Every time you screw anything into a 1/4" thread, whether it's on a camera, external recorder, or tripod, there's always that fear that eventually that eventually the thread is going to get too damaged to work properly. And if this has actually happened to you, you might've felt utterly panicked—thinking, "Great, I've ruined this thing forever!"

However, there's a way to repair your damaged 1/4" threads yourself using a cheap threaded insert kit, and filmmaker Tom Antos shows you how in this tutorial:

The kit Antos uses is the E-Z Lok threaded insert kit, which you can order from Amazon for about $23. It comes with a drill bit, tap, inserts, installation tool, and tang breaking tool. You'll also need a power drill, pliers, and a hammer to go through with the repair.

Though the tutorial gives a lot of great information, it might be helpful to see how a thread repair is done from start to finish, from drilling out the damaged thread to breaking the tap when everything's set. Here's a quick video from E-Z Lok that shows you each step:

So, there you have it—a cheap and relatively quick way to repair damaged 1/4" threads! One word of caution: if you don't really know your way around a drill, you might want to do some practice runs with this kit so you're not giving your very expensive cameras or other gear any additional boo-boos.

E-Z Lok kit—Amazon

Source: Tom Antos Films

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