580 mounting trick to third party?

I'd like to mount my 580EX to a third party off camera mount like the Hakuba ball socket shoe shown. The third party shoes are designed for a single pin flash contact and in order to mount the 580 I have to compress the pins with a knife blade to get it to mount.

I would think this would be a common problem. Is there any suggestion, or trick I should be using? Tape wouldn't be strong enough to hold the pins or make clearance and I obviously don't want to risk damaging the unit. Thanks.

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#1) File the leading edge of the Hakaba shoe at about a 45 degree angle to chide the pins into compression as you push them on the shoe. Be sure to radius the corner of the cut so it is not sharp where the angle makes a transition to the plane of the shoe bottom.

#2) Every time you are about to mount the flash, rub one of your fingers through your hair and deposit the minute amount of hair oil onto the leading edge by rubbing that finger on the leading edge.

#3) How will you get sync to the flash?

FlashZebra wrote in post #5811042
#1) File the leading edge of the Hakaba shoe at about a 45 degree angle to chide the pins into compression as you push them on the shoe. Be sure to radius the corner of the cut so it is not sharp where the angle makes a transition to the plane of the shoe bottom.

#2) Every time you are about to mount the flash, rub one of your fingers through your hair and deposit the minute amount of hair oil onto the leading edge by rubbing that finger on the leading edge.

#3) How will you get sync to the flash?

Thanks FlashZebra. Is this from personal experience, or your thought on how to approach it, because I'm not sure the metal on the shoe is thick enough to file to the correct angle without cutting through. I thought I would probably disassemble the the shoe and file the plastic base down. I just need it to hold the flash base securely because I'm using an off camera cord for flash sync. Thanks.

Pinto wrote in post #5811339
Thanks FlashZebra. Is this from personal experience, or your thought on how to approach it, because I'm not sure the metal on the shoe is thick enough to file to the correct angle without cutting through. I thought I would probably disassemble the the shoe and file the plastic base down. I just need it to hold the flash base securely because I'm using an off camera cord for flash sync. Thanks.

Do you mean "personal experience" with this exact setup? If so - the answer is. I have absolutely no experience.

If you mean "personal experience" in a more general way with a human that deals with all sorts of shoes and hotshoes daily. Then yes, I have all sorts of experience.

Unless that metal piece on the bottom is only a few thousands of an inch thick, you are not filing through anything, just make the leading edge a 45 degree angle, not a dead sharp 90 degree stop.

A little bit of lead in and a bit of oil will go a long way.

If it is one of those very thin metal shim like things on the base, just remove the shim and store it.

Butting up against a dead sharp edge is a tough situation.

How are you using an "off camera cord" on a 580EX sitting on a shoe without any contacts?

Enjoy! Lon

FlashZebra wrote in post #5811360
Do you mean "experience" with this exact setup? If so - the answer is. I have absolutely no experience.

If you mean "experience" in a more general way with a human that deals with all sorts of shoes and hotshoes daily. Then yes, I have all sorts of experience.

Unless that metal piece on the bottom is only a few thousands of an inch thick, you are not filing through anything, just make the leading edge a 45 degree angle, not a dead sharp 90 degree stop.

A little bit of lead in and a bit of oil will go a long way.

If it is one of those very thin metal shim like things on the base, just remove the shim and store it.

Butting up against a dead sharp edge is a tough situation.

How are you using an "off camera cord" on a 580EX sitting on a shoe without any contacts?

Enjoy! Lon

You know, this is just another example of the incredible value of these forums. They help to minimize the "idiot factor".

I kept looking at several set-ups and trying to put the flash head on them and thinking in the back of my mind that I would use the off-camera cord to make it all work without ever putting it all together... until you brought sense to it all.

I put it together with the cord-shoe on the mount and it works just as I wanted it to. No problem. Thanks for the reality check.