I have a disabled Matthews M25 - on one leg, the bottom section is no longer retained by the plastic clip as a spring appears to have sprung. No camera disaster though, it was fine when put away but the next time I went to use it, the clip had failed.

I emailed Matthews about it some time ago but haven't received a reply. Any suggestions how I could get a spare part or have it fixed?

If the legs are supplied by Libec as suggested here http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/tripod-sticks-heads/133530-libec-th-m20-versus-matthews-m25.html
I believe that these two tripods actually have the same legs--Libec supplies the legs to Matthews, who have sourced their own head from elsewhere. would I be better contacting them?

OK then, does anyone know how to take this apart?
Can the pin be pushed out with a thin metal rod?
Is the leg clamp a standard part and if so where can they be sourced?
Do I know the images are out of focus and the WB is out? (Yes)

Mmm, I'm getting used to this soliloquy :-)

Have emailed Matthews again, got a reply right away this time and they are sending out a part. I'll write to myself again when it arrives, maybe post some repair pics. Meanwhile, any advice on dismantling would be appreciated.

Spares arrived this morning - spring, lever and pin - courtesy of Matthews. Thanks, Andrea!

Step 1 is push out the retaining pin in the defective leg clamp and remove lever.
Step 2 is work out how to locate the new spring in the assembly, and then fit it.
Step 3 is fit new lever and push in new retaining pin.

I'll let you know how it goes. Any advice still welcome.

Now knowing how to take the retaining pin out, I did, and then had an amusing 1/2 hour trying to work out how the spring fits, before realising that it doesn't. (Wrong part)
To confirm this, I took apart an unbroken clamp on one of the other legs.

Photos show the pad and smaller spring fitted to the unbroken leg clamp, the clamp socket with the pad and spring removed, the pad and spring and lastly the new replacement spring sent which is much larger.

I must have lost the original plastic pad when the broken clamp failed.

So now I need to ask Matthews for the correct spring and plastic pad.

Correct spares now on their way from Matthews after sending email with photos. Another commendably quick response. Good stuff.

Second pack of spares arrived from Matthews today. They gave me a spare upper leg latch as well. Now that I see how it works, I would be confident about taking the top latch apart for repair if necessary. But that one ain't broke...

This may be of interest to anyone with a Matthews or Libec TH-M20 tripod so here's another larger photo.

Job done. Here's some photos of the reassembly:

1 Plastic pad fits shaped side to the tripod lower leg
2 Plastic pad in place in socket of latch body
3 L shaped spring fits in with short side over the top end of the plastic pad
4 Spring in place
5 Align latch lever with holes in latch body
6 Insert pin and push in
7 Tap in pin fully using a metal rod or punch if available. A nail with the point removed does fine. Support latch while tapping in the retaining pin.
8 Finished and back to full height.

Hope this is useful to somebody. Thanks again to Matthews for first class customer care.

PS no cement required - heading refers to instructions on Airfix model kits. Some of the Brits at least will understand.

One more comment which might be helpful to owners of these and other tripods:

I have worked out the reason that the leg clamp stopped working. One time when putting the tripod away, the bottom section of one of the legs slipped out my grasp when the clamp was released and fell down unrestrained hitting against and dislodging the plastic stop at the top end of the bottom section of the leg. The spring and the pad must have fallen out, but I only saw the spring on the floor and thought wrongly that it had broken. I have now superglued the plastic stop on the end of the leg.

Moral of the story - taking your time and put your sticks away carefully!