Ries Model C Tri-lok, Hollywood

[matthew blais]

I have one of these in excellent shape but it is missing the head mount screw in the crown. Ries does not have these available and suggested I send in the crown (3 7/8" dia.) for them to make one, which I think I'll do locally (unless the consensus is to let them do it).

If anyone has one of these models and has a pic or specs of the head mount screw to send me, I would appreciate it.
Then I can take to my machinist friend. If there are other options you know of, please inform.

Serial no. 4154 with the "Hollywood" stamp underneath crown.
Thanks!

[Michael Jones]

Matthew:

Try: http://www.pgsys.com/

You may have to call; Stephan has always been most helpful to me and usually has older Reis[dare I say it?] pieces. Good luck.

Mike

[Charles D. Ewen]

Matt:

I've got one - Serial Number 1188. The screw on mine is a long, spring-loaded 1/4-20, with a head similar to those on the clamps. The spring and screw are held in the crown by a disk, with the screw through the middle - essentially a washer with two small screws through the edge to hold it to the crown. I'll take a couple of measurements and pix tomorrow.

Charley

p.s. No "Hollywood" under the crown.

[Peter Galea]

Why would you not send it back to Ries?
Let them do it.

[matthew blais]

Thanks for the link Michael and Charles for your willingness to help-I look forward to what you send. I thought about sending it to Ries as I wish to have it as OE as possible Peter, but it seems kind of overkill for something I feel should be simple enough, once I see how it is supposed to be. Course, my guy could cost me way more...who knows. Just trying to keep it all as simple as possible.
Thanks again.

[Charles D. Ewen]

Matt:

I'll drop you some pictures if you like, but I don't think you'll need them - the shaft is rather simple.

The shaft is 3.625" long overall, ending with a four-pointed knob just like the ones used on the clamps. The knob slides over the shaft, and is held on by a small pin. This end of the shaft has been turned down to around 0.29", but I didn't take the knob off to get a real measurement.

From the other end, the first 0.55" have the 1/4x20 thread. Then there's a 0.5" diameter flange, 0.125" thick. The shaft then narrows to 0.375", running 2.5" to the beginning of the knob. Over this section of the shaft is a coiled spring. Being an uneducated amateur machinist, I can only describe the spring as being 1.08" long (unstressed), having 10 turns, and made with steel wire 0.0375" thick. Between the spring and the knob is the washer that compresses the spring and holds the assembly to the tripod crown. The washer is 0.09" thick, with a diameter of 0.8875". Two screws, going through holes in the washer rim, attach the washer to the crown. The screws are 4-40 round head machine screws.

Any machinist - even someone as inexperienced as I - can crank this out in a matter of minutes. To look good, though, you'll need the correct knob. I called Ries last year and obtained a new knob for this tripod. They said they had "found" one, implying that they don't stock them and that I was lucky. Give them a call. Maybe you'll get lucky, too.

Charley

[Peter Galea]

Matthew,
How much did Ries say it would cost for the replacement?

[Charles D. Ewen]

Matt:

Just to correct a misstatement I made: the knob that mounts on the shaft is the same style as the spread clamps - a four-pointed design, as opposed to the round knobs on the leg extensions. It's a different size, however - the clamp knobs are about 1.15" across, and the shaft knob is about 1.4" across.

Charley

[matthew blais]

Thanks Charles....I'll check back with Ries on knobs. The first reply (email) I received from them said mainly "it sounds like an older model"..(duh). I don't see where the washer retaing screws would apply as there are no holes in crown for them. They didn't give a cost and I do think I'll call them to talk with someone in production. I'll send you a pic or two Charles, maybe not the same (?). But thanks to all.

[Charles D. Ewen]

Matt:

Thanks for the pictures; they explain the difference in our Model C's. Somewhere between when Ries produced mine and - 3000 tripods later - yours, they changed the design.

The washer holding the spring/shaft assembly into the crown has been replaced by a machined piece of brass. This cylindrical piece of brass is partially bored out and threaded, and screws onto the bottom of the crown. A piece of the cylinder is left intact, but drilled to allow the narrow shaft to pass through it. When it's screwed in place, the spring around the shaft is held inside the crown by this intact section.

I'll send you some pictures of my Model C, and the shaft assembly from a recent Model A, which uses the same machined brass piece. The pictures will be a lot clearer than my description.

A machinist would have no problem making the brass piece, so it's still your call on whether to go to Ries for the parts or stay local. The knob, of course, remains a problem.

You might try what I did - buy a new A-100 with tilt head, and THEN ask for an old knob. Hey! It worked for me!

Charley