My astronomy project:
Star Adventurer, new tripod modification

Content:

1. New tripod
2. Modify the tripod to be more compact
3. Different setups
4. Removing of the outer legs
5. Replacing the center column

Note:
I take no responsibility or liability for what are written here, you use the information on your own risk!

2: Modify the tripod to be more compact

I hope not the people at Manfrotto read this and see what I have done with the Manfrotto tripod. But what to do, I need it to be shorter and all small standard tripods are too weak.

After I had taken away the rubber stop at the end of the center pillar I have to know how to disassembling the head. It's a kind of expander bolt inside there, need a very long shaft and a 13 mm sleeve. My girlfriend who has a lot of tools had what I needed.

Here is how its looks after disassembling. I needed to apply some force to get it out from the tube.

I cut off 100 mm of the center pillar with a special tool plumbers use. Don't use to hard pressure with the screw, it will deform the tube. Note that there is a hole at the other end, important to cut off the tube at the correct end.

And that was once a fine good working Manfrotto tripod.

Afterwards you have to remove the grains that have been formed inside the tube where you cut it off.

After the center pillar I cut off the legs, the big one I cut 100 mm and the middle and small 105 mm. The overall length will be shortened by 110 mm.

Ready to assembling the items together again. It looks very compact now.

The length after this modification is now only 500 mm in folded position.