Cube mishap - a problem and an opportunity?

[Ed Hurst]

Quick interim update: Mainline in Sydney have my Cube in their mitts and have indicated that they can do the job, charging only for the time spent actually do it. They have done this before apparently, so don't see any great difficulty; even more amazingly, it seems that the technician previously worked for Arca Swiss, which is jolly handy. In the meantime, I have decided to order a RRS lever-release clamp because I have used them successfully in the past (on my pano head for example), so at least I will be using a tried & tested solution.

I'll update again once the job is complete and I have the components back in my hands.

Thanks again everyone for your advice. Hopefully I will be reporting back on a very successful solution for all those people who want to change the clamp on their Cubes.

 

[fotophil]

Once the attachment bolt is removed, the Arca Swiss Factory Clamp can be removed from the Cube and you be able to note the details of the mounting. As I recall, my Cube used a small lip that fit into a mating slot on the RRS B2 AS II or B2-40-LR Clamps (non-threaded centered hole). The lip prevented rotation of the clamp. A metric flathead bolt (M6-1.0) was used to attach the clamp to the Cube. You should verify that your newer Cube has the same mounting geometry before ordering the RRS Clamp. The D4 Head is different from the Cube in that it does not use a locking lip. As you have read on this forum, there is a range of opinion associated with the Arca Clamps. I have found the Arca Clamps to be much more forgiving under studio conditions than in the field. For my hands, the knob on the Arca screw clamp is too small for gripping with gloves. Similarly operation of the Arca lever clamp was also a challenge when wearing gloves. Both the RRS screw and lever clamps were major improvments for me and justified the cost and frustration of installation.

 

[ShootNowAskLater]

Some Information concerning the right RRS-Clamp

 

[Ed Hurst]

Quick update for everyone. I have my Cube back from Mainline with the original clamp successfully removed (I definitely have the latest version - it look a lot of heat!). They have attached a RRS clamp and I am a very happy boy. Not only that, but they apparently did a great job at a very reasonable price. Happy to post images if anyone wants to see a Cube with the RRS clamp (and happy not to if that is of no interest to anyone ).

Thanks again to everyone above who contributed useful advice. You guys are great!

Ed

 

[bensonga]

Happy to post images if anyone wants to see a Cube with the RRS clamp (and happy not to if that is of no interest to anyone ).

Ed

I for one would like to see those pics Ed.

Still hope to get a Cube someday myself.

Gary

 

[kdphotography]

Ed, Best part is that you now have the flexibility to swap out clamps as you desire. I've gone back and forth with the standard Cube AS clamp to RRS and back.

I'd much rather be able to decide which clamp I want to use on my Cube. Quite honestly, they all work great---but the point is that it is a personal, subjective decision, and I like having that flexibility. Bad decision on AS to use that level of loctite on the threads, imo.

ken

 

[Ed Hurst]

Here you go Gary:

[/url]
_MG_0115 by Ed Hurst, Spiffing Pics (110k+ views - thanks!), on Flickr[/IMG]

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_MG_0117 by Ed Hurst, Spiffing Pics (110k+ views - thanks!), on Flickr[/IMG]

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_MG_0118 by Ed Hurst, Spiffing Pics (110k+ views - thanks!), on Flickr[/IMG]

Works fine and fits all my plates/bars very well - so the lack of tightness/tension adjustment on this clamp seems not to be a problem (though all of my stuff is RRS stuff, so YMMV). One thing to mention: the RRS clamp does not have the holes in the bottom for the pins in the Cube to slot into; in fact there is a void where such holes would be, so the pins are not doing anything. Mainline, when they fitted the clamp, attached some rubber between the head and the clamp as a sort of washer, so it seems very tight, but at some stage, this might prove to be an added reason to make sure the clamp remains tightly attached. I don't expect it to be a problem, but something to watch, especially if heavy loads are being carried frequently by the head. Mainline said that they could attach fillers into those voids in the base of the RRS clamp with holes drilled in them so that the pins end up doing something. I will consider that if it proves necessary over time...

 

[Ed Hurst]

Ed, Best part is that you now have the flexibility to swap out clamps as you desire. I've gone back and forth with the standard Cube AS clamp to RRS and back.

I'd much rather be able to decide which clamp I want to use on my Cube. Quite honestly, they all work great---but the point is that it is a personal, subjective decision, and I like having that flexibility. Bad decision on AS to use that level of loctite on the threads, imo.

ken

Absolutely Ken! I love having that flexibility now

 

[jotloob]

Hello Ed

Can you please give the exact RRS order number of that QR ?
Is it B2 40 LR ?
I wonder , if I could rework that QR to take AS plates .
I love that big lever and I already use RRS QR between tripod and cube for fast removal .

 

[Ed Hurst]

Here you go Jurgen:

B2 AS II Quick-Release Clamp

 

[Ed Hurst]

Please note the following text on this entry - might be of interest:

"NOTE: Starting in 2012, the Really Right Stuff B2 AS II clamp automatically adjusts to accept all Arca-Swiss style plates except Arca-Swiss P0 Slidefix plates and plates made by Novoflex. Choose a screw-knob clamp if you have Novoflex plates."

 

[Bob]

Please note the following text on this entry - might be of interest:

"NOTE: Starting in 2012, the Really Right Stuff B2 AS II clamp automatically adjusts to accept all Arca-Swiss style plates except Arca-Swiss P0 Slidefix plates and plates made by Novoflex. Choose a screw-knob clamp if you have Novoflex plates."

I have been using this clamp for some time and I find that it works very well covering the size difference between arca and rrs plates.
-bob

 

[jotloob]

Thank you Ed and Bob .

I think , I should give that a try . Its not that I dislike the original AS lever clamp but I think that big lever clamp might be handier and I do not want to replace all my ARCA QR-PLATES .
My CUBE is one of the very first serie and I can see , that there is a big hexagonal screw , which holds the clamp .
Does anyone know , if this can easily be removed ? Did anyone already do that ?

 

[cly]

My CUBE is one of the very first serie and I can see , that there is a big hexagonal screw , which holds the clamp .
Does anyone know , if this can easily be removed ? Did anyone already do that ?

No problem with the old version, it's done in a minute.

Chris

 

[jotloob]

No problem with the old version, it's done in a minute.

Chris

Wrong . 35 seconds .:salute:
So I will give the RRS B2 AS II clamp a try and adapt the AS clamp to an older AS ballhead .