Premium Members Bryan Fowler Posted June 22, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Yep, countersunk the holes for the 1/4-20, but i didn't CS the holes that were holding in the 4 posts. So when I went to slide it in my EFP top stage, I had to remove the cap screws from the bottom front of the ccage, then replace them once it was on the top stage. aside from that, it worked great. I might try to drill some more holes in the top, and bottom of the cage, hopefully to reduce the weight just a tad. It's 18lbs now, and I'd like it to be 15. Thanks for the help everyone. bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Evan Barthelman Posted June 27, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 "aside from that, it worked great. I might try to drill some more holes in the top, and bottom of the cage, hopefully to reduce the weight just a tad. It's 18lbs now, and I'd like it to be 15." Just don't go too light as the arm has a minimum around 15 lbs... My practice cage is 22lbs and when you add an XL-1 it's about 29lbs total. Also, the EFP/3a arms are reported to behave more neutral when in the middle of their adjustment range, so the heavier the camera (to a certain extent) the less "springy" the arm feels. Besides, I'd always rather be on set and have my rig LIGHTER than I practice with... Helps build confidence and stamina, and when on set you'll be able to concentrate on everything else instead of the heavy rig. -Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members RobVanGelder Posted July 18, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted July 18, 2005 Yesterday I discovered another good reason to use my cage for those lightweight (H)DV-cams: I had a Sony HDV on it, with 2 radio-microphone receivers attached (plenty of room for that) and suddenly the director decides to do a shot fom one Tuk-tuk to another..... I was happy that that steel cage was around that poor plastic camera or it would have been severely mangled in the making of the shots...... :) And not a scratch on the cage so I can still sell it ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Bill Brummond Posted September 23, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted September 23, 2005 In an effort to recover from my crane accident, I am in need of a heavy practice weight for my sled. If you are in the Los Angeles area and have a weight I can use for a couple of weeks, please send me an email rigflyer@hotmail.com Thanks Bill Brummond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Michael Stumpf Posted September 24, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted September 24, 2005 In an effort to recover from my crane accident, I am in need of a heavy practice weight for my sled. If you are in the Los Angeles area and have a weight I can use for a couple of weeks, please send me an email rigflyer@hotmail.com Thanks Bill Brummond <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Bill, I'll bring mine to the set, when you come to get your gear you can pick it up. And as I mentioned the other day when you stopped by and flew my rig... you can fly my rig again anytime if need be...even though they won't let you do a shot. By the way, my weight cage is about 22 pounds and I have other weights that can be added to bring it up too. Call me and let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Afton Grant Posted October 19, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 19, 2005 Greetings, I just had my local machinist run off a practice cage for me. I think it came out pretty nice. Take a look: Also http://www.aftongrant.com/temp/weightcage/DSC00105.jpg http://www.aftongrant.com/temp/weightcage/DSC00106.jpg http://www.aftongrant.com/temp/weightcage/DSC00107.jpg http://www.aftongrant.com/temp/weightcage/DSC00108.jpg http://www.aftongrant.com/temp/weightcage/DSC00110.jpg 13.25" x 5" x 8.5" 30lbs For anybody that might be interested, I paid $210 for a run of just one. If there's enough interest, I'd put in an order for more. The greater the quantity, the lower the price. Rob Van Gelder has made some, and I know he has at least one in stock. http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index...?showtopic=1111 Mike O'Shea has said he will also be making some more in the very near future. http://www.e2etech-secure.com/cgi-bin/site...n=dbview&id=pc1 Best Regards, Afton Grant amgrant@yahoo.com 781-883-4235 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustavo Triviño Posted October 20, 2005 Report Share Posted October 20, 2005 Hi Afton: Nice cage, but you forgot the holes for using the cage in low mode? ...or maybe are you using another way to do that? Best, Gus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members charlesneufeld Posted October 20, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 20, 2005 Very nice Afton! Now get it powder coated...unless you like that nice orange hue on everything.. :P But if so, get them to paint it that colour... Also, you may want a couple holes on the top piece. Perhaps, also get a duplicate of that top piece that is half thickness (1/2inch? 7.5lbs) so that you can weigh in with a little less weight. Also that reduced weight is just enought so when you have a heaver dv cam..xl or whatever, with FF and Accs, it will still weigh in at about 30lbs... The first one I made was 30lbs, but I have since reduced it to 22ish. Again it looks awsome! ~C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Afton Grant Posted October 20, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 20, 2005 I only had one plate drilled to save time and money. For low mode, I have a low mode cage, and I figured if it was too light, I could always add just the one drilled plate to the low mode cage. I haven't yet tried this, however, so if anyone knows now that that is not a good idea, please share. My machinist could've treated the metal for an additional $80, but he suggested I just do it myself with some primer and sealant that I can get at any hardware store. As I understand it from my experience with my motorcycle, powder coating is not cheap, but if there are different degrees of coating that I am not aware of, again, please let me know. I would imagine the look of one's motorcycle is a bit more important than that of one's practice cage, and therefore the process would be slightly more involved. Thanks for the comments and help! Best, Afton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Bryan Fowler Posted October 21, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 21, 2005 Hi Afton, When I made my cage, the local power coat guy was going to charge me $10 to do mine black. You might want to check around to see if you can get a similar deal. good luck. Fowler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members charlesneufeld Posted October 21, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 21, 2005 Ya, Mine was not that expensive to Powder coat. Just ask to throw it in a run that is already being done. That should save you the "set-up" cost, but may take longer to get it done. I think I payed $25 CND. ~C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Robert Eder Posted October 25, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 Nice! I just do not understand how you attach the camera to it, the holes are quite deep according to the plate thickness. do you have some sort of special camera screws to attach it? maybe you could do sthg. like in my picture. and why are there threads in the plate? for fixing the cadge to the dovetail plate? greetings, robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Afton Grant Posted October 25, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 Nice! I just do not understand how you attach the camera to it, the holes are quite deep according to the plate thickness. do you have some sort of special camera screws to attach it? maybe you could do sthg. like in my picture. and why are there threads in the plate? for fixing the cadge to the dovetail plate? greetings, robert The camera is attached via the counter sunk (conical) holes - similar to your picture. A regular 1/4" x 1.5" screw is run through the weight plate and into the camera. The counter sinking allows the screw to be flush against the bottom of the plate. Then, the dovetail is placed on the bottom of the weight plate (which is why it's important the camera screws be flush). 1/4" or 3/8" screws are then placed through the dovetail into the threaded holes and everything is all set. The threads allow the dovetail to be secured without the use of nuts and bolts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Beau Chaput Posted December 14, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted December 14, 2005 Hi all, Lost my beta sp practice camera to a better job so need a cage to put my canon gl1 in. I am ready to buy right now so a sale can be made! If anyone knows who is selling one new or used please let me know. Thanks for your time. Happy Holidays. Beau Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Thomas English Posted December 14, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted December 14, 2005 you should look at Rob van Gelder s one its brilliant and not expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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