Attaching the Nauticam M10 Mount
July 9th, 2014
How to Attach the Nauticam M10 Mount to your Housing
Many of the dSLR and some of the new, larger Mirrorless housings (like the Sony A7), have the ability to add an M10 ball mount to the screw hole on the outside of the housing body, where the silver bracket attaches from the handle. This used to be very self-explanatory, as Nauticam used a large M10 screw in that place, so it was a simple matter of unscrewing the bolt, and screwing in the M10 mount. Now however, it's a little trickier. They use a smaller screw with a plastic spacer plug in the M10 slot so you have to take a few more steps to complete the switch. Follow these simple instructions and you'll have an additional ball mount (or 2) on your housing in no time.
What you'll need:
You'll want to pull out the allen key set and the small black "M10 plastic plug removal tool" out of the accessory pouch that came with your housing. These are the only tools you will need.
Step One:
Unscrew the small bolt on the inside of the silver bracket and remove the bolt, silver washer and white plastic washer. Set aside. Then unscrew one of the small bolts that secure the ball mount to the handle, remove and set aside. Lastly unscrew the second bolt part way (or take it all the way out - I prefer to leave in so I don't risk losing it). Once that final screw is loosed about half way, you can pop the silver bracket up off the plastic plug and slide back out of the way.
Step Two:
Now we need to remove the plastic plug (black on this housing, on some housings it is white). To do this, use the black "M10 Plastic Plug Removal Tool"
Please note: Not all Nauticam housings came with this little plug, if yours did not you can use any tool that will give you proper leverage, we have had success with a pair of needle nose pliers in the past.
The two silver prongs on this tool fit perfectly in the two slots on the plastic plug. If you need more leverage to loosen the plug, simply select one of the allen wrenches and slide it through the holes on tool, then twist.
Once you have loosened the black plug, simply unscrew until it comes all the way out and remove. Set aside.
Step Three:
Grab your M10 Mount. This could be the single M10 mount as shown below, or perhaps you purchased the M10 mounting ball and lanyard kit. They install the same way, just attach the lanyard to the ball mounts after installation.
You may notice that there is a space between the housing and the silver bracket now that we have removed the plastic plug. What I recommend is to the use the large white washer that was just below the small silver bolt we removed first, and place that under the silver bracket. This takes up some of that space, it also keeps the stainless steel bracket from coming into contact with the aluminum housing which prevents oxidation between the two metals.
Step Four:
Screw in the M10 Mount. If you have the standard M10 ball mount just screw it in all the way. If you have the M10 ball mount with hole for shackle then screw it in until the hole is lined up so that you can slide the shackel in and it sits nicely. Make sure the white washer that comes with the M10 mount sits on top of the silver bracket as pictured. This also prevents more oxidation.
Lastly, screw down the locking piece to keep the M10 mount nice and tight on your housing. Remember to check that piece periodically to make sure it remains night and tight. Replace the second small screw on the handle ball mount and tighten both of those screws down again.
If you have a lanyard kit, simply slide the bar of the shackle through the hole and tighten down. If you plan to never remove the lanyard, a small amount of lock-tite or other thread glue on the shackle bolt will keep it securely in place, otherwise also remember to check that piece to make sure it is always tightly screwed in.
Attach your light, GoPro, monitor or other accessory and and enjoy your dive! Remember to keep the spare screw and plastic plug in a safe place just in case you decide to remove the M10 ball mount later.
