Removal of stuck ball head

mark · Mar 19, 2023

my ball head is stuck on my tripod. I‘ve tried The freezer idea, the heat gun idea, the strap wrench idea. I have no desire to ruin the head so I did not go medieval on it with the heat gun. The strap won’t grab low enough to turn the whole head so it ends up rotating the pano feature.

thoughts?

AnselMortensen · Mar 19, 2023

Will a hose clamp fit around the base?
If so, you might try fitting some thick rubber bands around the base, and a 'screw-drive' type hose clamp over the rubber bands.
(Rubber bands are to add grip and help prevent scratches/damage).
Then gently tap on the adjuster screw of the hose clamp counterclockwise.

reddesert · Mar 19, 2023

What tripod and what head? Pictures?

Some tripods/heads - notably Bogen/Manfrotto - have set screws that go up from under the mounting platform and bear on the base of the head. These are to stop the head from rotating or coming off, but naturally they need to be loosened to remove the head. Sorry if that is an obvious thing that you already checked.

Hassasin · Mar 19, 2023

Without photos this is not going far.

Xylo · Mar 19, 2023

You may want to try using release oil.
Most ball heads have a screw on the bottom that holds everything inside (usually at the bottom of the socket thread).
If you decide to open it up, you probably will need to remove the side locking screw (or at least back it out completely). Once the base plate is out, there will probably be a thin metal cage. Do note how it fits in or else you will damage the precision ground ball when tightening.
Just a small tap on the top of the ball and the whole thing should come out loosely.

I've done this to a Cullmann ball head that needed lubrication.

Sirius Glass · Mar 19, 2023

Hassasin said:
Without photos this is not going far.

Without photos the ball head is not stuck. It did not happen.

Removal of stuck ball head

mark

AnselMortensen

reddesert

Hassasin

Xylo

Sirius Glass

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