PD400 Tail Post Clamp

I purchased the adjustable control handle and bolt more than a year ago when I was rebuilding a camera head mount for my daughter. In fact I bought several with the proper bolt size for this application. I was going to experiment a little.

As you can see in the third picture, the original Proxxon PD400 design uses a simple socket hex head bolt for use with a large hex wrench. Of course the wrench can fall out of the socket and is always difficult to find when you need it.

The handle shown was a bit too “fat” to just replace the bolt. So today I did a bit of minor grinding of the tail post to provide clearance for the “fat” part of the handle. About 15 minutes work with a Dremel type tool and the handle fits perfectly. I can’t even see the grinding area.

The handle is spring loaded so the position can be easily adjusted by just pulling up on the handle and re-positioning.

It works so wonderful I can’t imagine why Proxxon didn’t do this as a standard assembly. Actually, I can’t understand why I waited so long to make this simple modification.