How to fit a 3A arm to a PRO vest

[Remi Tournois / SOC]

Has anyone mounted a 3A arm or other Tiffen arm to a PRO Vest?

If so how did you outfit the Pro socket block or arm's socket block?

Thanks

[nick franco]

I fit my Robert Luna 3a to my PRO vest, it was a tad snug in places at first.

A little prussian blue showed the high spots that were easily polished down.

10 minutes yielded a perfect fit.

I modded the arm side so the fit to a PRO arm wouldn't be affected at a later date.

[Jerry Holway]

The PRO vest female socket block has a hole diameter slightly smaller than Tiffen/CP's. Depending on tolerances, a Tiffen/CP arm won't fit (or will jam if forced) into a PRO socket block.

 

The easiest solution is to buy a Tiffen/CP socket block and replace the one on the PRO vest.

 

In Tiffen workshops when students bring their own PRO vests, we always test if their socket block will work with Tiffen arms. If not, we switch out the blocks - it's just six screws. Sometimes we don't need to, but we have learned the hard way to be prepared.

 

Jerry

[Rob Vuona SOC]

Jettys way is best, but if your not wanting to spend the cash then Nicks way works too. I modified my back up Masters arm ever so slight, maybe 1/10,000 polished off should do it.

[Jess Haas SOC]

i believe PRO has enlarged their socketblocks ever so slightly so on newer vests it is no longer a problem.

 

-Jess

[nick franco]

I agree with Jerry and Rob that a new socket block is the best solution, for me at the time having dropped the money for the new vest I didn't have the cash for a socket block.

I did fit it very carefully, polish, test, polish, test. 2000 grit polishing paper was all that was needed followed by some jewelers rouge and a small felt wheel.

Probably took 7-10 times to yield a perfect fit and very little needs to be removed as Rob said.

If you're going to try this go slowly, this is not a place that JB weld can fix if you go to far.

When I bought the PRO vest George asked what arm I had and informed me that there might be a interference issue.

[John atkinson]

I agree with Jerry and Rob that a new socket block is the best solution, for me at the time having dropped the money for the new vest I didn't have the cash for a socket block.

I did fit it very carefully, polish, test, polish, test. 2000 grit polishing paper was all that was needed followed by some jewelers rouge and a small felt wheel.

Probably took 7-10 times to yield a perfect fit and very little needs to be removed as Rob said.

If you're going to try this go slowly, this is not a place that JB weld can fix if you go to far.

When I bought the PRO vest George asked what arm I had and informed me that there might be a interference issue.

 

Both PRO Vest I bought did not fit my EFP or Luna arm. Quick trip to machinist fixed problem. I was caught by surprise on the job, but had another socket block on the garfield that I switched.

 

John A

 

 

[Remi Tournois / SOC]

Thank you for the answers,

Don't feel like sanding down the original arm's socket block so changing the female on the vest seems to be the way to go.

Jerry, are the screws on the Pro and Tiffen vest socket block matching in placement or do you have to drill some new holes ?

Best,

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

Remi,

 

Screws should be fine. In theory they were designed to be compatable but the block George Paddock must have used to model his after must have been on the far side of the specs. I've had some Tiffen arms fit into my PRO vest fine while others don't. I happened to have one of Hugo's female socket blocks sitting around so I swapped the one on my vest so it would never be an issue again.