Velbon PH-368 fluid head pan resistance adjustment problem (1 Viewer)

[Hauksen]

Hi everyone,

being not quite happy with the somewhat excessive resistance my Velbon PH-386 fluid head provided to panning motion, I turned the pan tension adjustment knob towards "decrease", only to find it in my hand.

It had not broken off, but simply unscrewed. However, somehow it seems impossible to screw it back on (or rather in, as it's of a set-screw design).

It has a T-head to interact with the friction brake, and this has to be slotted in from above when the screw is fully in. However, that appears to be entirely impossible as assembly necessarily has to start from the fully out position, in which the T-head blocks itself from moving into the correct position.

I don't have any idea how to fix that, of how it happened that it came apart, or how it has been assembled at the factory. It's a bit of a 3D puzzle ... maybe, based on the attached photograph, you have some helpful idea of what I could try to get the knob installed again?

Many thanks in advance!

Henning

 

[jring]

Hi Henning,

can the bright piece of metal with the slot be pulled out a bit with some hook or so until you can slot in the screw?

Joachim

 

[Hauksen]

Moin Joachim,

can the bright piece of metal with the slot be pulled out a bit with some hook or so until you can slot in the screw?

I can insert the head of an ISO 1207 M3 screw into the slot. However, nothing moves when I pull with finger strength, so I'm thinking about 3D-printing a "bridge" over the bore and use an M3 nut to lift the brake a bit.

However, anything I could use for hooking will be in the way of re-inserting the original knob, which completely fills the bore. I can't figure out how it was ever installed at the factory!

Without the knob, the brake seems to be fully engaged, as I can't turn the head at all.

Regards,

Henning

 

[Hauksen]

Hi again,

However, anything I could use for hooking will be in the way of re-inserting the original knob, which completely fills the bore. I can't figure out how it was ever installed at the factory!

It turns out that the visible metal part with the slots slides out through the hole, as it's a U-shaped piece and not actually a ring around the central axle, as I had thought.

So after taking the metal part out, I could slot in the original plastik knob and re-insert the combination.

I guess I can consider it repaired now!

Regards,

Henning

 

[Tringa45]

I guess I can consider it repaired now!

And I thought, Henning, that in view of your latest acquisitions this was destined for a Viking funeral!

Regards,
John

 

[Hauksen]

Hi John,

And I thought, Henning, that in view of your latest acquisitions this was destined for a Viking funeral!

Awesome mental image! :-D

However, I'll keep that one so that in combination with my ED50, I have a second set in case I go birding with people who don't have their own. Most people I know enjoy birds, but don't have their own spotting scope

Regards,

Henning