ttheme Loc: Florida

I bought a Flashpoint Boom with stand recently for my Flashpoint monolight and beauty dish. Unfortunately every time I extend it, the boom slides back down or the dish faces toward the ground instead of toward the subject. Any good heavy duty one out there for a reasonable price? Or is there any way that I can fix mine so it will not slide back down? Thank you guys.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

T, obviously the clamp is not getting tight enough. Maybe you can post a pic of the clamp area.
Can you wrap the pole with, say a bicycle inner tube to create more friction? If it's just facing down, can you rig a counter-weight?
Or wrap the entire joint with a bungee cord stretched pretty tight. Good luck
SS

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Best advice for this piece of equipment: Buy heavy duty, look at spending $300 and up. Misuse of a boom can get somebody injured and you sued.

ttheme Loc: Florida

SS. You nailed it. I was thinking about something similar but I was not sure of what to use. Thanks buddy. I will try it later.

ttheme Loc: Florida

Thanks.

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Duck Tape.

ttheme Loc: Florida

Beautiful. Thanks

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

Remember to position the clamp so it tightens in the direction of the weighted boom. If you have it the other way, as the weight of the boom goes down towards the floor, the clamp loosens instead of tightens, thus no bueno. Even if you have it tight going the wrong way, it could eventually loosen at an inopportune time and bonk someone or worse.

Also, with boom stands you should always have them weighted... counter weights or sandbags or both.

jcarlosjr Loc: Orange County

DUCT TAPE (as used to tape together heating ducts) not DUCK as in quack-quack.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

One of the only brands I trust for boom-arm usage is the higher-end stands and booms made by Manfrotto. They have seriously well engineered joints and clamping mechanisms and heavy-duty counterweights.

The prices on theses units are reasonable considering their quality but they ain't cheap, however, there are important safety considerations to factor into your purchase decisions. If one of those less sturdy units give way or tip over you can experience serious equipment damage or, worse case scenario, personal injury to the photographer or the client. model or subject during a session!

A typical mono-light and a beauty dish can account for a significant amount of weight, especially when you add the additional leverage caused by the length of the boom arm! Your mounting technique is also important. It is wise not only to depend on the locking or clamping devices alone so make sure the unit and the counterweight are balanced before you lock things into position- this protects the mechanisms from excessive wear and tear beyond its strength.

I have a studio full of Manfrotto gear that has lasted well over 30 years and is easily repaired if anything starts to become worn. I can't find my Manfrotto file or catalog- I'll post the model number that I am suggesting as soon as I can check it out.

Ed

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

"Heavy Duty Black Light Boom, Incl.008BU Stand w/Casters
SKU 085BS (AVAILABLE)
Replaces 085
Includes lighting stands, boom, casters, counterweight
The boom carries loads of up to 6.8 kg (15 lb) fully extended
Max payload of stand 30Kg (66lb), to a max height of 2,1m (7')
Double braced leg base for extra stability and safety
Black steel and black anodized aluminum construction".

This is the information I gathered from the Manfrotto website. I don't know whether or not their latest units are exactly like the ones I own. My boom arms have geared mechanisms that enable control of the pitch and angle of the lamp-head or mono-light by operating a knob or a crank at the near end of the boom arm. The illustration that I have copied and posted is not as detailed as I would expect it to be on their official site. I do know, however, that the current units are just as sturdy as the older models.

You also might want to check out some of the current Paul C. Buff offerings.

Good luck! Ed

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

If it's the one I am thinking of, your boom and stand is only designed for a weight of less than 5 lbs. The fact that it is slipping should signal to you that you are flirting with disaster. If you are close to weight limit with your monolight and modifier, then you are exceeding the capability of the boom and stand. You will have failure - either the boom shaft will bend, probably at the point where you add the extra duct tape to prevent the slipping, or the clamp will fail, or the whole thing can fall over since neither the boom nor the stand is designed for such a load. Spend the money for better stuff, or experience the failure, and spend even more money later. It's your hard-earned cash.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Bingo!

Duct tape... the stuff with 1001 uses.

In spite of it's name and original purpose, it's one of the worst things you can use on ducts! It dries out and crumbles in no time.

There are much better metallic tapes available, to hold together and seal ducts.

All that aside, any self-respecting photographer uses GAFFER tape.... not duct tape.

I agree 100%.... a boom stand needs to be very sturdy. There's a lot of torque on it, when it's in use. I bought a Photoflex stand and boom years ago. Works great, no slipping, and has held up.

If you don't already have them, som sand bags are also a good idea: two or three on the base to stabilize the stand and another hang on the boom as a counterweight.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Yes, but it works wonderfully to hold ducks together! Sticks to the feathers like gorilla glue. That's why some simply call it "DUCK" tape!!!
SS