Stainless Steel Pipe

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I'm musing about making replacement stainless steel legs for a tripod.

I found 1.75" x 3m long by 1.5mm wall seamless stainless steel pipe for £60.

A new tripod with similarly specced legs is £95 …

Now I could look at MS tube, but just in case, does anyone know a less costly source of stainless pipe to that size?

Neil

The temporary cure:

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Exhaust pipe repair shop.

Ian S C

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Why do you need a stainless steel tripod?

Clive

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Could get a bit weighty to lug up to thetop of a dark hill.

Assume the stainless is so it won't rust

J

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Aluminium?

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

There's a tripod on Ebay Neil.

**LINK**

…and several other telescopes which appear to have stainless tripods.

That would be a bit of a job making them telescopic if that was your intention and then the material needed for the knuckles, sleeves and feet etc would probably bring the total near to the cost of a new one. I'd be interested to follow the project if you decide to do it though.

Amazing what you can do with a bit of Ally extrusion! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLC3G4Ss60Y&feature=player_detailpage

 

Ed.

 

Edited By Ed Duffner on 05/05/2015 10:41:15

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Look in Ebay:- 'Theodolites' where there are some Alu legged tripods. Painted or anodised.

Clive

[Nick_GParticipant @nick_g]

.

I always want a tripod with as much mass in it as possible. Yet to find a lightweight one I would be happy with.

That view may not be the same though if I was a landscape photographer. A trick they use is to have a bag they fill with rocks etc. at the location and hang onto the tripod.

Like a lathe or mill mass is good on a tripod.

Nick

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> the material needed for the knuckles, sleeves and feet etc would probably bring the total near to the cost of a new one.

That's my conclusion

The aluminium ones struggle to cut the mustard. With the mount and scope mine weighs 28kg and wobbles like a jelly – doesn't help that the scope and counterbalance makes a nice centrally suspended pendulum.

The stainless tripods weigh about 7Kg but are much more rigid.

The alloy design In photo) has two weak points – the central leg is only clamped at the joint – that's what the bit of studding puts right, the other is twist where the legs join the (cast iron) tripod top. My alternative solution is making alloy clamps to replace the plastic mouldings, or simply fixing an alloy spacer at the top of the legs.

Neil

[MadMikeParticipant @madmike]

£95??????????? I cannot imagine why you haven't just bought the stainless purpose made tripod. Home made tripods are OK if you have plenty of time and nothing better to do. Me………..I wouldn't mess about as it appears to be a work related item, which may even be tax deductible.

[Gas_mantle.Participant @gas_mantle]

Slightly off topic but a lot of astronomers fill the legs with sand to give added weight and stability.

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

Have you tried timber for the tripod? damps out vibration quickly, light and stiff.
A basic 'crutch' leg tripod is the simplest thing to make but not telescopic.

 

Otherwise the local aerial installer may be a good source of tube, ally and stainless.

Edited By john carruthers on 05/05/2015 15:53:29

[VicParticipant @vic]

The best materials for tripods are Carbon fibre and wood, at least in terms of dampening vibrations. There is another material but it needs patenting.

[frank brownParticipant @frankbrown22225]

Match coarse fishers use "poles" which are a selection of carbon fibre tubes that plug tightly into each other. This can result in a fishing rod 11m long. The sections can be bought separately to replace broken ones, so a nose around a good fishing tackle shop might be interesting.

Another suggestion for a source of SS or ali tubes could be manufacturers of yacht equipment (hand rails,dingy booms, )err, and other bits?

Frank

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Wood seems to be fairly popular (ash is recommended) but wood is a horrible nasty substance that always comes out tatty and scruffy round here

Think I might see what improvements I can make to the existing tripod for now… there are various other strategies. I have already filled the centre legs with sand (have to work out how to plug the outer ones). Suspending a weight from the head can help and so can hanging a chain from the scope.

Neil

[Grizzly bearParticipant @grizzlybear]

Neil,

Add a little cement to the sand, no need for a plug.

Bear..

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

The sand needs to be loose to maximise its damping properties.

Neil

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Neil,

Unless you are really determined to use stainless … I think this may be the most cost-effective material for fixed-length tripod legs.

MichaelG.

.

P.S. … I wouldn't take the damping properties of loose sand too seriously … by the time it starts to work, the tripod has already flexed too far for astronomical use.

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

Hi Neil,

If you're not too worried about altering the tripod you have, perhaps you could glue some slabs or plates of some material to the outside and/or inside of the legs with silicon sealer or similar, like a sandwich arrangement.

Ed.

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

…a reallly heavy, fast spinning gyroscope attached to the tripod….

It might be a problem if there's a second object you want to observe…

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Here's the answer, get one of those screw in earth spikes for tethering dogs etc. Set up the tripod over the screw spike and attach some sort of screw mechanism ( Like a Warwick adjustor) so you can clamp down the tripod to the screw spike. This will rigidise the whole set up to a high degree.

Clive

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Could use a bungy cord or ratchet strap

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Interesting idea Clive. would work for a semi-permanent position in the garden. I also thought of making a concrete pillar that could double as a sundial or birdbath when not in use. A cargo ratchet would be good.

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Scaffold tubing is a good idea. I used to have 18" I found buy the side of the road and it found many uses before it ran out.

Will get some workshop time this evening (there's nothing important happening, is there?) so I will have a play.

Neil

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