Saturday, June 4, 2011

Things You Would Expect To Find On The Internet...

I had a Velbon tripod that I bought in 2002.  It recently gave up the ghost, and I replaced it with another cheap tripod, a Targus TGT-58TR.  To my surprise and pleasure, the quick release plate for the Velbon that I used on my big binoculars (11x70mm) also fit the Targus tripod.  However: I also noticed a few days ago that the Velbon quick release plate was loose--in fact, the metal thumb screw had punched a hole through the cheap plastic of the plate.

I went to Idaho Camera--and they explained that every manufacturer's plate is proprietary, and they did not carry the Targus brand.  I went back to Wal-Mart--but they do not sell the quick release plates for the Targus.  I went to the Targus website--and they seem not to sell quick release plates for their tripods.

I went to B&H Camera, who sends me a camera porn catalog every few weeks because I bought something from them, long ago, but I could not find anything that explicitly said that the Velbon quick release plate that looks much like the broken plate fits the Targus, and they are closed for a three day weekend.  Nor am I having any luck finding this elsewhere, including at Beach Camera.

Where to try next?

I am half-tempted to machine a replacement out of aluminum, and have one that will outlast the tripod itself by several centuries, but I have other things to do this weekend, and once you start on machining something like this, it always takes longer than you thought.

2 comments:

  1. "I went to B&H Camera, who sends me a camera porn catalog every few weeks because I bought something from them, long ago..."

    I ordered a thing or two for my machining class a couple of years ago, and I'll still get the occasional machining catalog too. I have no hope of ordering anything in them--I cannot afford such things, yet--but I love to go through the catalogs.

    As for machining your own: as I started reading this post, the thought crossed my mind. You're right, though: whenever I decide to embark on a "Do-it-yourself" project, it always seems to take more time than I would expect.

    Good luck in getting a replacement!

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  2. Can you just, say, glue in a piece of metal to reinforce it and plug the hole?

    (Or, heaven forbid... JB Weld?)

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