The Sports Photo Guy

Among the shortcomings of telephoto lens tripod mounts these days is a tendency of the rotating mounts to sieze up, especially after heavy use begins to wear down the finish.  Fortunately there is an inexpensive and easy to apply fix using dry lubricants.

Back in my Army days, I can remember using a special dry lubricant we called “Molly B” — or molybdenum disulfide.  I did a little checking and found that this compound should be suitable for lubricating tripod mounts, and so I tried it out.

The commercial product I found is called BP-2000 from a company called Sentry Solutions.  While designed for use in firearms, it works great with tripod mounting rings.

I applied a small amount of the lubricant (which looks a lot like graphite) directly to my lens barrel after removing the tripod mount.  Using a cotton swab, I spread the poweder around the track used by the mount, paying particular attention to the sides where the most friction occurs.  I then applied powder to the mount ring itself, again paying attention to areas with the most visible friction wear.  A few spots were down to the bare metal and those got a more liberal application.  The powder spreads very well and forms a thin coating; it is very adherent to metal surfaces.

You do want to be careful because, like the graphite it resembles, it is a bit messy and it does not dissolve in water.  You’ll want to clean up with some sort of waterless hand cleaner if you get messy.  Also, be careful keeping the stuff away from other parts of your lens or camera.  While at least one camera tech I spoke to talked of using these lubricants, I’m sure it’s better to keep the stuff away from places it isn’t specifically needed.

When applied, BP-2000 leaves a silvery coating as shown here.  In use, it helps keep your tripod mount loose without making it slippery or greasy.  You can touch up the application from time to time as needed.  One bottle of BP-2000 should last you quite a while.