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12/28/2007 10:15:25 AM · #1 |
the other night i had something heavy ( a life size clay skull @ 6lbs ) fall onto my 430ex flash from about three feet up. it's a long story, but the flash survived - except for the little catch light delfector thing.
that was snapped off.
so here is what i did.
i managed to find one of the tabs that holds it to the hinge in the flash. but couldn't find the pin that broke off the other side.
i never use it folded down - so i compromised a bit with the repair. but also made it so i can remove the old one if i happen to come across a new one that has both pins ( they are tiny little plastic nubs - cheesy if you ask me ).
i took the batteries out. and then looked down inside the slot where the deflector is housed when not in use.
down in the bottom is a spring loaded hinge that slides up and down as you extend or retract the delfector.
the little pins on the deflector are about the same size as a paper clip. so i bent one in to a small hook. where the hook part was narrower than the tab on the deflector that attaches to the hinge.
i then was able to pull the hinge up at an angle and remove it from the flash unit ( being careful not to lose the spring ) - by hooking the hole the pin fits into with the paper clip.
i had already super glued the tab i did have back onto the deflector piece and let it amply dry. ( this came out about like new ) ( i used 'perfect glue 2' by liquid nails ).
the problem now was that only one side actually mounted to the hinge - so it would just keep falling back off - and it was kind of a pain to get the hinge out.
the other problem was that you can't get the whole mechanism back into the slot it lives in when put together. you need to pop the deflector off the hinge to remove the hinge.
i put the hinge back into the slot ( now that i knew how it all went together ) - and wedged it tight with a piece of cardboard from a beer box.i placed the cardboard under the side that still needed to be repaired to prevent me from gluing it right to the flash body and making it permenantly 'up'.
i put a drop of glue between the deflector and the hinge and then carefully lined up the delfector so it was in line with the slot - propping it up with another piece of cardboard to the right height. and let that all dry out for an hour or so. then i lightly sanded the extra glue off with a nail file ( emery board ).
so i now have the piece working up and down and mounted so it won't just fall out of the slot when the flash is inverted. but lack the wide angle fold down action i never used anyway. i also ned to keep in mind not to pull it up all the way 0 basically so the repaired part stays just inside the slot. this will help avoid it getting bumped and snapping off again.
not perfect but better than sending it in for repair and paying the fees associated IMO.
if i want to repace the piece with a new one - i merely need to use a razor blade and cut the bit of glue i used on the hinge.
Message edited by author 2007-12-28 10:18:06.
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12/28/2007 01:01:44 PM · #2 |
no one else has busted off that cheap piece of plastic?
i use it all the time sitting verticle - would have been sad had it gone missing...
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12/28/2007 01:16:04 PM · #3 |
Yet another creative use for beer boxes ;-)
Sounds like you'll have the use you need out of it, and at pretty much zero cost. I like it when things go like that!
It also sounds like the part that should have broken, did. If it had been substantially stronger, much more damage could have been done to the flash. 6 lb from three feet is a *lot* of energy. |
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12/28/2007 02:36:09 PM · #4 |
good point there with the sheer pin effect.
the beer box was the snoot for the 550ex. it got recycled for the repair purposes... ;}
but actually the spring loaded hinge thing isn't actually attached to anything as far as i could tell, it sort of free floats in a track. the spring just acts as a tentioner from the looks of it. so i think it could have taken the blow had the deflector thing had a stronger mount. may have just been jammed back into the sleeve. but who knows for sure...
i'm sure there are others with the same broken part.
ETA: and yes - i'm surprised the rest of the unit didn't feel the full effects of gravity and mass...
Message edited by author 2007-12-28 14:38:15.
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