Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

How is the 7mm shaft held in place? The instructions show indents in the shaft for the screw to hold on to. However my shaft doesn't have this. Unless I'm reading the instructions wrong.

On mine, the small setscrew (The plastic bag that came with mine had the wrench for that) at the tip holds the 7mm shaft in mine. Never comes apart once assembled.

I did replace that 7mm aluminum rod with a steel drill rod 0.262" in diameter (36" long) from W.W. Grainger that costs about $5 plus shipping. The 7mm aluminum was just too flimsy for me with the 86" PLM and first thing I bent even though I ordered a spare. Plus I can attach the (white translucent PLM) rig to a Matthews mini-knuckle and a 91" Lastolite boom and us it as a sun scrim in bright sunlight. Gets up to about 12-15 feet in height too and faster to set up than the SunBouncer.

The larger knob on the umbrellas inside goes through the inner sleeve's holes if you get it right. Can't recall if it also contacts the rod, but I suspect it does if the holes all align in the middle sleeve.

Mack

There are two shafts that should have shipped with the PLM. One is a solid aluminum rod, a little smaller than a pencil. The other is a hollow rod that has two holes and a flat side. This hollow rod is the positioning shaft, and that is what is shown in the instructions.

The PLM opens up by using the fixed metal shaft. The position shaft is installed into the fixed metal shaft. The hold open screw can then thread through both shafts to hold open the PLM and to lock the position shaft in place. If you choose to use the 7mm rod, dont tighten the hold open screw all the way, and install the 7mm rod into the position shaft. There is not a definitive length at which the 7mm rod should be installed. Any length is fine, as long as it is long enough to be installed on a light. The hold open screw would be used to friction hold the 7mm rod in place.

At the top of the umbrella, there is a set screw. This can be screwed in some to hold the position shaft in place. It will not be able to hold the 7mm rod in place, and doing so, or otherwise tightening too far will cause disassembly. This set screw will not fell like it is tightening until (maybe) after it has gone too far. I would recommend leaving this set screw alone.