Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Just got a pair of Soft Silver PLM's and really love the way they work. I notice a big boost in output over the cheap umbrellas I was using before and so much easier than the softboxes I had.

I would like to make a couple of suggestions to improve them.

1. Please replace the top set screw, that is a disaster waiting to happen. Mine came out on a shoot (I guess I screwed it in too far), I used the allen wrench in the hole to get through. Found the screw inside the case, but I replaced it with a normal screw I could tighten. Much better now.

2. Switch the wing nut bolt that hold on the on axis mount to a stud. Especially since mine look like they are rethreaded to fit the shaft, I feel this is at some point going to wear out the shaft thread. I am replacing mine with a stud and knurled nut.

Again I really like how these work and would suggest them to anyone that needs to roll in, shoot and roll out.

I have the 84" white PLM and promptly bent the 7mm aluminum rod. Luckily I bought a spare at the time of purchase in case, but decided something stronger was needed.

My local W.W. Grainger came up with a water-hardened steel drill rod of 0.262" diameter and it works a lot better than the aluminum one for $5. Much stiffer, and not that much heavier. I put a 5/16" collar with a set-screw on the end that feeds through the top of the umbrella and spaced it about 1/4" from the top so I could put a long rope tie-down (A small knotted loop in the middle of a 14 foot cord.) through it out to some nail-like tent stakes in case of wind. The drill rod is about 36" long so I got a bit more rod to deal with, just I had to round the ends a bit to keep it from tearing the fabric. I put a 1/4" vinyl bolt cap on the end out of the PLM and ahead of the locking collar so I can set it on the ground to fold it up and not get it dirty. I also replaced the supplied hex setscrew at that end with a longer normal one to lock it to the center shaft.

I also played with putting magnets in the end of the Buff steel ring that attaches to the flash head. Those magnets hold a 10" steel pie pan as a reflector (Instead of where the flash head normally goes), and then the larger optional front-cover (Black outside, silver inside.) goes over the entire affair and it becomes a large Chinese lantern-type light. I clamp to the middle of the assembly so it is balanced, and fire open bare-bulb in it with the head clamped to a 5/8" stud/clamp off the steel C-stand upright (Top of stand holds the clamp for the PLM.). This keeps the CG weight all centered, and no stress off the head of the PLM affair either. It could be 12 feet in diameter and no stress as the head isn't hooked to it.

The middle ribbed tube of the PLM, and the other optional ribbed tube bought for the Buff adapter plate, fit into a normal pair of 1/8" galvanized pipe couplers that I tapped for a setcrew at each end (I had to file the rib off the end of the Buff tubes by 1/2" or so to fit into the round pipe couplers and make contact with the setscrews, actually an 8-32 thumbscrew.), with a 4" middle piece of galvanized pipe for a separator between the two end couplers with the setscrew. That's the part that I clamp to on the stand. The steel drill rod passes through the middle of it all and is quite ridged. If I loosen the thumbscrew on the couplers, I can rotate the PLM to put the elasticized front cover on it.

Actually, the white PLM, being sheer for shoot-through as well, can serve as a sun-shade screen too now on the end of a stand if sand-bagged and with the right locking knuckle on the end of a heavy steel stand. And tied down with a longer rope too.

I've often wondered about making a four-rod umbrella that would open for a 4x7 foot shade-screen; One rod for each corner? Maybe slits for wind flow? No need to be round. That might beat a typical slow-to-assemble hoop/pipe affair and then attaching of the screen and clamp arms.

Mack

I have 3 white and 1 ss - I prefer the white, but this may change as I use the soft silver more.

The set screw at the top I never had a problem with. The wing bolts were a PITA and I've long since replaced them with permanently attached bolts, copying this mod: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=444&start=110#p7181

It uses 1 inch long 5/16-24 bolts plus the appropriate hex nuts (available at many hardware stores), plus the lock washers that come with the PLMs.

Thanks I like that idea, I may attempt a nutsert into the speedring as I would still prefer not to use the aluminum shaft threads. Since its not flat it might not work tho.

The issue I have with the set screw on top is that its not tight against anything, its just held in with a dot of rubbery thread compound. I am not sure of what advantage it gives over using a normal screw that can be tight.