make stainless steel sheeting strips folded to the shape and size of the bracket with a hole cut out for the thumb screw.

I then removed the rivets holding the clamp to the legs, wrapped the S/Steel round the existing clamp and re-riveted it. Works fine now.

sorry I have no photos to show you.

good luck with it.

 

Tim

[JOC]

The secondhand tripod that I have just got arrived here with, I think exactly the same sounding fault - the plastic cracked where it joins the top of the ali tripod leg - yes? - mine might have been damaged in transit.  I'm sure it's a very similar/identical tripod.  Anyhow my bro fixed mine for me.  He took the broken plastic clamp top out and sawed off a bit of welding rod and placed it across the break inside the plastic like a splint, then he filled a lot of the gap with an excess of Araldite and stuck it in a clamp for 24 hours.  He fitted it back to the tripod and now I'm hard pushed to find which leg it was.  He says that its a simple repair that he is ready to do again if any of the other legs get broken.

[Swoop1]

On 01/02/2019 at 02:32, Louis D said:

Is it one of these cheap aluminum and plastic tripods?

If so, yes, I've seen it before on a 127mm Mak I was interested in buying second hand on a similar mount.  The seller hadn't bothered to mention it in the description, so I was really ticked off having made the drive to his home to possibly buy it.  It boggles the mind they use a cheap, flexible plastic where metal should have been used.  I took a hard pass on the scope/mount/tripod after realizing how cheaply made everything was.  I ended up mounting a 127mm Mak on a DSV-2B alt-az mounted on a used Manfrotto 058B tripod.  It's solid.

 

 

 

 

Exactly that tripod, yes.

I use it for imaging at the moment whilst I learn the ropes. I don't think a photography tripod will be stable enough for bodging to take a mount. The jubilee clip might work though.

[Swoop1]

21 hours ago, JOC said:

The secondhand tripod that I have just got arrived here with, I think exactly the same sounding fault - the plastic cracked where it joins the top of the ali tripod leg - yes? - mine might have been damaged in transit.  I'm sure it's a very similar/identical tripod.  Anyhow my bro fixed mine for me.  He took the broken plastic clamp top out and sawed off a bit of welding rod and placed it across the break inside the plastic like a splint, then he filled a lot of the gap with an excess of Araldite and stuck it in a clamp for 24 hours.  He fitted it back to the tripod and now I'm hard pushed to find which leg it was.  He says that its a simple repair that he is ready to do again if any of the other legs get broken.

Sounds like a fix with possibilities for me. Thanks.

[Louis D]

3 hours ago, Swoop1 said:

I don't think a photography tripod will be stable enough for bodging to take a mount.

High end large format photo tripods and videography tripods are very stable (and expensive).  Perhaps not up to mounting a Parallax mount and a 12" RC, but probably sufficient for an EQ3/2.  I'm always watching the local ads for production companies getting rid of their old tripods for cheap.

[Swoop1]

2 minutes ago, Louis D said:

High end large format photo tripods and videography tripods are very stable (and expensive).  Perhaps not up to mounting a Parallax mount and a 12" RC, but probably sufficient for an EQ3/2.  I'm always watching the local ads for production companies getting rid of their old tripods for cheap.

Good thinking. No. 2 Son has just got a job at Pinewood....

[Swoop1]

Working in a bike shop, I have access to some quite beefy zip ties. A couple of these along with a dollop of polymorph mouldable thermal plastic (a granulated plastic that melts in hot water and is firm at room temperature) has maybe saved the day-

The beauty of this stuff is that I can dip the end of the tripod leg in hot water and soften the polymorph to perfect and tidy the moulding. I will wait and see how it performs in cold weather.