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Archive 2013 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather

  
 
Yukonica
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p.3 #1 · p.3 #1 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


jcolwell,
Thanks! that would fit into my overall planning nicely.
Cheers.



Nov 19, 2013 at 08:37 PM
sorpa
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p.3 #2 · p.3 #2 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


@killersnowman, that gear head is a beauty. I want one.
What brand?



Nov 20, 2013 at 07:43 PM
Jeff Donald
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p.3 #3 · p.3 #3 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


I worked as an industrial engineer in the '70's and the material to use is a dry lubricant like Molybdenum disulfide. It doesn't react with regular acids (like what's on your skin), it is stable to 350c and doesn't melt until over 1,000c. It works in low temps below -100 F. It is slipperier than most of the other compounds mentioned and much more stable, meaning it'll stay put and not get on your hands, clothing or equipment in hotter temps. Graphite and silicon are not near as stable and could get on your hands or lens surfaces and then you'll have a cleaning issue. You should be able to get it at a larger hardware store, automotive parts store or online.


Nov 21, 2013 at 04:23 PM
Yukonica
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p.3 #4 · p.3 #4 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


Jeff Donald; you are wealth of information.
Jenny82: chill. … unless you've been talking to trench monkey and runamuck.. then use pm with them; please.

To Jeff: the nearest 'larger' hardware store is a Home Depot in Anchorage: 700 miles west of here. Not going to 'pop-over' while hoping they have it in stock. I'm cheap that way.



Nov 21, 2013 at 10:33 PM
Jeff Donald
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p.3 #5 · p.3 #5 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


Try here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-oz-MOLYBDENUM-DISULFIDE-Moly-MoS2-Powder-SUPER-FINE-1-2-micron-BEST-LUBE-GRADE-/281039964017here



Nov 22, 2013 at 01:32 AM
peter_n
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p.3 #6 · p.3 #6 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


Well we're just talking about a tripod here. I'd be happy with something that works between say -35ºF (-37ºC) to 120ºF (49ºC), which is all I would hope my tripods have to suffer.



Nov 22, 2013 at 09:28 AM
Jeff Donald
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p.3 #7 · p.3 #7 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


A small bottle like I linked to above is just $10 USD and is enough for a lifetime, it only takes a little bit. I've been at Old Faithful (Yellowstone National Park) and the daytime highs were around -60F. I guess it just depends where you live or where you're headed on your next outing


Nov 22, 2013 at 12:47 PM
Yukonica
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p.3 #8 · p.3 #8 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


@ peter_n Yeah but what do I do for the other three months?


Nov 22, 2013 at 11:14 PM
Yukonica
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p.3 #9 · p.3 #9 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


To Jeff Donald, oddly enough, that product looks very similar to something I bought to loosen a tight linkage on a quad. What do you think would happen inside a lock if I used it there? (We have three freezers of meat for the dogs).
cheers.



Nov 22, 2013 at 11:19 PM
Glenn NK
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p.3 #10 · p.3 #10 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


Jeff Donald wrote:
I worked as an industrial engineer in the '70's and the material to use is a dry lubricant like Molybdenum disulfide. It doesn't react with regular acids (like what's on your skin), it is stable to 350c and doesn't melt until over 1,000c. It works in low temps below -100 F. It is slipperier than most of the other compounds mentioned and much more stable, meaning it'll stay put and not get on your hands, clothing or equipment in hotter temps. Graphite and silicon are not near as stable and could get on your hands or lens surfaces and
...Show more

MoS2 is an amazing lubricant. I use it as an oil additive in my vehicle engines in the form of MolySlip oil supplement, but it's also available in synthetic motor oils made in Germany.

My concern with any lubricant in a ball head is that if the lube is very good, the ball head may not be able to be locked without using a force that could damage the unit.

I would think "clean and dry" is the better solution. My Acratech has no lubricants, nor should it have.

G



Nov 23, 2013 at 01:53 AM
Jeff Donald
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p.3 #11 · p.3 #11 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


Yukonica wrote:
To Jeff Donald, oddly enough, that product looks very similar to something I bought to loosen a tight linkage on a quad. What do you think would happen inside a lock if I used it there? (We have three freezers of meat for the dogs).
cheers.


A dry lube can safely be used in a lock. The hard part is getting it into the lock. Many times the dry lube is put into a carrier, such as a grease, so that it can be "injected" into the lock. The grease will have different characteristics than the additive (thickens at a much higher temp) and this defeats the purpose.

Try putting the lube on a key or using a syringe to get the dry lube into the parts.



Nov 23, 2013 at 10:56 PM
Jeff Donald
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p.3 #12 · p.3 #12 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


Glenn NK wrote:
MoS2 is an amazing lubricant. I use it as an oil additive in my vehicle engines in the form of MolySlip oil supplement, but it's also available in synthetic motor oils made in Germany.

My concern with any lubricant in a ball head is that if the lube is very good, the ball head may not be able to be locked without using a force that could damage the unit.

I would think "clean and dry" is the better solution. My Acratech has no lubricants, nor should it have.

G


Always follow the mtgs instructions for the safety of you and your equipment.

The open design of the Acratech is one of the few ball heads that probably would not benefit from a lubricant, because it can be kept "clean and dry." Some older designs, such as early Arca Swiss designs, suffered from defects that proper lubrication would have minimized.

The issue with lubricants, is again, the type, quality and quantity used. It's easy to see by the responses above that many people feel that silicon and it's derivatives are used for everything. This is just not the case and they can cause more harm than good. The proper lubricant, in the proper quantity can prolong the service life of equipment.



Nov 23, 2013 at 11:11 PM
peter_n
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p.3 #13 · p.3 #13 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


Yukonica wrote:
@ peter_n Yeah but what do I do for the other three months?


Actually I use something called Molykote and I think it's good down to -100ºF (-73ºC) which is OK for me but maybe not for you?



Nov 24, 2013 at 01:36 PM
Yukonica
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p.3 #14 · p.3 #14 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


Peter, the coldest I can recall is only -60F. I'm good to go.
So cold (true) that my chainsaw would stop working after about ten minutes and I'd bring it in to thaw before getting the next load of wood. That was my first year out of town. I plan better these days.



Nov 24, 2013 at 11:26 PM
peter_n
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p.3 #15 · p.3 #15 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


Well that's cold, we don't have anything like that here in New England although it can get pretty nippy here in the winter. So far I've not had any trouble with my tripods and I've always used regular auto lithium grease until I figured out a good while back that it wasn't good in severe cold. Now I've no worries in that respect, either with my tripods or ballheads.



Nov 25, 2013 at 09:10 AM
sjms
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p.3 #16 · p.3 #16 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


there is a place that gets close and just a little windy too








Nov 25, 2013 at 09:30 AM
Daniel Smith
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p.3 #17 · p.3 #17 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


Might try some spray on silicon lubricant. Have used it successfully for tripod heads and legs both through North Dakota winters in temps approaching 48 below zero.


Nov 25, 2013 at 11:17 AM
sjms
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p.3 #18 · p.3 #18 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


you all know this is pretty much a resolved thread and is becoming repetitive?


Nov 25, 2013 at 11:19 AM
EB-1
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p.3 #19 · p.3 #19 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


sjms wrote:
you all know this is pretty much a resolved thread and is becoming repetitive?


One could say the same about half of the threads at FM.

EBH



Nov 25, 2013 at 07:04 PM
sjms
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p.3 #20 · p.3 #20 · lubricants for ball heads in cold weather


So true


Nov 25, 2013 at 09:07 PM
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