Velbon CX-686 Tripod Leg Top V2

This thing was made with Tinkercad
V3 just added. Same as V2 in every aspect except where the leg inserts into this part.

I picked up a Velbon CX-686 tripod cheap bcause it had a broken leg hinge. I decided I could design and 3D print a replacement.Works great.

For V2 I used Taulman Alloy 910 nylon filament to be very strong and not brittle, which is why it is white or natural as they call it. I printed 100% infill for strength, I printed it on a raft but no supports. I used 255C hot end temp with 60C build plate temp and I use kapton tape on the build plate that has been roughed up with fine sandpaper and then coated in Elmer's purple glue stick.

V3 uploaded Dec 9, 2025. Improved fit on the leg. The original was a bit sloppy because of the shape of the leg and my limited TinkerCad abilities to match that. Since then I discovered I would take a clear picture of the end of the leg and bring it into FreeCAD and accurately scale the picture then use FreeCAD curves and a pad to make a proper shape hole for the leg to fit tightly into. I did NOT redesign the whole thing in FreeCAD. I literally just redesigned the tube hole and imported that into the TinkerCAD model and replaced the original hole with the new tight fit hole. I also printed my V3 using simple PLA as it is easier to use and this part actually takes very little stress. AMZ3D black PLA filament used for V3 with 210C nozzle and 50C build plate with a rough PEI build surface with Elmers disappearing glue stick. Printed upright with 100% infill and no support generated. Nice tight fit.

Here is a link to the YouTube video that explains removal of the old leg etc. (link corrected Dec 9, 2025)
https://youtu.be/_yF7MAWxsVs?si=Ld5u23cwSDLmK9LR