Bogen 3046 w/501 pan head cleaning/lube

[Andy Joyce]

I did a silly thing recently in Death Valley. I couldn't resist lugging my tripod and XL2 all the way to the huge sand dunes to get some cool shots.

It was more windy that day than the day before, and on top of the dunes there was fine-grain sand blowing everywhere. As a testament to the great XL2 design, no sand entered any seam or joint in the whole thing even though it was unprotected (now I know about Kata covers, whew!).

However, my 3046 Bogen tripod has an open area under the panhead's "grease disk" which was like a magnet for all that small sand. To my chagrin, the pan started making gritty noises as I panned. Several weeks later it is better, but I wanted to know if it's possible to disassemble the affected area, clean it well, and re-lube it. Even if I could get it apart, I don't know what to clean it with and what kind of lube to use afterward.

Help!