UKH

Long shot, but does anyone have one of these kicking about they no longer need/use? 

One of the legs on my faithful is refusing to lock tight, so I guess I'm really looking for a spare leg piece! But a whole tripod would provide many spares...

In reply to Jon Read:

What's not locking tight? If it's the leg extension rather than the bit on the bent bolt, could you take the knob/screw off and have a look, and possibly replace the screw with a slightly longer one or somehow extend it? Or even just put a few wraps of electrical tape around the leg?

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Thanks; I've tried all of those, I suspect something is broken inside. And I can't figure out how to dismantle the leg (other than take it off entirely) -- not sure it's supposed to come apart, although the Uni-loc spare parts pdf implies that it should:  https://www.uniloctripod.com/UNI-LOC%20Tripod%20Parts%20List.pdf

It's a pretty tight fit for the inner leg already, so tape won't help. 

In reply to Jon Read:

So do you mean it's not locking at the bent bolt bit then? i.e. when you tighten up to lock all three legs and the centre column? As opposed to not locking at the leg extension? You can completely undo the bent bolt bit, you just turn the lever anticlockwise until it totally unscrews (watch out for washers escaping all over the place). Maybe you just need to replace a couple of washers to get it to lock tight? Will be fiddly but seems feasible. 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

it's not locking at the leg extension sorry for not being clear.

In reply to Jon Read:

so the screw-in on the “leg retaining collar” as shown on the pdf? Is it three-section legs (I have a Uni-Loc 1600 which is two-section legs and had a very quick go at investigating what might be your issue)? 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

It's the two-section leg version, so the mechanism related to the screw-in knob in a little inset box, just under the 'leg bung' in the exploded diagram. When I completely unscrew the knob, I can't see any difference with the other legs. And the other knobs don't work in that hole, either (Fnarr, etc).

In reply to Jon Read:

Ok but surely the “locking” of the leg is purely a function of how tightly that screw-knob is gripping the leg. Maybe somehow a burr has formed on the outer surface of what you screw it into, stopping the end of the bolt from being able to grip the leg tightly. If not this, then it’s got to be SOMETHING in that area. 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Yep. I think something has come a bit loose inside, and the screw-knob just isn't getting deep enough to tighten. The knob-screw is the same size as the screw that holds the leg to the angry bagpipe head section -- if i screw that in, it will tighten the leg. I don't really want to wield a small Allen key in the field though!

In reply to Jon Read:

So you basically just need this screw to be longer somehow ?

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Exactly! :-D 

In reply to Jon Read:

Should be a way to facilitate that. You just need to know the pitch and the diameter. If there is an industrial estate near you, with a "fasteners" company, take the knob in and they will probably have a matching bolt or something, longer, that you can just cut to length and screw in. Then worry about tidying up the ergonomics of it. 

Or even just try dabbing a few blobs of solder onto the end of the existing screw, not sure how lasting a solution that might be though. 

Probably all sorts of other solutions too. 

In reply to Jon Read:

Any progress?

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Alas, no. Not had chance to do much. Thanks for the concern though!

In reply to Jon Read:

A dab of Sugru on the end might even work. But is it definitely "screw too short"? You said that other screw-in knobs also didn't tighten the grip. Is the thread on the retaining collar knacked?