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Marking my post


David Hughes

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I was just wondering if anyone would have any advice on what I might use to mark a line on my MK-V carbon fibre post so I can tell when it is and inch or so from the end. It is kinda hard to guess when the post is about to slip out and it worries me that one day it might result in a dropped camera or a smashed monitor.

Cheers all

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I was just wondering if anyone would have any advice on what I might use to mark a line on my MK-V carbon fibre post so I can tell when it is and inch or so from the end. It is kinda hard to guess when the post is about to slip out and it worries me that one day it might result in a dropped camera or a smashed monitor.

Cheers all

 

 

I think it's absurd that MK-V doesn't have their post marked with either a center line or end of travel. Every other manufacture including glidecam has their post's marked

 

You can mark it with a silver sharpie.

 

Good luck

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Thanks Eric. So that just leaves me with the riddle of what is a silver sharpie. Is it like those paint pens at the stationary shop? Cos thats what i was thinking of using but just thought i better check as i don't want to upset my carbon fibers. Chinagraph would I think just leave a greasy mess all up and down my post and I want something more permanent.

thanks again.

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Thanks Eric. So that just leaves me with the riddle of what is a silver sharpie.

Uh, it's a Sharpie....specifically, the silver one. I'm sure Sharpie exists in England.....

 

 

Yes the silver sharpie is like a paint pen, although I don't profess to know what that does on carbon fiber. I suspect it will be fine though.

 

 

Good Luck

Joshua

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Yes the silver sharpie is like a paint pen, although I don't profess to know what that does on carbon fiber. I suspect it will be fine though.

 

Carbon is inert, You can't hurt it chemically. you can hurt the resin that bonds the carbon but that's very hard to do unless it's a really crappy layup. Paint or marker will not hurt the post at all.

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I use cat urine to mark stuff. It never wears off and I got a whole box full of it.

 

Anyway, have you tried etching a mark? Dremel has an etching tool or you can use a razor blade of some sorts to give you that line you need.

 

I have that silver Sharpie and use it to mark my paddle/wallball 'cuz the little thuglings at my park think it's funny to claim somebody's ball when his lady skies a moonshot over the wall. Sharpies wear off and smear. You'll have to continuously reapply it, thus further propogating the smear.

 

May make for a cool two-tone..., NO! Don't use ink to mark something you want permanent. ETCH!

 

ONE,

 

David

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Anyway, have you tried etching a mark? Dremel has an etching tool or you can use a razor blade of some sorts to give you that line you need.

 

 

WORST ADVICE EVER. NEVER ETCH CARBON FIBER. NEVER Carbon will fail catastrophically on stress risers, etching is creating a stress riser.

 

If you want to mark carbon you paint it or laser mark it you don't etch it.

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WORST ADVICE EVER. NEVER ETCH CARBON FIBER. NEVER Carbon will fail catastrophically on stress risers, etching is creating a stress riser.

 

 

My bad... A buddy informed me of the fecal storm that was about to rain, but I glossed over the post too quick to read it was carbon fiber... I'd stick with cat urine.

 

Or maybe contact the people who manufacture the post and ask them what to do. You just might enlighten them to revolve their notion about making a mark for the near-end.

 

David

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The simple reason for some manufacturer of Carbon fiber posts not to mark them or even putting a physical stop is cost and complexity of the problem. The simplest way and the most common is engraving which is done on aluminum center-posts by removing the platting.

 

That is not possible with composite materials like the Carbon fiber reinforced plastic that is used for our purposes. By engraving or marking you are cutting into the material at what point you can't really control the depth of the intrusion and you destroy the carbon filaments that creating the structural integrity of the center post assembly.

 

With a Laser you can control the penetration to some extend but again you cut fibers. The latest (or not so late, depending on to whom you are talking) solution is Silk screening which is expensive and you can end up with many unusable or miss printed posts as it is a delicate endeavor... and did I mention expensive. And it's a glorified china marker approach.

 

It also depends of the way the post and its carbon fibers have been wowen together...

Early Master Series Center Posts where prone to sudden disintegration based on the smallest of scratches on the surface. Todays designs with the advancements of Carbon usage and won experiences have created a far superior way to weave the fibers with considerable better longevity and structural integrity.

 

Either buy from a manufacturer that has solved the problems or use a sharpie.

 

Good Luck,

 

 

Erwin

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Hi David. I have the same post. I've used the very "Sharpie" Brad spoke of. The problem with the Silver Sharpie is that is abraids away during use. I marked 1 inch from the end of the post and it was a short time later that the marks were almost gone. So the Sharpie is a short term fix.

Hey Mr. Ellis, what's up with the "Cat Urine"?! And Etching? I knew Eric or Irwin would jump all over that.

 

 

Ramon

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