Friday, July 22, 2011

Watercolor Easel, made from a Camera Tri-pod

I have noticed that a lot of Plein Air Painters use a camera tri-pod for their portable easel. So, I decided to see if I could make one.
First I bought a pine board and cut it to 15" x 16"
I then purchased a 1/4" threaded brass insert to hold the tri-pod attachment.
Drilled a hole for the threaded fitting,
And then mounted the  camera/tri-pod attachment
Next I attached the board to the easel to see how it fit
That worked fine, now I needed a table to hold my painting supplies.
I found these plastic hook type things in the plumbing section at Lowes. I have no idea what they are but I thought they might work for my shelf.
I tried them on the tri-pod, and they seemed as though they would work, although they drooped a little.

I mounted my make shift bracket on a board

I added a clamp, then tried it on the tri-pod. Looked okay!

I covered the board with some rubber weaved shelf liner, and here is the finished product. I think it will work just fine. Except for one thing.....It has been a 101 in shade here for a week....I think I will wait a while before I try this out!


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