Stiff boom

[JDirckze]

Hey folks,

My K-Tek K-81CCR is getting a little stiff (ding!) - Does anyone have any tips for getting the pole back into shape? The boom is getting harder to extend quickly when I'm on the move.

Cheers,

Jason

[Audio Daddyo]

Send it to K-Tek.  They have excellent customer service.  They once did a complete restore job on my K-Tek for free.  I can't imagine that is their Standard Procedure but they said no charge.  They were great to talk to.  The turn around time when I sent it in was a day.  You should call them.  They won't give you a sales pitch and will help you out in any way they can.

Andy

[ProSound]

They fixed mine for free too even replaced the cable and connector too I fully expected to pay something but didnt have to

[JDirckze]

It's going to be a little tricky to send it in for repairs as I'm on a long term gig at the moment and using it every day. I guess I'd have to rent one for a few days and send my one in.

Thanks for the replys!

Jason

[old school]

Buy a second one as well. We always need two of everything IMO.

CrewC

[JDirckze]

I hear you Crew, but I guess with all the other gear on my list of things to buy, the backup boom pole has been pushed to the bottom of the list. I do have a larger drama/film pole, but didn't bring it with me on this gig, and I hate using a drama/film pole on ENG gigs. I'll wait until we have a break in production I think.

Thanks again for the responses!

Jason

[old school]

I find it much easier to recommend others to buy things than to pull the trigger myself. The gear list only gets longer, never shorter.

CrewC

[Ron Lacheur]

I had a newer style VDB stiffen up after a day in a total downpour.  After the day was wrapped, I disassembled the pole, wiped it down and left it over night to dry.

I remember someone on RAMPS had good results with this stuff called Camlube, which is available at stores that deal with mountain climbing equipment. I got some Camlube, cleaned the cams on the pole with isopropyl alcohol and applied a small amount of camlube.

It's just like brand new, slides really smooth.

[Chris Howland CAS]

My first Pole was a K-tek 202CCR. It worked really well for the first couple of years I had it but the joints got stiff eventually. I bought a back up pole which is the 18 foot internally cabled Loon Boom with the wing attachment and I'm amazed at how nicely the joints are even after two shoots in the Desert with sand blowing all over. The K-tek lasted about 6 hours before I started to feel the grind of the sand in the joints. The Loon was smooth the whole time. KTEK has the best customer service but the Loon is the Pole I reach for first. They are worth checking out.

[sonicparticle]

Does anyone care to chip in on this one?

 

I purchased a 202CC a couple of weeks ago and now I am a bit anxious! : )

[John Zecca]

+1 for the Loon pole.

They have  cleaning kit which includes "protect-all" for their poles.  http://www.loonaudio.com/accessories.php

I assume it would work with all carbon fiber poles.

[aristotle_kumpis]

K-tek is amazing. Send it in, and they will ship it back fast. They can also ship it to your set. David Fisk from K-tek is on these forums quite often, and I recommend you talk with him.

[sonicparticle]

I have spoke to Dave a few times. Phenomenal support, cannot thank him enough really!

 

I am sure if anything goes ship shape they'll there for me. But I would be interested to know do's and dont's with this boom really. I am new in the game and I still lack loads of info/ knowledge.

[Nate C]

A good cleaning usually fixes a pole that is a bit stiff to extend.  I pull the pole apart and use a chux cloth with soapy water. It is important to clean the collars as that is where most of the friction occours. To clean the inside of the pole tie the chux cloth off to a shoe lace (thin rope) and pull through the interior of the pole. Tie more knots in the chux cloth as the tubes get larger. Rinse off pole and let it dry. Takes all of twenty minutes at most and may save the need to send to the states. Or it could be another issue all together.

[pindrop]

I had a newer style VDB stiffen up after a day in a total downpour.  After the day was wrapped, I disassembled the pole, wiped it down and left it over night to dry.

I remember someone on RAMPS had good results with this stuff called Camlube, which is available at stores that deal with mountain climbing equipment. I got some Camlube, cleaned the cams on the pole with isopropyl alcohol and applied a small amount of camlube.

It's just like brand new, slides really smooth.

I use Metolius Cam Lube it's a wax rather than an oil and works very nicely.

 

http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/cam_maintenance.html

[JonG]

My first pole was a k-tek. I was using it up until spring last year, when TSA broke it in half. I sent it into k-tek and they fixed it and shipped it back to me free of charge. The only reason why I dont use it is because I got production to buy me a new pole (graphite this time!), so I generally reach for that one. I also got a graphite k-tek traveller which I bring on the road with me now, and I already had a backup aluminum pole before the breakage, so now Im sitting happy with four k-tek poles! I also have an old VDB for some narrative work, but Ive never busted it out, just inherited it from a friend that passed away.

 

I have heard great things about loon poles, and many people swear by them, but I also hear that they are impossible to get ahold of and their support is basically non existent. If anyone would like to chime in on that, i would love to hear an update!

 

But back to my original pole, Ive used it in the desert hundreds of times, as well as in drizzling rain, and extreme cold. Never had an issue with it at all.