Greasing Tripod head

[tecboy]

I just recently bought a new tripod. The guy at the local camera store told me every time the tripod gets wet from rain and ocean, I have to apply grease on the tripod head. Do you guys do that? What about the legs?

 

[Ilovemycam]

No, don't grease the legs. I try to keep grease to a min all over. Just attracts dirt and sand.

Unless your buying carbon fiber big name items, they are cheap. I have 7 or 8 of them. Just get rid of them when they are crap.

 

[runnah]

Normally you have to pay extra to have someone grease your tripod head.


I don't know for sure but I know you don't want to use just plain axle grease. Maybe a silicon based or dry grease.

 

[Big Mike]

I have yet to put my tripod in the ocean...so no.

 

[Garbz]

Don't grease tripod heads.

Graphite powder or some similar dry lubricant is used on many tripods.

 

[tecboy]

DIY swivel tripod head / Ball Head - YouTube
This is awesome!

 

[Trever1t]

CLP

 

[tecboy]

How about Tri-Flow or WD-40?

 

[snowbear119 50]

What kind of head? If it's a ball head, I wouldn't lube the ball part - they use friction to lock.

 

[DarkShadow]

CLP Break Free Break-Free - Products: Break-Free CLP

 

[Josh66]

or WD-40?

WD-40 tends to gum up after a while...
My two favorite lubes are AeroKroil (a penetrating oil) and MolyKote Z (powder - think graphite powder, but better). Which one I use depends on if I want it wet or dry...

 

[SCraig]

If you absolutely must lubricate it, which I don't recommend at all, get a can of Dupont Teflon spray. They sell it at Lowes hardware. It goes on slightly wet but in a few minutes the carrier evaporates leaving a dry Teflon coating. Graphite is slightly abrasive, anything wet is going to gum up the mechanism over time.