I made a grip for my Minolta X-700

[@f1remandg]

You should be very proud of yourself, especially with the limited tools and experience, no one was born with a life manual and at 73 i have done many things, house related and renovated five, and I’m impressed, I used to do wooden plaques for firemen retiring and this was in Sheffield, i got wood from Funeral Directors and had their axes chromed, doweled them on so there was no visible fixings, had a engraving brass plaque, engraved with their service and also mounted the badges, i used Briwax with steel wool and that got 10 coats, but i think i might have a go at the grip, i collect cameras and X700 was my first SLR when it came out, i have about three now and many other cameras, so anyway well done. David

[@samr6939]

Love the video, love that you bring us along for the process no matter your initial ideas of perfection. I am going to enjoy watching this channel grow.

[@patricknicholsdesign]

I appreciate the kind words and feedback. Thank you for watching.

[@cullenrishton4681]

Really enjoyed the diy aspect of your video. Inspirational and realistic but honestly came out as a premium looking product. Gave the ole minolta a new pair of legs. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@zacharyrivera5418]

Love the videos, I think the hardest thing to admit to ourselves is when are plans are to complex/intricate for our current tool set/capabilities I’ve run into that so many times when it comes personal projects

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Thanks and yes, it's sometimes difficult but important for plans to shift mid project when things aren't panning out.

[@elias_martinelli]

great build - i love the swoop in the wood that allows for the model name to be visible

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Glad you liked it, thanks for watching.

[@anatorres2513]

I know it’s only been a few videos but I love your projects. They always inspire me lol

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Thank you, I appreciate the support.

[@BlackKraya]

Honestly, this came out really nicely. There were a few steps in between where I expected the final outcome to be ugly, but you saved it. I also like how you include failures in your videos.

[@andyscott5978]

I love what you’ve done. I wasn’t sure at the start, but you ended up with a really good piece of original craft. I take my hat off to you for tackling the maple but those final shots after you airbrushed the poly were beautiful. The grain just showing through and that semi gloss looks fantastic. The best part of this all was that you didn’t break out thousands of dollars worth of woodworking machines and cnc 3D laser cut printers. Great job.

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Thanks I really appreciate it. Though I'd love to own CNC machine at some point, there is something truly satisfying about crafting a fully handmade piece.

[@owenauer3406]

I made a grip for a camera model I no longer remember. The base plate was made from an old OneWay street sign since it was thin and strong after cutting. I added a simple grip made of wood. I still have it somewhere.

[@SshanIcsS]

Pls make More Videos. Your work is amazing.

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Thank you very much, means a lot.

[@rogerbradbury9713]

I made something that was sort of similar, but it had a different purpose and the grip part extended below the camera, not in front of it. The camera was a Sony A6000, and I wanted to be able to hold it in my left hand pointing back at me; my thumb on the shutter release. I have big hands, the Sony is a small camera and fingers 3 and 4 had nothing to hold; I could not securely hold the camera. The extended grip solved that problem but I couldn't see what I was photographing. Now, the Sony has a rear screen that cannot be tilted to be visible from the front, but it can point upwards. I made another very simple wooden thing with two slots. It latches on to the screen, and holds a plastic makeup mirror at 45 degrees. The result was, when holding the camera backwards, I could see the screen in the mirror above the camera. The image was the right way round but left/right reversed. Ideal! My woodworking skills are about on a par with yours and yes, I did a lot of sanding. By the way, I have an X700 that I've owned since the mid 80s. Is the paint worn off the edge of the wind on lever knob? Of course...

[@patricknicholsdesign]

I love hearing about these sorts of projects that people make to fix certain issues with gear. Sounds like it was a fun project. Thanks for watching/leaving a comment.

[@JJSchlechte]

I love this project, i feel like all the mistakes and that, are part of the joy of the journey of woodworking. Love it, keep it up!

[@Single_snip]

Man you make great videos. Keep It going!

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Thanks for the support

[@bwoolyt984]

Awesome video! The finished product looked fantastic and your FTB looks amazing too! Keep up the great work

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Thanks for watching, glad you're enjoying the projects.

[@geometricbass]

looks freaking great dude

[@thormjolnir2017]

AWESOME, AS USUAL

[@alexanderssonst]

that inspired me to try and do it too on my KIEV-19 as it lacks any kind of grip and doesn't feel very safe in my hands. great video and just like in the last one, i liked your suffering.

[@alexanderssonst]

one question tho. how did you apply your logo on it?

[@patricknicholsdesign]

To be honest with you, a camera like your KIEV-19 would be a much better candidate for this project than a Minolta X-700. In my opinion, one of the best things about the X-700 are its ergonomics, and the custom grip is a bit gratuitous albeit comfortable (it is quite nice for composing in portrait orientation though). As for the logo, I have a CNCed brass stamp that I use for leatherworking. I was going to use it to burn my logo into the wood, but I was halfway through applying the polycrylic finish when I remembered to do it. So what I did was brush on a thick coat of the poly and then clamped the stamp into it while it was drying. The results were a bit crude but it got the job done. Thanks for watching and good luck with the KIEV.

[@Nathan_as_Always]

I have an x700 and am pretty keen to try my hand at making this.

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Despite some of the difficulties I faced making the video, it's quite a fun project. Thanks for watching.

[@woodedape]

Just a thought. Take a look at some PRS guitars and maybe make some grips with more flashy color themes.

[@patricknicholsdesign]

I was thinking the same thing when I first finished this project. I had seen a few custom dye jobs that various luthiers had done on Instagram. Extremely cool looking results, and I'd definitely like to give that a try. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@woodedape]

@@patricknicholsdesign You could also try making it on a lathe.

[@StanleyKubick1]

I just 3d print the grips for my 9ld cameras, but this came out great. Maybe try staining the wood a lighter color next time, to show off the grain

[@patricknicholsdesign]

The grain is more prominent than what's captured on camera, but I plan to try making a few more of these for other cameras in different colors. For mine I wanted something that would match the camera body. As for 3D printed grips, I've looked into that but wasn't thrilled about the look and feel. Certainly a lot less work though. Thanks for watching.

[@fernandoguerrero5333]

Man, I have to say, I love what you do with all the obstacles you encounter in making your final projects. Your custom hand grip came out nice. However, did you consider purchasing/using the official Minolta motor drive? My brother had his and loved it for his X-700. Just curious. Thanks for the video!

[@nabilprapanca]

love the video

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Glad you enjoyed, thanks for watching.

[@actionimagesphotography]

Where did you get the mounting screw? Enjoyed the video by the way.

[@patricknicholsdesign]

I got the mounting screw from one of those old leather shell type cases that came with a rangefinder I bought a while back (I believe they were called Ever-Ready cases). The one I had was falling apart but I decided to hang on to the mounting screw knowing I would use it at some point. You can buy similar ones online if you search for "tripod screw." Glad you liked the video and thanks for watching.

[@melvintigelaar2]

That's cool. Is the bottom screw the only thing that attaches to the body? Doesn't is move in any way?

[@patricknicholsdesign]

The right side strap lug is still attached to the body (underneath the grip), so there's a hole drilled out in the upper part of the grip that helps lock it into place in addition to the bottom screw. I've taken it out a few times for extended shooting sessions since I published the video and it's rock solid. There's no play in it at all, even after hanging off a camera strap for many hours. Thanks for watching.

[@melvintigelaar2]

@@patricknicholsdesign alright mate i understand now! Thanks so much and great video

[@JoeLopez]

Nice job. I found my self unable yo look away.

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Thanks for watching.

[@trianglesqrt2576]

Cool

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Thanks for watching.

[@eatenbyopium]

Do you do custom repaints? I’d love to send you something to do.

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Not currently, it's just too big of a time sink and my skills really weren't at a level to offer as a service to other people. Thanks for watching.

[@eatenbyopium]

@ what if I gave you a free canon F1 with a lens or a free pentacon six with a lens - also take as much time as you need idc if it takes a year or more and I really don’t care if it’s professional quality.

[@AngryWizardOfSeas]

How much to make me one for my Canon Ftb ql? 😂 SO AWESOME!

[@patricknicholsdesign]

Hadn't really thought about it, but if you're serious about it and want to shoot me an email (you can find it on my channel page), we may be able to work something out. Thanks for watching.

[@Single_snip]

Just brighten up the lighting a little bit

[@patricknicholsdesign]

I appreciate the feedback, my setup is a little bit limiting currently but I should be able to tweak it a little bit.

[@VacatedData]

geet this man a micrometer gat damn

[@hansdietrich83]

if you used proper wood drill bits with a point, your holes would all be on center