Hi Jan.
You upset me, because I am sure of what I did, albeit more than ten
years ago. So I had to do a search for the rail I used in those
years...
I found it in the 'for spare parts only' box of cannibalized items,
and - unlike two others I own - it _did_ take bolts with 1/4"x20
tripod thread! On one end only - although I have changed that later
(see below)
I checked the hole, and I could only conclude that a former owner must
have modified the thread.
The hole looks a bit weird, because the thread was tapped 'on top' of
the old one, but the important thing is that both tripod thread bolts
and the original ???-thread stop fitted into it.
BTW, the black stops do also fit into tripod threaded holes, probably
because the threaded end is so short.
What I also did was try to modify the other rail end in the same way.
First I tried to screw a steel tripod threaded bolt into the 'normal'
hole by mere force - but I had to give up. Then I drilled the hole out
very slightly (by one or two tenths of a millimeter, only touching the
thread tops). After that I repeated the process, and now I could force
the bolt into the hole. After three or four times of screwing and
unscrewing the bolt it went easily enough. And the black stop still
fits well too!
I wouldn't advise anyone to do it this way with a good rail, but
rather use the tap and die set needed to do such a thing properly. I
didn't have a tap bit in this non metric size...
I just wanted to know if it could be done, and I wasn't to scared
about sacrificing the rail which was missing one of its chrome toothed
strips already, and therefore was sitting in the 'for spare parts
only' box.
I don't know about the slow progress (if any) of metrification in the
US. I do know that it is almost impossible to find bolts and nuts in
the 1/4"x20 thread here in Europe...
I share the concern implicated in your satiric last remark, Jan. I
often wonder why we do not call this list [OT] rather than [OM]...
It would also help when everyone would specifically mark the
relatively scarce Olympus related messages, by adding that name in the
subject line. Then I would only have to add a 'watch' filter for the
word 'Olympus' to suppress the strong noise and concentrate on the
weak signal ;-)
Frank van Lindert
Utrecht NL.
On Thu, 21 Sep 2000 12:08:10 -0700, Jan Steinman <Jan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
>Frank van Lindert <franklin@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>A thing which I found out before I had a good repro stand was, that
>>the focusing rail is suited for vertical mounting on a tripod just as
>>it comes in your case, even without the base you are missing.
>>
>>The trick is, to remove the black stop from the rear end of the rail.
>>The hole which the stop is sitting in, has normal tripod thread...
>
>Hmmm... none of the three rails I checked have a standard 1/4"x20
>tripod thread for the end cap. A tripod bolt will start on the
>thread, but won't easily go all the way in. Simply putting the cap
>threads next to a tripod bolt's threads reveal that they do not match
>up.
>
>Perhaps you've cross-threaded or re-tapped yours?
>
>Long ago, I lost a rail-end cap. I actually measured the thread, and
>then replaced it with the proper bolt and washer. I think it was an
>8mm bolt, but that doesn't sound right, unless metric threads are
>measured differently than stoopid US threads. (ID vs OD, perhaps?)
>
>Your suggestion would be perfect for me, Frank, if it would work! How
>did you get around the thread problem? Do your tripods in Holland use
>a different thread?
>
>-------------- WARNING! INFLAMMATORY MATERIAL FOLLOWS! ----------------
>
>When is the US going to get with the metric system? I learned it in
>school in the 60's, when it was supposedly "imminent!" We look like
>dinosaurs to the rest of the world, and it certainly impacts trade --
>just ask why the Japanese buy raw logs instead of dimensioned
>lumber...
>
>---------------- END OF RANT ----------------
>
>We now return you to your regularly scheduled list about cars, guns,
>and seemingly anything but cameras. :-)
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