Sticky Ballhead

I have been using a Brunton ballhead on my Bogen tripod but have noticed that it is starting to stick a little and is not a free moving as it once was. Can anyone offer some guidance on how to clean and/or lubricate the ball without resulting in too much slipping? Thanks in advance for the help.

I cannot speak for the Brunton brand. I've never even heard of it. However, Manfrotto's literature provided with their ball heads advises that you should never lubricate their ball heads. Merely cleaning the ball occasionally by wiping it down with a lint-free rag is all they need.

clean, don't lubricate!

A bit of rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth will clean the ball surface, without lubricating it

Markins suggest "about 3 drops" of WD-40 applied to the ball, which is then rotated to spread the liquid over the whole ball several times and finally cleaned off with a clean cloth.

It is no doubt very dependent on the materials used in the heads construction and Brunton are the only people to know.

Lowner wrote in post #8377674
Markins suggest "about 3 drops" of WD-40 applied to the ball, which is then rotated to spread the liquid over the whole ball several times and finally cleaned off with a clean cloth.

It is no doubt very dependent on the materials used in the heads construction and Brunton are the only people to know.

I wonder how they get three drops out of a pressurized spray can!

Wilt,

I'd not thought about that! Perhaps it lost something in translation?

And Manfrotto's insisting that nothing is applied to the ball - I once stripped a 486 that felt "gritty" (because it was) and I was amazed at how much silicon grease they had plastered everywhere.

Thanks everyone. I have been getting mixed signals. I did call Brunton, they are the manufacturer for Manfrotto for the Grip Action Ball Head RC2. After talking to their Tech support head said he had never heard of anyone having problems. I mentioned that I had heard of people using WD 40 or a light sewing machine oil and he thought that might work. He didn't sound very confident! I will try the alcohol first and move on from there. I appreciate everyone's. I have attached a link to a picture of my ball head from the B&H website.

help.http://www.bhphotovide​o.com/images/largeimag​es/303591.jpg

Call Bogen/Manfrotto... Why would you call Brunton? What is Brunton?

Alans 20D wrote in post #8378188
=Alan's 20D;8378188]Thanks everyone. I have been getting mixed signals. I did call Brunton, they are the manufacturer for Manfrotto for the Grip Action Ball Head RC2. After talking to their Tech support head said he had never heard of anyone having problems. I mentioned that I had heard of people using WD 40 or a light sewing machine oil and he thought that might work. He didn't sound very confident! I will try the alcohol first and move on from there. I appreciate everyone's. I have attached a link to a picture of my ball head from the B&H website.

help.http://www.bhphotovide​o.com/images/largeimag​es/303591.jpg

Don't go around calling that a "Brunton" head even if Brunton is a supplier to Manfrotto. It's a Manfrotto head.

Would you talk about the "Joe Blow Company" steering wheel in your automobile or would you refer to the Chevrolet steering wheel even if the Joe Blow Company manufactured the part for Chevrolet?

Skip,

We differ on this. I believe the real manufacturer knows the product a lot better than the bloke who bolts it on to some other part sourced from heaven know where. I always try to get straight to the real experts for information. So Joe Blow & Son rather than Chevrolet in your example.

Lowner wrote in post #8379778
Skip,

We differ on this. I believe the real manufacturer knows the product a lot better than the bloke who bolts it on to some other part sourced from heaven know where. I always try to get straight to the real experts for information. So Joe Blow & Son rather than Chevrolet in your example.

I don't disagree with your logic, but sometimes a part is farmed out to be manufactured by someone who has virtually nothing to do with the engineering behind it. The comments in post #7 by the OP lead me to think this may be the case here.