Thomas Worth Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 I've got a couple stands that could use some tightening. However, the bolt that holds the base together needs to be held in place from inside so it won't turn when I try to turn the nut on the bottom. How do I hold the head of the bolt? It seems that I'd need a very long socket extension. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Hartman Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Might help, if we knew why type of C-stand and the maufacturer. I'm guessing that this is the "typical" stand with spring loaded legs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dunn Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 I'm not familiar with C-stands so this may not work, but if you use an adjustable spanner, you can hold the bolt still with pliers or a grip whilst turning the nut. Then, as soon as the bolt head is a bit tight against the tube you can tighten as required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Dom Jaeger Posted November 26, 2010 Premium Member Share Posted November 26, 2010 A sharp star washer under the bolt head will allow you to tighten the nut without having to hold the bolt. You just need to get the nut on and tight enough so the washer starts to bite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Worth Posted November 26, 2010 Author Share Posted November 26, 2010 The problem is the bolt head is inside the main body of the C-stand. If I turn the bottom nut, the bolt itself turns because there is no star / lock washer, etc, at least not on this stand. There's no way to hold the bolt head unless I have something long enough to all the way down the length of the main body/tube (after the telescoping stages are removed). I attached a diagram that shows how it's put together. This is a Matthews stand, but all Century-style stands share this same design as far as I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Dom Jaeger Posted November 26, 2010 Premium Member Share Posted November 26, 2010 OK, so it's the spring loaded type, held with a nylock nut to stop it undoing when you unfold the legs. I think you're right, you'll need a long socket handle to hold the bolt head. It's possible that if you just poke a long rod down to compress the bolt head against the spring the friction might be enough to hold it while you tighten the nut. But nylock nuts grip pretty hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert duke Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 yes you need a long socket extension to get at the bolt head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dunn Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 My way might still work if you ditch the nyloc nut and use a plain one. Grip the thread gently with pliers while you tighten the nut. Then when there is some thread protruding below the nut, hang on to that. Perhaps you can reduce the friction with some oil. A star washer on top of the nut might help it bite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert duke Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 My way might still work if you ditch the nyloc nut and use a plain one. Grip the thread gently with pliers while you tighten the nut. Then when there is some thread protruding below the nut, hang on to that. Perhaps you can reduce the friction with some oil. A star washer on top of the nut might help it bite. mark, your way risks gumming up the threads for future repairs, and turning a Nylock nut esp. one that large is a LOT of torque. More than what you could hold with pliers one handed on a sliver of thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Hal Smith Posted November 28, 2010 Premium Member Share Posted November 28, 2010 Weld a deep well socket on the end of a long piece of steel tubing with a "T" handle welded to the other end. 1/2" EMT (thinwall) conduit would probably work. If you purchased all the materials and cut them yourself, a welding shop would probably knock it together for less than $20, maybe much less (a six pack or dozen Krispy Kreme's would probably get it done for nothing). Use the mill (factory cut) end for the socket to ensure an exactly square cut for the socket to sit on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Conley Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 (edited) I'll weld it for you for free I probably have everything 'cept the socket ed@screamingbroccoli.net Edited December 1, 2010 by Ed Conley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Hartman Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 If it were me, I'd take a piece of 5/8 steel rod, grind four flats (3/8, or 1/2" square) to make a tight fit in the socket and drill a cross hole at the other end of the rod for a tommy bar. No welding, no damaging a socket, power drill, angle grinder or bench grinder, done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Wolding Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 I was trying to fix a broken 40" Matthews c-stand (spring-loaded model, legs were frozen up) and I, too, had a problem getting the lock nut off the bottom, so I searched for an answer and came up with this thread. Although all of these ideas are decent and probably work just fine, I have a stupid simple solution for removing the lock nut: 1. Remove the telescoping sections from the main tube. 2. Get a 3/4" (I think this is the standard nut size for Matthews c-stands) deepish socket and an impact driver (I used a basic 18V Makita, nothing fancy). 3. Pour a few handfuls of copper BBs (or lead shot or maybe small sinkers) into the main tube. 4. Keep the stand vertical and remove the lock nut with the impact driver. 5. Try not to get excited and dump your BBs all over the floor when the nut spins right off. 6. Tilt the stand and pour the BBs into the container they came in (I had a carton) or whatever. Just reverse these steps to put it back together. And when the nut is back on, you might have to bang on the tube with a mallet to shake the BBs out... otherwise you'll have a very annoying c-stand maraca. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg MacPherson Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 These problems come up like little seasonal flowers. My solution was simple, but worked.. http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=65016 Jon Wolding's version sounds interesting, though I can't say I get it. I like the idea of jamming something into the drive end of a socket..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Hartman Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 (edited) These problems come up like little seasonal flowers. My solution was simple, but worked.. http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=65016 Jon Wolding's version sounds interesting, though I can't say I get it. In theory the BBs fill the space between the hex head of the bolt and the interior of the tube, wedging the bolt in place so you can remove the nut. Edited May 22, 2018 by JD Hartman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victor huey Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Easy way to fix, is take a deep socket wrench and a long 3/8" threaded rod tighten the deep socket with a 3/8" nut in the socket, and then one on the outside effectively making a very long socket extension, i have used this many times to change out the busted spring on the matthews stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg MacPherson Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Victor, that may be the simplest one. But anything that connects the socket to some kind of extension will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamil Iwanowicz Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Hi guys, A small thing in my c-stand broke in half and fell out. It's the part that holds the screw against the telescoping thing inside, preventing the stand from contracting down. Here are some pictures: - This is the part that I lost (the one on the photo is a second one that didn't get broken) --> https://tinyurl.com/yce4och8 https://tinyurl.com/yatjysqa - This is where they fit --> https://tinyurl.com/ybyutgoc https://tinyurl.com/ybqfqnz4 https://tinyurl.com/yddj8s46 Looks like an easy fix, but is there any way to buy a replacement? Found absolutely nothing online. Any help is much appreciated! Many thanks, Kamil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Conley Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 which brand is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamil Iwanowicz Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Some no-name stuff from ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Wolding Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 If you cant order the part... Find a piece of thick steel, a vise, an angle grinder, a decent drill, and a carbide drill bit the size of the hole. Or weld the cap in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamil Iwanowicz Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Yep, will have to do that! Wanted to make sure if there was maybe a more straightforward fix :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Conley Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Some no-name stuff from ebay. Looks similar to the KUPO brand. Any one in town stock KUPO ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamil Iwanowicz Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 It's not Kupo I'm afraid, it's totally noname :(. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Conley Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 It's not Kupo I'm afraid, it's totally noname :(. But a KUPO part might fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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