A new "table-top" setup

DaveW · Post by **DaveW** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:35 am

Regarding the weights on the base of the set up for inertia. Always remember if you don't have any suitable or want to add weight of any size you can always cast a concrete block in a wooden box of the size you want and simply cast bolts in it at appropriate points as "tripod screws" to pick up your focussing slides.

You could even cast a longer block if required to join both your camera and subject holder together, and so produce a vibration damping platform using inertia by resting it on a partially inflated old auto tyre inner tube.

DaveW

lauriek · Post by **lauriek** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:51 am

NikonUser wrote:
Charles Krebs wrote:NU,

Yes.... and if you get some particularly saggy subject driving you nuts, put gravity to good use and mount the subject upside down.
Particularly if you want nice straight antennae, on a bug that is.

Alas that doesn't always work, I tried that with a cranefly, the drying antennae still moved, the contraction due to drying out was greater than the effect of gravity!! But mounting upside down can still be a useful option, assuming you can re-arrange your lighting to come in from below. ie 'above' the subject once it's reversed - as subjects look a little odd with the lighting coming in from 'below'... (Hope that makes sense!)

Zeechar · Post by **Zeechar** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 9:46 am

I have been getting into Macro lately and wanted a table top stand and was getting tired of spending money. What an expensive hobby! After I came across this thread. I hope it was OK to post here.

I needed something sturdy so I picked up a microphone stand for $20.

Here is the base.

I wanted to put a solid piece of steel into base but I could not match the threads. I even went to a local supply store. They have everything but could not match this. I did not want to spend money at a machine shop so I came up with another plan. If you have access or know someone who has a lathe or milling machine go with steel.

I cut the base of the chrome stand off. I did a lousy job because my bench vise is at the lake and my blade was in bad shape but it does not matter as you will see later. You have to imagine it is hollow and there is no center screw.

I then threaded it from underneath the base until it was flush with the surface and taped the bottom so the epoxy would stay inside of the hollow tube and flipped it over.

Bottom view of stand. The tube is flush on the top side. Again you have to imagine this is hollow.

I threaded the screw into the base of the ball head about 1/2 way.

I then filled the hollow tube up with steel epoxy. I did not fill it right up to accommodate for displacement when the screw went in.

I then placed 4 nails (you can use washers) so the epoxy would not stick to the base of the ball head and pushed the ball head with screw into the epoxy. I did it this this way to ensure the screw was perfectly vertical. If I had of pushed the screw in alone into the epoxy I would haven ever gotten it right.

I let it set for a few hours the removed the ball head.

Final product. I had to scrape a little epoxy off. I may yet Locktite the center piece into the base. I am use the provided thin lock washer on the bottom for now.

At this point the camera is not attached to the focusing rail as I am waiting for another part. The Novoflex Anti Twist plate. Another $100.

I took the rail off here just to show what it can do. You could epoxy more weight to the bottom if you had to.

dmillard · Post by **dmillard** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:55 am

Zeechar -

That looks nice! What's the diameter, height and mass of the base? Who is the manufacturer?

Thanks,
David

Zeechar · Post by **Zeechar** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 4:30 pm

I looked at the stand and it was the Ultra model made by Kaman. I looked it upon the internet. I also found the on line catalogue. It is located on page 492. It is a little more expensive in the catalogue. It states it is 8 lbs. It could be a slightly different model. It does feel like it is about 8 lbs. Not sure if that includes the stand which I think is about a lb. Diameter is 10" and it's about 2.5" high. You can find these types in any local music supply store.

http://www.kamanmusic.com/

http://www.kamanmusic.com/refmanflash/index.html#/492/

Tesselator · Post by **Tesselator** » Sun Mar 28, 2010 7:10 am

LOL!

I hope those critters don't mind their rolls as such technical apparatus.

I am wondering however if you turn the ram's horns clockwise or counterclockwise to decrease the range. Further, it may be somewhat messy it not downright mean if more than one full rotation is needed.

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:59 am

Tesselator wrote:LOL!

Indeed!

These images are coming from photobucket. It seems that Zeechar has inadvertantly removed the images of equipment and re-used their names for these nature shots.

As admin here at photomacrography.net, I'll see if I can get the correct images restored somehow or other.

Thanks for calling this to my attention.

--Rik

augusthouse · Post by **augusthouse** » Sun Mar 28, 2010 5:27 pm

Tesselator wrote:LOL!

I hope those critters don't mind their rolls as such technical apparatus.

I am wondering however if you turn the ram's horns clockwise or counterclockwise to decrease the range. Further, it may be somewhat messy it not downright mean if more than one full rotation is needed.

Craig

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Sun Mar 28, 2010 6:00 pm

I just received word back from Zeechar that he's now aware of the situation and will check into it.

While I agree that the wildlife images are amusing in this context, let's not embarrass ourselves with too many smilies, OK?

--Rik

Tesselator · Post by **Tesselator** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 5:42 am

rjlittlefield wrote:I just received word back from Zeechar that he's now aware of the situation and will check into it.

While I agree that the wildlife images are amusing in this context, let's not embarrass ourselves with too many smilies, OK?

--Rik

Thanks Rik!

I'm on the the edge of my seat. I wanna see what he came up with.