(Cont’d from previous post)
8. Place a weight on top of the glass while it dries.
9. Add another bead of 5200 to the top of the glass and smooth it out with your fingers, working into the corners.
10. Once dry, I taped the lens up and added some bondo to the top of the lens edges. I sanded that to a smooth contour which also seems to help with water run off.
11. The paint job was done with a spray paint made specifically for plastic.
12. Create a crank handle. This is a must for a good seal. Pliers work but will rip it apart and make it look like crap. I made mine out of a thin piece of Mahogany and it works great.
13. The extension pole is constructed from a walking stick sold at any outdoors supply store. I used some epoxy to glue a threaded cap onto the end so I can add or remove it depending on the shot.
14. Foam block – Find a foam block bigger than the diameter of the housing (I found a yoga block at the dollar store). I used a razor blade and some sand paper to shape it to a nice tight fit. Stick it in the housing as vertical as possible and leave room for the camera.
15. Once the camera is in, add some plumbers tape to the threads on the inspection cap, hit record on the camera and seal it up. If you’re extra nervous, you can add some petroleum jelly to the outside of the inspection port for an added security.
Lessons Learned:
• Do a water test without the camera in there first!!!! I put a brick in mine and let it sit underwater in the sink overnight….
• Because there is no fish eye lens, water beads up on the flat housing lens. Turn your auto focus off and zoom all the way out. You can add some rain-x to the lens which helps a bit. Also, before taking an important shot, dip the housing underwater first and then lift to get any droplets off the lens.
• Make sure your camera is vertical in the housing or you could end up with crooked footage.
• Watch out for others! You can really cause some damage with that thing in the line up.
• Synchronize the tape with your watch! This is a big one…I thought I filmed my first frontside air and was beyond disappointed to find out the tape stopped a half hour before I nailed it!!!
• First person shots are great but be very aware of the housing when you wipe-out. You can ding your board or your head easier than you think.
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