Stable Landing

I lucked out when I adopted a never-used tabletop tripod when one crossed my path not too long ago. Thinking I’d find a use for it with my little Canon point and shoot, I was even testing out how to set it up on my dining room table the day Pete surprised me with this crazy-awesome camera. Since I’ve spent days studying up on the manual photography techniques that come with having such a powerful camera, it seemed logical to also get the tripod in tip-top shape so it could do the job, and do the job well.

The tripod, while “brand new” was probably 5-10 years old. So, that rubbery-grippy-patch that the camera sits on had started to become un-stuck. Adhesive gets old, no big deal. I had a plan in mind for how I could fix the tripod and make usable (and better). It couldn’t be left off permently, because the flat plastic surface was hard and surely would have scratched or rubbed wrong against the perfect camera base.

The fix? I thought about gluing it flat, but decided instead to try making a new, rubbery Sugru surface. The malleable silicone is pretty cool (and colorful). I chose blue (also have white, orange, and black in my stash).

I spread it on in several sections, so that I could make each piece flat, but in manageable pieces. Pushed to adhere to the surface, it overhang a bit, so I cleaned it up to have a nice, crisp edge. This hack called for 2 full packages of Sugru to cover the effected area.

Fixed! The new surface is thin enough to not obstruct the critical pin, or bolt, or whatever it’s technically called, so the new camera attaches perfectly. Shield your eyes people, this next shot was taken with the iPhone since the good camera was the model.

Just as another idea, I did think after the fact that perhaps it could have been smoothed and flattened with a rolling pin prior to application; just something to consider if you try it yourself.

Also, I’ve written about Sugru a few times (here and here). Just so you know, I haven’t been paid to use the product or write about it – that’s not my thing.