DIY: Improve your Manfrotto 026 Lite Tite Swivel & Umbrella Adapter

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By experience I know that Strobist products are difficult to find in Europe and some times people do not have time or patience to look for them through Google so I decided to make available a compilation of stores in Europe where you can get them and compare prices, will try to update it frequently. Take a look under the Strobist logo "Strobist gear: Where can I find it in Europe?" also as a drop down menu.

On todays article I decided to show you some improvement you can make to your already purchased Manfrotto 026 Lite Tite Swivel & Umbrella Adapter.

For quite some time I was trying to get a solution to fix the annoying metallic screw on the upper part of the adapter but without great results. Decided to give it another try around some of the hardware stores around here and found one that finally got what I needed.

Butterfly Wing Screws, well I think this is the correct English name for it even that it sounds like a sexy hot kinda of thing came out of a Kamasutra book. So correct me if I'm wrong on the name of this thing.



Here is what we will be needing to make this simple DIY:

- 1 Butterfly Wing Screw
- 1 Spray can of Black Mate ink

As you can see on the above picture I'm going to change that T-Type screw and replace it with the Butterfly Wing Screw. I do not know what you think about the T-Type screw but for me was kind of a difficult one to turn and sometimes I would get so desperate on how long it would take to screw or unscrew it.



Just remove the T-Type screw by unscrewing it from the Manfrotto 026 Lite Tite Swivel & Umbrella Adapter.



And now just replace it with the Butterfly Wing Screw on the Manfrotto 026 Lite Tite Swivel & Umbrella Adapter.



This is what it would look like after you have replace it with the old one. Do not fear since it would not put in risk the use of the round screw just beneath it.

They will work great together since the Butterfly Wing Screw would stay out of the way when you screw it in with the adapter.



The image above is another tip I wanted to show you and that a lot of people may not be aware of it.

Did you know that if you pull this lever out it will be able for you to put it on a different position without unscrewing it?

This is a great feature for when you have to store it on your bag and the handle always stays on the wrong position.



After replacing the Butterfly Wing Screw this is what it would look like. See the difference between each of the screws?

Wondering what that white plastic part is?
It's a Pocket Wizard holder.

Wanna make one too so that your Pocket Wizards would not bang on the stands?
Just take a look at another post and see how you can build a Pocket Wizard holder.

DIY: PW Stand Holder for less than 5,00€



I did not like too much the shinny Silver look of the Butterfly Wing Screw so I decided to paint it mate black.



Spray that Butterfly Wing Screw !!!



And while spraying that out I thought why not take the time and paint also the PW holder?

So I painted it, now have a much Pro look and less eye catcher.



Manfrotto 026 Lite Tite Swivel & Umbrella Adapter and Pocket Wizard holder Before and After



Take a look at one side and the other after mounting it to the stand and adding the Pocket Wizard to the holder.



Closer look of the new Butterfly Wing Screw that I add to the previous version of the DIY: PW Stand Holder for less than 5,00€

Butterfly Wing Screw makes it easier to screw and unscrew the Pocket Wizard also making it more tight.



Closer look of the Pocket Wizard Holder from the front side.

Hope you have enjoyed another easy DIY Mod for your Manfrotto 026 Lite Tite Swivel & Umbrella Adapter and Pocket Wizards.

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