Studs and Nuts and Glue, Oh my!
"I was prepared for the theatre, but not for the nuts and bolts." - Matthew Ashford
If you do any kind of photography work that involves light stands, or super clamps and other such light mounting hardware, then your probably very familiar with studs and spigots. You may also then be very familiar with how much they can cost... I don't mind paying $3 or $4 for one of these little pieces of metal, but when you factor in shipping, it easily doubles in cost. And those are the CHEAP ones! A good Manfrotto spigot will cost you around $10 each, plus shipping.
It wouldn't be so bad I suppose if it were only necessary to have one. But the thing is, you can never have enough because they're always getting lost! I bought 6 about a year ago, and now I somehow have only 3 and a half left. Ridiculous. So, like any self-respecting male who likes to build things, I went to the hardware store.
Or read me out? OK anyway, just trust me, this is a really great CHEAP solution that works just as good as the real thing! AND, it's perfect if your in the middle of a shoot or have one coming up soon but can't wait for a new spigot to ship. Just head over to Home Depot, or Ace or whatever, these are very standard parts. You can do it!
Here's what you need to make ONE (1) awesome homemade spigot/stud:
- Six 5/16" hex nuts
- Two 5/16" flat washers
- Two 1/4" hex nuts
- One 1/4-20 X 2-1/2" carriage bolt (or hex head, see below for info)
- Super Glue (liquid, NOT the gel)
- Pliers or crescent wrench
First, send one of those 1/4" hex nuts all the way to the head of the carriage bolt, tighten it down and add a few drops of Super Glue to keep it from moving around.
Then, before that glue dries, slip on one of the larger 5/16" hex nuts. It's not supposed to screw on, just let it rest on the smaller nut below. Add a few drops of glue to the inside of that larger 5/16" nut so it really gets in there and secures that nut to the one below it and to the carriage bolt as well. This step will be repeated after every nut from now on for maximum strength.
Just keep stack'n them nuts and glue'n them down! Eventually, you'll be ready for the TWO washers in the middle. Do two, not one. Trust. And this step is no different... Stack, glue. Stack, glue.
When you get to the end, screw on the second 1/4" hex nut.It's a good idea to let all that glue you've applied to dry for a good 10-20 minutes before applying heavy wrench pressure to that last nut.
After you've patiently waited and THEN tightened it down, add some glue!
OK! Here's it is mounted inside an umbrella bracket:
Earlier, I made mention of using hex head bolts instead of carriage bolts. Let me show you what I would have done differently. Well, what I WILL do differently NEXT time.
Check out how the new spigot sits differently depending on how it's placed in the umbrella bracket:
The reason that it isn't sitting straight when the bolt is upside-down, is because the large head of the carriage bolt is pushing up against the inside of the bracket which is a smaller space than the hole that the bolt passes through. When the tightening knob sets in, the spigot goes all wonky.
It's not an issue with other accessories (at least the ones I own), so if you plan to use these homemade spigots with umbrella brackets, either:
A) use hex-head bolts with smaller heads or
B) make sure that the carriage bolt is placed so that the large head is at the top.
Here it is holding a monolight on a stand. Stong as can be!
Well, that's it for now. Like I said, this is a really great solution if you're in a pinch and need some more spigots fast. And all things considered, it's also a difference of over $10 a piece!
Hey thanks for reading! I love photography and I enjoy writing blog posts. Hopefully I've been able to teach you something or remind you of something or give you some inspiration or just give you something to do at work other than...uh...
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