Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

First there was a slight crack and now the entire plastic protrusion on top of my Einstein holding the nut for the umbrella screw has broken off. I've super glued in back on (and had to use some acetone to clean out the excess glue to allow the screw to go back in) but am not confident that it will stay in place when I mount up the 86" PLM once again.

Does anyone have any suggestions on for what I can do to improve the odds of keeping the housing from breaking off again? Would something like a fiber glass repair kit (Solarez) work?

Thanks!

Hi, Mangobar

The best thing to do is to call the service department and find out about having your housing replaced.

If you want to assume all risk yourself and are not concerned about voiding any warranty (please accept that as a disclaimer, and also I do not work for or represent Paul C. Buff in any way), then there is something else you can try. Again, this is not endorsed by PCB:

There is a cold metal weld epoxy called "JB Weld". I have used it at times with great success to repair equipment - including photgraphy gear. I once carelessly overtightened a clamp on a background stand that I left in my car in the cold for a long period of time. I didn't stop to think that the clamp was not holding because it was so cold and dry, nor that it would be brittle from basically being frozen. The metal clamp snapped. I repaired it with JB Weld, and that was nearly 5 years ago. Here is an Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/J-B-Weld-8265S-Co ... ds=jb+weld

If you are not really neat and careful, you could have some of it ooze into the tunnel for the umbrella rod which would leave it impassable. This stuff is literally hard as metal when it dries, and I don't know how it could be removed if any got in there and cured.

If it were me, though, I would spend the time and money to get the housing repaired. I think JB Weld would work, but it is grey in color, and will leave the top of your Einstein looking like it has bondo. I don't mind some of my gear looking a little rough around the edges from constant use, but I like monos to keep their professional look.

Craíg

I would concur that sending it for repair would be the best option.

The same thing happened to me after three months and the lights were replaced because I could not afford to be without them. On the replacement units, one of the brass inserts where the thumbscrew goes became stripped after two uses. Anybody else having this trouble?

That is a new one on me, and I will be passing that along to our engineering staff. In the mean time, you should contact customer service to correct the problem.