Old tripod, missing release plate.

So my dad recently got rid of his old VHS camcorder, and with it he had a tripod (which of course I claimed), but the mount is missing. I'm not 100% sure what I should be searching for, but I know the wal-mart tripods are a different mount (have one laying around from one), and B&H has a ton but they don't seem very specific as to what they fit. So anyone know what I should be looking for (or hey, want to sell me one?)

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Not sure waht you want to put on top of that, but honestly: I wouldn't bother, unless you need a tripod real bad...

"You get what you pay for" and all that...
It'll hold the camera (probably), but it won't offer much stability at any reasonable height...

There was a thread on here recerntly where the QR shoe on a similar tripod broke.

It's actually surprisingly sturdy for such an obviously cheap tripod (remember, this was for a camcorder in the 80's, they weren't exactly the palm sized camcorders of today).

But you're right, it's not worth any real effort to salvage it as a usable piece of photographic equipment (it would actually end up as my 4 year old's to play with her point and shoot on), but I just wanted to see if I wasn't overlooking something simple and easier to find than I think before I threw it in the trash.

Maybe you could replace the head with a ballhead?

A ball head you say? That idea hadn't actually occurred to me, but you're right, I could. It just might be worth salvaging yet.

That seems the simple solution....unscrew the current head and replace the entire thing with a new ball head or other mount. As long as the legs are sturdy, a new head might well be a worthwhile investment.

I seriously doubt that tripod has a way to mount conventional interchangeable heads. Most cheap tripods have non-removable heads.

If, however, you can merely unscrew the whole head from the center column and are left with a platform and a 3/8-16 threaded stud then you can mount other heads.

SkipD wrote in post #6136460
If, however, you can merely unscrew the whole head from the center column and are left with a platform and a 3/8-16 threaded stud then you can mount other heads.

Yep, it sure does.

Griptape,

Your photo reminds me of the QR plate I used to have on an old Velbon monopod. It was simply a plastic rectangle with angled sides, which locked into the space you see when the lever was closed.

As it is such a simple shape, you could make one yourself in glass fibre (use a car repair premixed glass/resin). Just make a wooden pattern that seems to work, wax it thoughougly, then cover it in polyfilla and use that as a mould for the GRP. It produces a perfectly workable item at very low cost - just needs some of your personal time.

I did exactly that for my 055PROP tripod modification until I'd decided how I should finally do it. I then had a friend machined me a part in alloy. If metalwork is more your thing, then go that way.

Google TripodQuickRelease.com They have replacement quick release plates for all kinds of tripods. (found one for an old Velbon that was given to me- makes a good light stand until I can afford one....)