Posted by Graeme Lee on December 6, 2006 at 4:42 PM
Evening!
Firstly, I'm going to buy a Kevin Keatley double bean bag and wondered whether it's worth getting the linings for it? I quite like the idea of filling with birdseed so I can attract birds etc.
Any advice appreciated.
Secondly, I was caught in the rain on Saturday and my Gitzo G1325 got very wet and so did my ARca Swiss B1 head. I've had the 1325 opened up and it seems dry in all the right places, but should I take it to bits and re-grease it perhaps? It HAS to last me a fair while so I'm keen to maintain it as much as possible.
Also the ASB1 ball head. That seems to be still a bit damp around the ball.
Hi Graeme,
It's a very straightforward process of completely dismantling your tripod,washng and re-greasing it (in case your not already aware,a small tube of white lithium grease is your best bet,any good cycle shop will sell it).
It wouldn't be a bad idea to do it,just in case any corrosion sets in.
I wouldn't attempt to dismantle the ballhead though,apparantly they require special instruments and tools to reassemble accurately.I generally just run a clean dry rag all round it,moving the ball as you go,untill no more moisture appears.
Perhaps keep it untightened in a warm room for a few days,will hopefully dry it out.
Good luck.
Posted by Graeme Lee on December 6, 2006 at 5:48 PM
Thanks Justin, was wondering about what grease I should use.
When I first got my tripod it was probably the shiniest tripod in the world due to my maintenance regime but now it's a bit older, maintenance is decreasing
These are Pro type tripods and surely should withstand getting wet without the need to strip them down every time? Or do Pro's just buy another one when it all corrodes and gets ropey to use???
Don't bother with the inner bags in the beanbags if you're going to keep seed in them. I found that movement of the bags against each other and against any seed (esp. black sunflower) breaks holes in the inner bag.
As to the tripods...they withstand rain quite happily - just dry them down with a clean/dry towel and leave it expanded in a warm room overnight & it'll be OK. I've used both a 1548 and 1325 in torrential rain for about 20-30 minutes and they've suffered no harm being dried that way. (I didn't bother to dismantle them as i find I tend to wipe off more of the grease if I do that )
The ballhead should only need a wipe down too. If you're really worried about moisture inside the ballhead, then get some silica gel packets and stick them in a plastic bag along with the BH for a while.
Posted by Larry Corbett on December 7, 2006 at 3:22 AM
stripped my gitzo 1548 twice following trips to donna nook to remove sand and water from in it..very messy job, be careful taking the gitzo apart inside the legs are small cardboard type tubes and once removed they are hardwork to get back in.. next time i'm taking the Benbo!
I would just leave your gitzo to dry naturally...
my arca got caught in a hale storm once and the surface finish was "pepple dashed" off the ball, just left it to dry on its own accord still works fine
Posted by Phil Shaw on December 7, 2006 at 4:16 AM
The threads inside the twist locks are aluminium and will corrode if immersed in salt water, so you need to dismantle and thoroughly clean the Gitzo CF and Al tripods if you've been working in a marine environment. As other have said, if the tripod has just got wet in the rain you shouldn't have a problem. However, if you've had the tripod for a couple of years or so, and have not dismantled, cleaned and re-greased the threads (sparingly), you might be surprised by how well the cleaned twist-locks work afterwards. After a while you get an accumulation of gunk in there which affects the operation of the twist locks. Use a de-greasing agent to remove any build-up of residues, on the threads and bushings, wash them, leave everything to dry and then re-grease the threads with the lithium grease that Justin mentioned and reassemble. If the threads are showing any signs of corrosion use a small wire brush to clean away the corrosion product before re-greasing. Alternatively, and if you have an understanding and supportive partner, you can just put all the bits in the dishwasher .
stripped my gitzo 1548 twice following trips to donna nook to remove sand and water from in it..very messy job, be careful taking the gitzo apart inside the legs are small cardboard type tubes and once removed they are hardwork to get back in.. next time i'm taking the Benbo!
Larry,
When the composite bushings are completely dry,just squeeze/compress the two ends together,so one end goes inside the other making a very small diameter ring,do this a couple of times,perhaps for a second or two each time,and you should find the lower leg slides inside the upper one very easily.If there is a little resitance,just very gently twist and/or move the lower leg from side to side,it should then slot inside very easily.
Posted by Graeme Lee on December 7, 2006 at 3:03 PM
Thanks for the replies all. Very useful indeed.
Posted by Dave Thomas on December 8, 2006 at 10:26 AM
One way to keep your beanbag dry on damp ground is to place it in a small baking tray. This will also let you slide the camera around.
Thought I'd add further to this thread in case it's of use,and also to add further to what Nick and Phil said about the Gitzo's withstanding rain,etc.
A few days back I found myself on the beach in those gale force winds,the tripod got completely drenched in sea spray and sand,so I decided a strip down,clean and re-grease was long overdue.
I havn't had my Gitzo apart for a good 8 months or so.During that time it's been rained on dozens of times,stood in rivers,washed under the shower,rinsed under taps,etc.etc.
I wondered how it had faired after those 8 months of not being serviced.
Well good news is they're a lot more durable and weather resistant than you may think.On dismantling my tripod I discovered no problems whatsoever,other than an abundance of sand.
There wasn't the slightest hint of any corrosion or water damage and the grease on the threads was still completely intact from 8 months ago,despite the numerous soakings.
In case you wondered what the Gitzo's inards look like,I took a quick snap whilst the components were drying off (any exuse to get the camera out )
So just to confirm,there's no need to carry out any special precautions after your tripod gets wet,other than a quick wipe down with a dry rag.
Discussion
9 repliesFirstly, I'm going to buy a Kevin Keatley double bean bag and wondered whether it's worth getting the linings for it? I quite like the idea of filling with birdseed so I can attract birds etc.
Any advice appreciated.
Secondly, I was caught in the rain on Saturday and my Gitzo G1325 got very wet and so did my ARca Swiss B1 head. I've had the 1325 opened up and it seems dry in all the right places, but should I take it to bits and re-grease it perhaps? It HAS to last me a fair while so I'm keen to maintain it as much as possible.
Also the ASB1 ball head. That seems to be still a bit damp around the ball.
Opinions please?
Cheers
Graeme
It's a very straightforward process of completely dismantling your tripod,washng and re-greasing it (in case your not already aware,a small tube of white lithium grease is your best bet,any good cycle shop will sell it).
It wouldn't be a bad idea to do it,just in case any corrosion sets in.
I wouldn't attempt to dismantle the ballhead though,apparantly they require special instruments and tools to reassemble accurately.I generally just run a clean dry rag all round it,moving the ball as you go,untill no more moisture appears.
Perhaps keep it untightened in a warm room for a few days,will hopefully dry it out.
Good luck.
When I first got my tripod it was probably the shiniest tripod in the world due to my maintenance regime
These are Pro type tripods and surely should withstand getting wet without the need to strip them down every time? Or do Pro's just buy another one when it all corrodes and gets ropey to use???
Graeme
As to the tripods...they withstand rain quite happily - just dry them down with a clean/dry towel and leave it expanded in a warm room overnight & it'll be OK. I've used both a 1548 and 1325 in torrential rain for about 20-30 minutes and they've suffered no harm being dried that way. (I didn't bother to dismantle them as i find I tend to wipe off more of the grease if I do that
The ballhead should only need a wipe down too. If you're really worried about moisture inside the ballhead, then get some silica gel packets and stick them in a plastic bag along with the BH for a while.
I would just leave your gitzo to dry naturally...
my arca got caught in a hale storm once and the surface finish was "pepple dashed" off the ball, just left it to dry on its own accord still works fine
Larry,
When the composite bushings are completely dry,just squeeze/compress the two ends together,so one end goes inside the other making a very small diameter ring,do this a couple of times,perhaps for a second or two each time,and you should find the lower leg slides inside the upper one very easily.If there is a little resitance,just very gently twist and/or move the lower leg from side to side,it should then slot inside very easily.
Thought I'd add further to this thread in case it's of use,and also to add further to what Nick and Phil said about the Gitzo's withstanding rain,etc.
A few days back I found myself on the beach in those gale force winds,the tripod got completely drenched in sea spray and sand,so I decided a strip down,clean and re-grease was long overdue.
I havn't had my Gitzo apart for a good 8 months or so.During that time it's been rained on dozens of times,stood in rivers,washed under the shower,rinsed under taps,etc.etc.
I wondered how it had faired after those 8 months of not being serviced.
Well good news is they're a lot more durable and weather resistant than you may think.On dismantling my tripod I discovered no problems whatsoever,other than an abundance of sand.
There wasn't the slightest hint of any corrosion or water damage and the grease on the threads was still completely intact from 8 months ago,despite the numerous soakings.
In case you wondered what the Gitzo's inards look like,I took a quick snap whilst the components were drying off (any exuse to get the camera out
So just to confirm,there's no need to carry out any special precautions after your tripod gets wet,other than a quick wipe down with a dry rag.