Rigwheels... slide done, waiting for wheels.

legrevedotcom

legrevedotcom

Veteran
heya,

so i spent a lot of time trying to work out what kind of slider I should be getting. I looked at the Konova and the Drylin DIY, but my choice fell on http://www.rigwheels.com.
I found that they were extremely versatile and with their weight capability a nice choice should I for some reason make a long dolly which could be pulled.

Anyways, having ordered the wheels, I had to find something for them to ride on. The wheels will clear any smooth surface, but I want to bring them outside as well.
I wanted something stable and strong. First I looked at pvc piping, but I don't like the finish of those, and they can easily get dented. Then I checked out the Manfrotto light stands made of aluminium but again they had that "I get dented easily" feeling as well as being slightly to wide for my taste.
Then I noticed these: http://www.calumetphoto.de/_static/webUpload/731//30_MAN231_None_6.jpg

The great thing about this exact stand is that (if you have one lying around) is detachable into two seperate 120cm poles, and each pole is predrilled in both ends, ie. I didn't have to modify it a single bit. I just bought some 90 degree metal plates, some screws with bolts and washers and I was ready to go.

Good things:
- the poles are made of chrome and therefore extremely slick. Just treat the properly as with all gear.
- the metal plates allow it to stay together, but can collaps into a narrower shape.
- It's not too heavy not too light.

Downsides:
- Expensive parts... the mafrotto 231 might be a bit pricey to do it with, but heck...
- I have to work out how to make a center support plate where I can attach a base plate for the Manfrotto 058B tripod. I dont want to drill in it... Maybe I can make something that goes from one end to the other and attaches to the middle holes of the 90 degree plates.

Feel free to toss in some ideas.

Price (european):
Wheels - $140 (four wheels included)
Manfrotto poles - if you alread have one, free. If you want to buy - $210
Metal and screws - $8
Total: $148 / $350

Oh... I still haven't made the base plate for the camera, but after having seen the Ikea DIY shouldermount, I'm going to use that cutting board as a plate. Nice strong plastic for no money.

Pics coming up...View attachment 34715View attachment 34716View attachment 34717View attachment 34718View attachment 34719
pencil.png
 
Last edited:
Update... finally done. I will follow up with some footage by it. Only thing I can say right now is that the wheels need to be "warmed" up. Dunno if it was due to the plane ride from the states to Europe, but they weren't super slick out of the box.
After a few runs with weight on em it worked a bit better.

Also... they are not quiet at all running on these Manfrotto tubes. So you can expect to do post sound if you need sound on those pans / dolly shots.

View attachment 35303View attachment 35304View attachment 35305View attachment 35306View attachment 35307View attachment 35308

The plate is your standard hardware store bought metal plate, cost me about 2 dollars. The holes you need for this to work is:
Headmount: 1 cm hole
Wheels: 8mm hole

Lengthwise I'm getting 120 cm on these (minus headmount to tube edge distance... maybe in reality around 100 cm).
If I were to put in another light stand, I could of course get 240 cm seamlessly attached to one another.
Next challenge will be to figure out how to put this thing on a tripod. I have some 35 mm tube carriers, but I haven't worked out the base to put those on yet.
 
Last edited:
Just spoke to Lance from Rigwheels over email... I think he keeps taps on customer feedback on the forums. Now that's service for ya!

Anyways, the only real issue I had... well, not even an issue for me, but might be for someone else, was that the wheels, when run on tubes or rails that are hollow, like the chrome ones I have, tend to create resonans inside the tube. This of course has nothing to do with the wheels themselves. Any object that you would drag along the tube with surface contact would create this sound.

However, Lance suggested the following and I think it's definately worth trying:

Use large gap filler to fill out the tube. This should atlest get rid of great deal of the resonans and it's easy to apply.
I'll be trying this and get back to you with the results.

My thanks to Lance for caring...

Also, in relations to previously mentioned needs for the project; Rigwheels do ship with nuts and bolts, so you don't have to worry about those 2 dollars ;)
 
how about expanding foam used in building industry, comes in an aerosol with a small tube applicator just add an extra length of plastic tube/pipe and begin applying in the middle of your tube moving toward the ends. Very light and strong.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top