[Leica] Tripod care

[BrutuS <brutus@mda.ca>]

> >Robert Beaudoin wrote:
>> . . . However I did purchase a very nice all metal Davidson Star D
>>tripod at an attractive price.
>> . . . the greases have solidified and the various levers and buttons
>>(remember,
>> this is an all metal thing) are hard to work.  I plan to make the tuning
>>up of this
>> the coming automn, it needs to be disassembled and re-lubed.  So,
>> knowledgeable folks of the LUG, what are the pitfalls to avoid when
>> disassembling such a thing?  Is it worth the trouble?  What kind of
>> lubricant ought to be used?  Any advice most welcome.
If it is put together much like the old (all silver "Marchioni") Tiltall,
the control knobs and collars screw
off (and back on!) readily, so can easily be cleaned, then lightly
lubricated with basic "Moly" grease (paste type used for bikes). The column
uses a felt collar near the bottom (glued to the inside wall of the outer
tube), and a fibre collar (not glued) where it actually locks. These
probably need to be replaced, the felt readily available at a hardware or
craft store, the fibre collar maybe harder to find
(I got mine from a camera repair shop). The rivet/bolted "shoulder" joints
do not come apart so easily,
better to avoid trying unless they are really a problem.
The Star-D and later Leitz Titall may differ in these details, so take all
this as a rough guide.



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