Building your own stabilizer

[_gl]

You may have to make it so it is longer at the bottom, with Aluminium not being as heavy as Steel (though your bar is thicker gauge than mine), or compensate by having more counterweights at the bottom

Thanks, but I've just finished the body. I designed more room to move the camera around on top, plus a longer piece for the handle, that gives me plenty of flexibilty. I've got it clear in my head now how the balancing works (we'll soon know if I'm right).

The aluminium bar worked out real well; I did have a problem initially getting the tight loop tight enough - the 5mm thickness makes that tricky (here I'm trying to vice it, no dice):



Took a lot of work including hammering (but I don't have a workshop or even a proper work bench, if you have the gear it's probably easier). The larger round bend though is easy, you can just stand on it and bend by hand, nipping and tucking as you go. The finished article is as strong as you want it, it doesn't flex/bounce at all.

Here's a teaser pic from earlier today (I'm saving the rest until the camera is mounted & balanced):

[_gl]

Yes my discs are 3mm metal cutting discs and I used these to build the slot larger and larger - sort of using the cutting disc as a grinding disc

Check. I've thought of a mount that doesn't need the slot, not sure which way to go yet. I'll leave that for tomorrow.

Handy tools to have grinders, to me most useful after electric drills but be careful - keep a firm grip, they are vicious if they fly out of your hand!

->

[_gl]

Does anyone have advice on spray painting aluminium, and/or a cheap UK supplier or mail order? I believe I need an etching primer (aerosol), then I can use any spray paint on top. Couldn't find any in town, and don't want to pay over the odds...

[silverpoundcans]

Does anyone have advice on spray painting aluminium, and/or a cheap UK supplier or mail order? I believe I need an etching primer (aerosol), then I can use any spray paint on top. Couldn't find any in town, and don't want to pay over the odds...

Great question! I would interested in that bit of info aswell.

[_gl]

Great question! I would interested in that bit of info aswell.

I bought some Plastikote 'Aluminium Primer' & some car spray paint today from Halfords (UK car spares shop). They had a more expensive 'etch primer', but I decided to chance the cheaper one. Will be spraying tomorrow, I'll let you know how it turns out...

[gcflores]

Any recommendations on a non-Tesco tripod? They don't ship to the US and the available tripods on eBay look cheap and plastic.

[_gl]

Any recommendations on a non-Tesco tripod? They don't ship to the US and the available tripods on eBay look cheap and plastic.

I'm sure Tesco just rebadge theirs, I wouldn't be surprised if all of these are from the same manufacturer (probably Chinese). There were some on Ebay that looked like they might be the good ones, I asked a few dealers to send me pictures of the head before I got the Tesco one - a few promised but no one came through.

I found the Tesco head doesn't have as much movement as I'd like in the finished stabilizer. It's OK and generally usable, but you can sometimes catch the socket edge and that knocks the whole thing sideways. If I could figure out how to take it apart (anyone know?) I would open the top out a little.

One the plus side, Northern mentioned that the ball sits on a little sprung platform. As you tighten the locking screw, you can raise this platform a little before the lock takes effect, and that actually makes it slightly more top heavy - basically a limited vertical trim.

BTW, mine is done, but I'm waiting on the post for my handles.

[_gl]

I had fun with this one - introducing



Inspired by the Hague MMC and northernlanes' excellent plans, this adds a collapsible feature for easy storage.

Changes from nothern's design:

- slightly different shape
- aluminium instead of steel (lighter but requires more weights)
- metal washer instead of nut to fix Tesco tripod to body (more movement)
- collapsible (also allows optional nose weight)
- quick-release shoe bent from aluminium sheet & held by friction only.

Pictures of the construction phases (click for large version):




The paint job didn't work out too well - it chips easily, and the Plastikote lacquer I used sticks to other sprayed surfaces when squeezed together, even days after having dried out (you can prise them apart but that chips the paint more). Avoid Plastikote stuff like the plague. At first I was disappointed, but now I quite like the beaten-up look - it's a hard-wearing bit of kit after all. I may repaint someday, something like Hammerite for a black body, and decent etch-primer + car lacquer for the colours is probably much better.

I'll update this post with more details (+ sample footage) when I get time ...

[Croaker]

Very impressive.
I especially like the folding break you made in the middle of the arc for portability.

[northernlanes]

Nice one GL, we should set up a production line .. apart from its too much like hard work. Would car spray paint work? , I used grey primer and a couple of layers of satin black, works well on steel but not sure of its stick-ability on aluminium.

[_gl]

Thanks guys, but I took it out for a spin recently and there is one major problem - I seem to be getting too much friction on the tripod joint.

Check out this sample footage, you can see frequent left/right jerks from handle movements getting through. OK, it's on uneven ground and I definitely need more practice walking with it - if I walk carefully, things can be nice and floaty - but as soon as there's sudden handle movement, it catches a little & jerks.

In other stablizer demos you see how people can move the handles rapidly without affecting the camera at all - that only partly works for me. And if I do the rapid side-to-side camera movement people do to demo the balance, the camera slightly turns each way - again apparently due to joint friction.

I'm pretty confident I've got the balancing correct (I spent a lot of time figuring it out) - I've now got it just slightly bottom-heavy as it's supposed to be. The camera floats nicely on top. If I tilt the camera with my other hand at the gimbal, it doesn't get heavier or accelerate (as it does when the center of mass isn't near the gimbal). If I let it go tilted, it slowly returns to the center as recommended - except it usually doesn't quite hit the center due to the friction! But I know the balance is right - I check it by rapidly moving the handle slightly, like having trembling hands (it avoids the friction and you can see the true balance).

I've tried oiling the ball with household 'light' oil, hair trimmer oil and WD40 - it helps but not enough. The Hague seems to have a tiny ball and that makes sense (less contact area). I also note in the Calicocam thread someone complaining about it suffering the same friction problems with its similar large ball/socket gimbal.

One theory is that the sprung platform in the Tesco 'pod causes uneven movement as the ball turns. Northern, you said you tighten yours to remove the springyness - that makes sense, but I find that the friction gets even worse then (even before it starts to lock), so I leave mine fully loose.

Is anybody else seeing this on a mini-pod? Are they just not smooth enough gimbals, or is it just mine?

[nzo]

Been wondering about the friction problem with those mini-tripod balls. Would a cone shape work better than a ball? The tip of a cone would have a very small contact/friction area. By cone, I mean something like the hardened metal needle valves one sees on commercial spray-paint guns.

One would need some way of preventing the cam rig from 'jumping off' the cone assembly.

[_gl]

Would a cone shape work better than a ball? The tip of a cone would have a very small contact/friction area. By cone, I mean something like the hardened metal needle valves one sees on commercial spray-paint guns.

I should be near-perfect. But I can't think how you'd secure it off-hand. Do you have a picture or link for those valves?

If I could get into the Tesco 'pod maybe I could improve it - but I don't see how it opens.

[nzo]

I can't easily locate anything online, but here's a rough idea of what I had in mind. Should be near friction-free. The needle's steel shaft would have a small metal washer attached/brazed/soldered to it. A simple 'cage' could be made so the needle assembly and cam mounting bar could not accidentally separate.

[danielk]

I few days ago I made my own stabilization like northernlanes. I bought a hama mini tripod made from full metal and looks exactly like the tesco one. I had the same problem like _gl has in the footage the left to right jerking. The problem is the gimball so I also used some wd40 which improve it a little bit but not enough.
So I actually end up buying the hague mmc but it has the same problem but much less noticeable. The gimball of the hague is a lot better but has also some resistance when I move the handle slowly to the left or right. I gonna try Nzo solution on my diy stabilizator. I let you know if it works better

[_gl]

nzo, that looks interesting, first thoughts are that you need a wider opening to get more movement range, that then needs a wider washer. I'll look at this in more detail later.

danielk, interesting to hear that the Hague has a similar problem, from the demo videos I've seen it's clearly better though as you say. Very interested in your results with nzo's idea.

[_gl]

daniel, can you post a closeup picture of the Hague joint? It's just a small ball in a socket right?

[nzo]

Plastic ball heads: I've noticed that the balls in those cheapo mini-tripods have a slightly protruding manufacturing "seam" from when they were cast. Removing this with a scalpel or box cutter blade may improve the smoothness.

BTW, a drill of the right width, ground to a 90 degree angle on a bench grinder would make short work of creating a shallow and symmetrical recess for the needle part of the stabilizer. I would probably be inclined to make a needle with a very slightly rounded tip so it won't dig into the steel above it.

[nzo]

Balls for DIY ball-heads and HERE
These are known as "balls on stems".

[danielk]

In the mmc movies from hague and other users here on the forum I can also not notice the left to right jerking. But it’s a very small amount of jerking so I don't think we can really see it on vimeo because of the lower video quality. Vimeo is not as smooth as a transfer from hv20 to lcd screen with hdmi cable I think so

Btw here are the photo's from the hague gimbal.
hv201.jpg
hv202.jpg
hv203.jpg

I just tried a fast the needle/pen solution. It works better than a hama mini tripod gimbal but the camera will maybe turn to easily when there is a little bit wind.
Just drill a not to deep hole in your diy and use a needle/pen and try out . Watch out that the pen does not flip out of the hole because than you got a damaged hv20 I did a test and didn’t notice left to right jerking but the camera swayed to much probably to much weight. I have to try some more.

This is just a not beautiful test object
hv204.jpg
hv205.jpg
hv206.jpg

[_gl]

Thanks for the pictures daniel, it's definitely looking promising. The camera swinging isn't a problem, you can control it at the contact point with the other hand (using a very light touch). That's what you need to do on other stablisers too.

[_gl]

Balls for DIY ball-heads and HERE
These are known as "balls on stems".

I think finding something with a ball on it is easier then a perfectly fitting low friction socket. There must be some part for something else that would be perfect...

Northern, are you getting the same friction problems on yours?

[nzo]

Perhaps it's more a question of the type of lubricant used on the ball head. A small amount of graphite grease, or one of the silicone-based lubricants? Something with carbon nano-tubes in it? Oil-filled pan heads smooth everything to the max but then again, they involve friction.

[northernlanes]

Northern, are you getting the same friction problems on yours?

Well I do get a bit, probably same as you, but for me its acceptable for the odd occasion I use the stabilizer. I suppose a smaller gimbal with less friction would help as might a diiferent lubricant, I think the WD40 type oils would dry out quickly, maybe light 3in1 type oil may be better.

[_gl]

Perhaps it's more a question of the type of lubricant used on the ball head. A small amount of graphite grease, or one of the silicone-based lubricants?

I was wondering about that. One of the guys selling his homebuilt stabilizers on Ebay mentioned using silicon oil - which oil is supposed to have the lowest friction?

Oil-filled pan heads smooth everything to the max but then again, they involve friction.

I've just investigated this as I needed a good video head, and most lower-end so-called 'fluid' panheads actually use friction + grease (and are not even sealed so the grease can get contaminated or leak out). Apparently the grease also solidifies in colder temperatures (heads get harder to turn), so it's probably no good for us.

I just got hold of a true fluid panhead (Velbon's FHD-51Q, the only real fluid head they make). The idea with those is that there is no physical contact at all, rather the moving parts are separated by a bed of (oil?) fluid.

True fluid heads usually have an adjustable drag setting, and this is what separates the cheap ones from the more expensive ones - ones like my Velbon and the Manfrotto 70xRC2 use their lock adjustments to create additional drag which ruins the smoothness - expensive ones typically change the volume of fluid instead.