Anyone Ever Used Epoxy for Emergency Fix of Gitzo Tripod Leg?

One of the legs on my Gitzo GT 0549 had been wobly for a while, but this past weekend, it fell out. Nothing is cracked, but it does not lock when you try to screw it back in. I've read that the legs are glued to the base and sometimes become brittle and give way.

I have the tripod under warranty, but shipping it to NJ and back and the repair could take a minimum of 8-10 business days which will not allow me to use it on an upcoming trip.

I use this pod because it is small and can fit in a carry on bag with the head removed. My other tripod, Gitzo 1227 would have to be checked in. I read some threads about using epoxy to fix it yourself in an emergency situation.

Anyone have any experience doing this or better suggestions (other than duct tape :D)

Be careful that the fix it yourself attempt doesn't void your warranty when you want to send it in after the trip.

Yep, you'll never get the epoxy off. I'd check the 1227 and ship the other back for repair.

Michael,

If you do decide to use epoxy, I suggest echo bond. It works very well at low temperatures where most glues fail. (I have often used it for things going into liquid nitrogen and it holds well). But I find duct tape is great for an emergency fix also, and even for basic building too.

Roger

Roger,

Whatis echo bond epoxy? My googling didn't turn up anything edifying. I used to use a wonderful "bird epoxy" that worked in the cold on wet surfaces without giving off much heat but the manufacturer was bought out and then the product was discontinued. Echo bond sounds like it may be part way back to filling the need.

Declan

Clean, clean, clean the surfaces after you "rough them up" with fine sand paper.

Oops, It looks like I misspelled it. Try:

http://www.ellsworth.com/Eccobond.html

Roger

Thanks for the post and suggestions. I also have a loose leg on my 3 year old Gitzo 3 series.