I'm quite willing to learn and experiment but short of just gluing the thing on, I'm not sure what needs to be done. I haven't been able to find any acceptable adapters on Ebay, Amazon or specialist equipment sites so far.
That's a camera tripod, but that part is the remains of the rotating base of a head (now gone)... I had gotten a nice little Slik from a thrift store that had one of these on top and it came off somehow... I can't remember if there was a male or female thread inside that part, or if there was a screw that came from the bottom of the plate that is on the center column, but it did unscrew somehow... I think there was some threadlok on the threads to keep the head from unscrewing...
Try to look up through the center tube bottom to see if there is a screw holding it on, but the part can be grabbed with a small pipe wrench, or long handled pliers, and given a good counterclockwise turn and it should start turning (but you will tear up the unwanted part)... There will be a 1/4" NC-20 screw or 3/8"NC-16 screw underneath, but you will need another head with one of these threads, but you might have to cut a piece of one of those threaded sized bolts if the top plate has a female hole so it can thread into the female hole on the head...
But some cheap tripods just have a plastic plug that goes into the center post with this on the end... The better ones (like my Slik) will unscrew... Look VERY carefully around the bottom flat plate for a thinner than razor's edge gap where it might unscrew, then wrench it...
If in doubt, bring it to a good old skool hardware store, find the smartest looking employee, and tell them that this unscrews but you don't know how to do it, or have the tools, and ask them to take a crack at it... (I'm assuming this tripod was cheap, and you have little to loose if it needs a little sweat to get it off...)
Get the piece off first, and see whats there...
(BTW; My Slik I found is called an Able 300 DX which is fairly steady using a 35MM + 300MM lens, or a 4X5 monorail at lower than waist level camera positions, but does not extend super tall, but only fairly steady with the center post fully extended, but I think that these are not far over $100 new... Made of metal parts, does not ring when hit, very easy to carry around, and your smaller cameras with WL finders will love it!!! Good, cheap, new or used tripod, but I don't know about the factory head on it, because it was missing...)
Good luck!!!
Steve k
Last edited by LabRat; 5-Apr-2017 at 04:19.
Of course there is, but not worth the bother for most photographers. I paid $1 for a similar, but somewhat smaller, tripod with intentions of adapting it to a light stand. It is awfully flimsy for most photography. The plastic top could be filed flat and level, and a hole drilled down the shaft and tapped for a 1/4x20 stud. The stud could be epoxied into those threads with about 1/4 inch protruding. On mine the plastic top is pinned to the shaft. Drilling too deep a hole will cut the pins.
We have that man at our Ace Hardware. I came in with messed up knobs for a Calumet C1. As I was rummaging to put some parts together the gentleman asked if he could help. I showed the knobs and screws and he said, "Gosh we had a drawer full of Calumet parts. I'll show you what you can use." He was a photographer for our last, genuine analog studio in town. So very cool. Now whenever I come in I have his immediate, friendly attention.
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