DIY Mega-Plamp (aka Blamp)

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Archive 2009 · DIY Mega-Plamp (aka Blamp)

Greg Feldman
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p.1 #1 · DIY Mega-Plamp (aka Blamp)

Note: Don't bother doing this if you're looking to save a few bucks over the original.

I wanted a heavy-duty Plamp-style clamp that could hold not only flowers but also free-standing subjects and fairly heavy reflectors. The ingredients:

3/4" Loc-Line tubing and connectors
2" A-clamps
Irwin Quick-Grip clamps
Nuts, bolts, washers
Elbow grease

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Setup is self-explanatory. The Quick-Grip clamps are great for holding subjects because they ratchet down, which means they can hold something tight without squashing it. On the other hand, they're not very good for large round things like tripod legs, so the A-clamps went on the other end. I had to drill a hole in each Quick-Grip.

The Loc-Line tubing is not cheap--that's the primary reason why you won't save a dime over the Wimberley version--and assembling the 3/4" line by hand will test your strength and your sanity. There's a reason why they sell a $12 pair of pliers meant for the job, but I was stubborn.

Aug 07, 2009 at 10:01 PM

Timm
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p.1 #2 · DIY Mega-Plamp (aka Blamp)

Cool!

I've been wanting to make something like this ever since I figured out that that stuff was called Loc-Line! I've used the Irwin Quick-Grips for several other projects--aren't they great? And the fiber-reinforced plastic holds threads quite nicely. I have several with threaded 1/4-20 holes all aver the arms for different mounting positions on mini-tripods.

Sounds like those $12 pliers are worth the price, too, eh?

BTW--A few minutes with a brown Scotch-Brite pad will dull that glossy finish on the Loc-Line, which might be a problem when shooting reflective subjects.

PS: What's holding the flash?

Edited on Aug 08, 2009 at 06:54 PM · View previous versions

Aug 07, 2009 at 10:23 PM

Greg Feldman
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p.1 #3 · DIY Mega-Plamp (aka Blamp)

The $12 pliers are quickly worth $40 once you try to put together 12 sections, four elbows, two female-female couplers, and four ends. Next time I do something like this, the pliers are going in the cart first.

The Irwin Quick Grips are great for everything except tubing, so I couldn't use the larger ones that I got for the project. The only other problem is the little yellow ends falling off.

The flash is on a Wimberley macro bracket. Great little device, although it makes a Plamp look inexpensive. Holds a 580 and Lumiquest softbox (which I used to think was goofy, but it's fantastic for macro) like it's nothing.

Here's the Luna bar:

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And here's a battery for no reason:

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Greg

Aug 07, 2009 at 10:50 PM

btaki
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p.1 #4 · DIY Mega-Plamp (aka Blamp)

Thanks for taking the time to post this, it's a lot more stable than the Plamp and about the same amount of $$.

Mar 22, 2010 at 07:04 PM

Greg Feldman
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p.1 #5 · DIY Mega-Plamp (aka Blamp)

No problem. Mine are still going strong.

Mar 24, 2010 at 03:45 PM

Steady Hand
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p.1 #6 · DIY Mega-Plamp (aka Blamp)

My first thought when seeing the first image: "Spiderman"

Looks like "Doctor OCTO" to me.

Thanks for posting. I find DIY stuff like this fun to see and it gets the brain cells working.

Here's an image from wikimedia:

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Mar 24, 2010 at 06:28 PM

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