C-Stands…
This is a tutorial on how to use a C-stand. Our goal was to cover every important aspect, from types of the stands, to organizing them on the set. We hope You find it useful.
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- Detachable turtle base
- Sliding Leg
- Standard
Height of the c-stands
Grip Arms and Grip Heads
Work with C-Stands
- Opening the stand
- Setting down the stand
- Grip heads and arms
- Closing stand
Types of the c-stands
These three types differ by the base of the stand. As in all of C-stands, the turtle base is foldable, which makes it much easier to transport.
C-stands come in two main types and various heights (more in next section).
1. Detachable turtle base
The base is detachable.
Bottom tripod is called turtle base and stand column is detachable
As in all of C-stands, the turtle base is foldable, which makes it much easier to transport.
The legs are spring loaded and each one will fit perfectly in it’s place, thanks to a special cut-out.
Next feature of the turtle base is that it’s detachable and therefore can be used as a very short stand alone. To do it, just release the knob, take the riser out and replace it with a standard 1 1/8” stud.
2. Sliding Leg
The other type is, because of it’s construction, usually referred to as the sliding leg. Besides being able to fold flat, just like the turtle base, it’s able to compensate the ground’s tilt.
It can be used on a stairway, a hill, or wherever needed. The sliding leg is always the biggest one, so the grip arm, or anything attached to the stand will be facing uphill. One downside of this is that the base cannot be detached.
3. Standard
Turte base is attached to the riser section permanently. You can use this stand on flat surfece. It is the cheapest type.
Height of the c-stands
The height of the stands vary from below 1,5m to amost 3m, and is usually mentioned in the stand’s name or code.
Standard c-stand column has 3 sections and two knobs for fixing. They differ by height for eg.:
68cm covers range 60 - 139 cm (Avenger A2014)
95cm covers range 95 - 206 cm(Avenger A2020)
118cm covers range 118 - 285 cm(Avenger A2029)
Grip Arms and Grip Heads
Extension Grip Arm provides an extended grip point for scrims and flags or small lights.
Grip extension arm
It comes with two sizes 40in(102cm) and 20in(51cm).
Grip head
Extension arm with swiel
Work with C-Stands
1. Opening the stand
First is by putting the riser portion on your shoulder, and twisting the legs upwards, starting from the smallest one, until they click into the correct position.
One flaw of this method is the possibility of causing damage with the part of the stand behind your back.
This next way gets rid of that disadvantage by turning the stand upside down, and standing it on the grip head. This way the legs are right in front of one’s face and the surrounding is secure.
For the sliding leg C-stands, which usually don’t have spring loaded legs, you can simply unlock the knob, turn the stand until the legs fall into place and lock the knob again.
2. Setting down the stand
When setting the stand, make sure the biggest leg is pointing away from you. This will also be the direction of the grip arm.
By doing this, you ensure that the weight of the grip is acting directly on the biggest leg, which prevents the stand from falling. Not doing this is a serious mistake.
When setting the stand, always put a sandbag on the tallest leg. Ideally, it should not touch the ground.
However, if it does, one simple way to overcome this is putting the bag on the knob. Not only will it lift up the bag, but also put more weight on the center of the stand.
Another important rule here is the placement of the grip head knobs. When looking from behind the stand, having the grip arm facing directly outwards, the large knobs should always be on the right side.
The reason behind this is as follows: when the working load acts on the grip head mounted correctly, the resultant torque can only tighten the head.
If the knobs were set in opposite directions, the torque would easily release the grip head.
3. Grip heads and arms
Grip heads tend to have several different pin sizes mounting holes.
If you are still lacking a baby pin, a good way is to turn the extension arm around, and use it’s end as a pin.
4. Closing stand
The first method is to kick the legs closed.
You have to be careful not to get out of balance while standing on one leg though.
You can also put the stand on the outside of your knee and close the legs with one hand.
Another way is to put the stand on your shoulder and close the legs with one hand the same way you open them.
Set organization
When you are organizing your stands and putting them down always put the littlest leg of the first one toward the set, so that the biggest leg of every next stand can be placed over the first one.
It makes it easier to grab the stands and walk away towards the set later.
Tips
Keep in mind that the back end of the extension arm may not be seen by passerby when set horizontally and therefore may cause some trouble. To prevent any accidents, point the arm down on an angle which lifts the back of the arm up and out of the way. You can also attach something visible to the end of the arm.
If the arm is too short, you can take two arms and bind them together by clipping them both into the grip head receivers and tightening the heads on both sides. A spare grip head can be mounted on the loose end of the additional extension arm, or it may just be used as a pin.
Remember to put another sandbag on the stand’s leg if you are using this method.
It is always better to set up each piece of equipment separately but if you only have one stand, you can place objects on both sides of the arm. If you do so, remember that the heavier piece of equipment may cause the grip head to loosen, so be aware of the direction of the big knob.
An additional sandbag may help there.
Whenever grabbing a C-stand make sure that you are always wrapping your hand around the riser and the grip arm at the same time.
This tip may spare you crushed fingers, when you are handing the stand to someone and they squeeze the riser and the grip arm together.
