Manfrotto QR Plate Part III

The Chinese Hex Plate final blog!

I just spent an entire James Blunt  “Back to Bedlam” CD writing this story only to have the computer freeze. Now I am starting over, but now I am trying a Belinda Carlisle “Runaway Horses” CD hoping for better luck. (It worked!)

Basically I decided to try sanding down a painted Chinese copy of the Manfrotto Hex plate. I had the Manfrotto RKO adapter for the plate but the Manfrotto plate costs over $50, while the Chinese knock-off is less than $20.

While not perfect, after a lot of work with a Dremel® high speed rechargeable tool I have managed to get the cam lock lever (right of cam at top) to close enough the secondary lever lock (top left) engages. Now the hex plate can not release until the lock is pressed down and the cam lever rotated up.

This is the plate in its initial position. The plate, when pushed in to press that bronze stud down, will be grabbed by the rotating cam capturing the hex plate against two catch claws opposite the cam side.

Talk about an ugly job. Notice the edge profile is “eased” from both top and bottom. While a pretty touch the Manfrotto version simply has a constant angle from top to bottom. The practical problem is carving too much from the compound angle could suddenly make the entire plate loose in its fixed closed position. It quickly became obvious I couldn’t trust sanding the paint off at just the one clamp-point—the cam side of the hex plate—so I started to take the paint (and let’s admit it, some metal) off the facing two clamp points of the hex plate.

Here is one of the two clamp sides.

And here is the other. Note an attempt has been made to keep the profile of the edge in-line with the painted sides. Not impressed?

How about I describe how crude the sanding scene was. I set up in a plastic chair facing my barbecue, using the side shelves to hold the hex plate while I freehand carved the paint off. Precise, repeatable, something any machinist would approve of… Hardly! 

I used a sanding stone tip, a cutting wheel on it’s side and finally a sandpaper tube. All became clogged with the paint and metal particles. Speaking of metal and paint particles, it was an excellent idea setting up outside in a stiff wind. I wear glasses, and that was a very good thing too.

Eventually it occurred to me I could gain some additional space between the attachment points by thinning the hex plate. It would mean taking the paint off at least three sides at the edge and all the paint from the three points starting with the “Lens” arrow point. I gave that idea up, I didn’t have enough paint removing tips for the rotary tool and besides, it had run down.

Besides mutilating a painted surface is one thing, removing lettering was all too likely!

Anyway, this is how we ended up. The hex plate is posed to trigger the cam lever. As mentioned in earlier blogs, that cam lever has quite a strong spring and will rap your fingers viscously if you are careless.

This is the hex plate trapped position now. The cam arm is locked as you see it. You would have to press the cam lock half-crescent down before the arm is free to open the cam.

This is what the cam arm position should be if the correct (Manfrotto) plate was being held. Note how the arm is almost completely tucked against the adapter.

And this is as close as I have got. 45º away from perfect is as close as I have managed to get it. How much more metal has to die?

This is the catch “claw” that holds the hex plate against the opposite cam action. The edge has been deeply gouged. I would be much happier if the capturing claw was higher, but any thought of modifying the RKO adapter is insane!

The other “claw” is no better. 

What have we learned from all this? 

Buying a look-a-like part can be just the start of playing with your hobby in ways you never imagined. 

Turns out I could have bought an official Manfrotto hex plate for $35 + GST locally.

So far no cameras have been damaged in the making of this blog.

The plate still needs something done about its surface. For now almost anything like a strap or soft plastic could be wedged between the camera and hex plate to increase the friction and prevent the camera from spinning horizontally.

Now I have to decide which of my many tripods could benefit from having the RKO adapter and Hex plate arrangement.