Ball Head lubrication?

If a ball head becomes a little less smooth over the years and sorta sticks can it be lubricated? Maybe a little graphite dust?

I would clean first, before attempting any lubrication...you could well mess up the ability to firmly lock without slippage.
Use denatured alcohol and cotton balls/swabs and clean the ball with cotton moistened with alcohol until it comes clean. NO lubricant.

Do you not have a separate tension adjustment? That might do the trick.

However, my manfroto had a very thin layer of what appeared to be white lithium grease.

RRS says to do what I wrote earlier...clean it.

Wilt wrote in post #18892021
RRS says to do what I wrote earlier...clean it.

Yet Markins says

"Free the ball by unfasten (CCW) the ball
locking knob and remove any visible foreign
materials from the surface of the ball"

and then...

"Apply about 3 drops of WD-40 to the ball
Rotate the ball to spread the solution on the
whole surface of the ball
Rotate the ball several times and clean the
surface with clean, lint-free cotton cloth"

Wilt wrote in post #18892170
Yet Markins says

"Free the ball by unfasten (CCW) the ball
locking knob and remove any visible foreign
materials from the surface of the ball"

and then...

"Apply about 3 drops of WD-40 to the ball
Rotate the ball to spread the solution on the
whole surface of the ball
Rotate the ball several times and clean the
surface with clean, lint-free cotton cloth"

And for a tie breaker, Arca Swiss what one person wrote
"You will damage the head according to Arca-Swis (via use of a lubricant)."

Wilt wrote in post #18892170
Yet Markins says
..."Apply about 3 drops of WD-40 to the ball
Rotate the ball to spread the solution on the
whole surface of the ball
Rotate the ball several times and clean the
surface with clean, lint-free cotton cloth"

WD-40 is commonly thought to be a lubricant.

In fact, it is an excellent petroleum-based cleaner/degreaser. Cleaning with it and then polishing with a cotton cloth will remove nearly 100% of the minimal lubrication it provides, but still leave some traces that will resist dirt from adhering, as well as preventing oxidization.

As a lubricant it’s pretty light, lighter than light machine oil. Sometimes you want that. It doesn’t stick around for long-term lubrication.

Doesn't WD stand for water displacement?

Seem to remember reading that many years ago. But yeah, it isn't much of a lubricant if given the opportunity to evaporate or be rubbed off.


Interesting that there are such different recommendations between manufacturers. My manfrotto definitely, 100 percent, had a heavier lubricant on it when I took it out of the box. I couldn't find a source, but in my very brief search came across a post that said graphite and aluminum don't mix. Sounded like soft AL alloys are softer than graphite.

Wilt wrote in post #18892021
RRS says to do what I wrote earlier...clean it.

Disassembly required??? It actually is my RRS head.

chuckmiller wrote in post #18892241
Disassembly required??? It actually is my RRS head.

Look for a YouTube on cleaning. I saw one earlier.

https://youtu.be/eR_a8​I3Zd_I

https://youtu.be/Pk1Ns​8AtzWo

I only have a cheap old ballhead,I rubbed a candle on the ball and worked it about,worked a treat,no messy lubricant.

Wilt wrote in post #18892170
Yet Markins says

"Free the ball by unfasten (CCW) the ball
locking knob and remove any visible foreign
materials from the surface of the ball"

and then...

"Apply about 3 drops of WD-40 to the ball
Rotate the ball to spread the solution on the
whole surface of the ball
Rotate the ball several times and clean the
surface with clean, lint-free cotton cloth"

That's still a cleaning, as opposed to a lubrication.

Late to this thread, but as a person that is heavily involved with machinery, I am one that subscribes to the understanding that WD-40 is NOT to be considered a lubrication in any event. In the case of Markins above, the mere fact that it gets used to clean, then removed with a lint free cloth would back that.

If you use Acratech heads the maintenance is running it under a faucet.