Ball Head lubrication?

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #18892238
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.

Ironic, isn't it, that while you might think that 'water displacement' is a good thing in a marine environment, actually boat owners (sailors) avoid it like the plague!
I owned sailboats for 30 years and you never used it to 'clean' or 'lubricate' on your boat.
'

I'm quite certain that my two Manfrotto heads had some lubrication applied.
It's what I would consider Grease, and not Oil, if that differentiates.

Over time, the grease seemed to carry some aluminum residue within it,
as it darkened from rather white to a grey color.

I never had a need to clean the mechanisms.

I now use Sirui heads; I haven't used them for long enough yet
to determine if they are lubricated or will benefit from cleaning.
However, I have not noticed any obvious applied lubrication
like the Manfrotto heads had applied to them.

The RRS cleaning technique is what I use on the Cullmans I have.

Wayyyy back the Manfrotto/Bogen heads were dry. Some later heads they had grease and while smooth initially, they attracted all sorts of grit into them. I'd also disliked accidentally touching the ball and having that lubrication spread over my hands and gear. I'd degreased them and the feel was terrible. The generous amounts of lubrication from the factory helped cover up the rougher machining.

SkedAddled wrote in post #18895482
I'm quite certain that my two Manfrotto heads had some lubrication applied.
It's what I would consider Grease, and not Oil, if that differentiates.

Over time, the grease seemed to carry some aluminum residue within it, as it darkened from rather white to a grey color.

I never had a need to clean the mechanisms.

I now use Sirui heads; I haven't used them for long enough yet to determine if they are lubricated or will benefit from cleaning.
However, I have not noticed any obvious applied lubrication like the Manfrotto heads had applied to them.

Manfrotto used to love using that light grease on a lot of their older heads, by the time they get to me they're usually filthy so need a good clean and usually need an application of some light lubrication to have any hope of smooth movement again but I only ever apply lubricant on heads which had some from the get go. I'm not sure but I can't recall seeing lubricants used on their newer heads.

Most heads seem to have no lubrication these days, I suspect that's because they've copied heads without any and it's become commonplace (for the main ball portion anyway). Don't use WD40 though, it may work as a lubricant in the short term but should cause problems later once it dries, if you need to use a lubricant then choose the one that's suited to the task rather than WD40.

Perhaps I'm missing a trick but I only ever use WD40 for cleaning, where I can apply it exactly and thoroughly scrub it off after, I've had good results using it that way.

No you are quite correct, considering WD40 to be a lubricant is like considering Mountain Dew to be a health shake!

I can't believe I am just now getting back to this. I wiped the ball with a cotton swab / rubbing alcohol and it barely, maybe, came back with a little dark color. It was not locked so the instructions in that particular video were not needed. I think the ball moves a bit smoother now. I'm not adding any lube.

Check your tension first, always. Cleaning next is always recommended. Use a clean cloth and canned air. WD40 will not hurt it during the cleaning stage but use the cloth to remove any excess. A little shot of white lithium grease would be fine as well and will not harm the material and finish. Just make sure not to overuse it.

I just acquired a NOS Slik SBH-550. There's very little information about these heads out there. It's an excellently machined, but odd piece, with one knob tensioning everything--the ball, panning base, and even a rotating collar for the notch.

Anyway, the ball is definitely lubricated with what appears to be white lithium grease, which is a departure from every other ball head I've used.

^ I also use a Slik SBH-550. They date from 2003 and were manufactured in a Slik facility in Saitama, Japan. Despite the lubricant on the ball it works quite well.

Would you say the engineering trend is from having lubrication to away from lubrication?

I would. In all things,. Lubrication = maintenance. The trend is definitely towards maintenance free.

From the "Directions for Kirk BH series Ball Heads"


We recommend cleaning your head every 4-6 weeks. To do this, loosen the main control knob and the tension knob. Move the ball into the 90 degree position. Now with a cloth lightly moistened with WD40 slowly turn the ball in the socket. When you’re done with this process please wipe off any excess WD40 with a clean cloth. Also please avoid using any cleaner other than WD40 and do not spray WD40 directly onto the ball. You can purchase WD40 at your local hardware or automotive store.