What to fill your tripod legs with......

[evansj2000]

Hi all..

I've got a decent tripod and a giro 2 mount...with a long refractor which

vibrates quite a bit .....8..10 seconds at worst.

What's the best thing to fill tripod legs with

I can get lead shot...or...I;ve had sand suggested as another posibility

What do you think?????

Jase

[GordonCopestake]

Sand is widely used, as is expanding foam. I'm sure lead shot would work equally well but would add excessive weight to the system and make it perhaps less grab and go than lug and heave.

It's all reversible (other than the expanding foam perhaps). Try sand, then empty the legs and try lead shot if that doesn't work.

[GazOC]

Jase,

Another option to surpress virations is to hang a heavy weight from the middle of the tripod.

Gaz

[GordonCopestake]

Yup, great idea gaz. Or if you have an accessory tray, just lay a bag of sand on there or a counterweight.

[evansj2000]

Thanks for the advice,

I might try sand...a Mate mentioned that rapping the leg

and listening the ring might give an idea of how

vibrations are dampened, although these are ringing at

1000 hz plus so I don't know how relevant the sound is

as the frequency I'm damping is probably much less than 20hz

any ideas????

Jase

[evansj2000]

HAs anyone had any good results with the antivibration pads made by

Orion USA or the celestron ones

Jase

[GazOC]

I've not had any first hand experience but I've heard people say they work OK but complain that they throw off polar alignment but that won't be a problem with your Alt/az

[The Warthog]

Antivibration pads won't help with the tripod jiggling. I have heard of sand being used successfully. I used the weight on the tray trick with my aluminium Meade tripod. It helped, but it didn't help much. I found vibrations went away when I got a wooden tripod, though.

[FLO]

Wood is best for dampening vibration; as any serious photographer will tell you.

[GordonCopestake]

An ash tripod is better than a heavy metal tripod any day of the week. Berlebach make cash for that exact same reason

[FLO]

An ash tripod is better...

Yup,

Ash is great at suppressing shock/vibration.

Its used to make hammer handles.

(Rots something terrible if its left damp!)

[FLO]

... as is expanding foam.

How does that work, I would have thought it lacked density?

[OXO]

I used sand in some EQ5 Tripods once worked pretty well , also had a Brick coming from the Tripods Eyepiece tray(Centre) that helped also.

James

[GordonCopestake]

It's not the density you need it's the anti vibration. The foam absorbs the energy and stops the resonance quickly. Nothing is better than larger legs though. Although strangly wall thickness doesn't have much effect, just the diameter of the leg. So 2" legs are better than 1.25" legs etc. an 8" pier is even better ......

[FLO]

Thanks Gordon ... interesting

[Ambermile]

It's not the density you need it's the anti vibration. The foam absorbs the energy and stops the resonance quickly.

Sorry - but from an engineering standpoint this is pooh. You need mass to absorb vibration. Fill your legs with foam and you get echos and harmonics.

Arthur

[GordonCopestake]

I'll bow to your Superior engineering knowledge Arthur, (I have a HNC in mechanical engineering but no practical experience unlike yourself) I have however heard many reports of expanding foam working well. Perhaps it's a subjective report and it HAS to work well as you've just filled your tripod with gloop?

[Ambermile]

Well, it may work as long as the gloop stays liquid, but once it sets it becomes nothing more than a bag of holes.

Arthur (Only a BSc(Hons) but who's counting)

[FLO]

I have a HNC in mechanical engineering..

Only a BSc(Hons) but who's counting..

TEC3 and EITB in mechanical engineering

Does that count :D

[GordonCopestake]

hehe, im midway through my MSc but thats in computers :|

[FLO]

Mine was achieved over 20 years ago :roll:

[Ambermile]

hehe, im midway through my MSc but thats in computers :|

They don't count... part time stuff I always thought I'd get my PhD... excellent chat-up line. "You can tell me, I'm a doctor"

Arthur (HND before the other one :whip2: )

[MartinB]

you can tell me cos I haven't got a clue.

Just know that metal transmits sound vibration a whole lot better than polystyrene foam.

Boy scout badge in den building

[evansj2000]

Thanks for the CVs!!!!!!!!

I'm just a humble teacher with 20 years of sound engineering ...mainly spent

damping unwanted acoustic reveberations in rooms but as my tripod lacks

a graphic equalizer I filled it full of sand almost to the top and sealed it with

expanding foam that exploded all over the tripod......after I've finished sanding

it off and repainting the tripod I'll reassemble it. PS I Also filled a bag full of and and

put it in the column to see what that does.

I'll report later as to what happened.....in the mean time.....keep the suggestions

rolling in...the 2nd coat of paint goes on tommorow...I'll use a 9.7mm and

report the damping time.....however the weight of my tripod could cause

subsidence and vibrations due to seismic activity....it's a good job I'm a big

chap....each single leg now weighs the same as an ground to air missile...

I had thought of filling the central column with beer and attaching a tap....!!!!!!

Keep the suggestions rolling in...

\

[Ambermile]

Sand is good. We are *not* talking about sound vibrations here though :roll:

Arthur