3D Printed Tripod Ball Head

thingiverse

I'm experimenting with a basic ball head for tripods, and I've come up with two versions of the main body part - one features a 3/8 thread, while the other boasts a 1/4 thread. I'm using a screw-in thread adapter as a makeshift metal thread insert, which came bundled with my gorilla pod, so why not give it a try? It seems to work well with medium-sized cameras and small lenses, but there's one major issue: the big grip wheel generates too much friction when turning, making it difficult to get a solid clamp on the ball. I'll continue iterating and update this design as soon as I have some spare time, but for now, I thought I'd share my first working prototype with you all.