Boom pole stand adapter and assist
 

I'm a tired old fart and my wife and stepson ( low rent boom operators) are always complaining about their arms.

1. It would seem to be a good idea to have some sort of assist to keep the boom aloft without overdue fatique.

2. Having gone through the expense of buying a pole, it would be nice to be able to use it as a stand mounted boom. Then i wouldn't have to listen to the wife complain. I own boom arm adapter and lobo clamps but it goes against common sense to use any clamping device on a pricey piece of carbon fiber.

I use a slightly modified fishing pole holder. B&H sells a boom pole holder that fastens to a stand. It is just two rubber-coated, U-shaped pieces of bar-stock with the U inverted at the rear so the weight of the pole holds it in the setup. The two bars are separated by about 24" or so.

The only fault I have with these is that the boom tends to spin a bit too easy. A bungee cord or a piece of gaffer's tape solves the problem though.

When I'm doing this I place the strap of a 5-pound (I think, I need to actually weigh it) sandbag on the short end of the boom. Then find the balance point and rest that in the clamp.
You don't even have to clamp it, but I do snug it gently for security. I use a Bogen Superclamp because it's padded and V-shaped for better hold on tubular shapes. The way the other jaw swings into position, you don't even have to make contact to assure the boom can't come out.
You can do the same thing with the "fork and inverted U" type boom holders. You just have to make sure the balance point is slightly forward of the fork.
If you use a heavy-duty stand, another sandbag on the base of the stand, and the boom is above normal head-height, there's very little danger of it falling.