Any sources for cheap carbon fiber rods?

Question

I've searched this newsgroup through Google and didn't fiund an answer.

Is there any source for carbon fiber rods that is relatively inexpensive? I am looking for 1/2" rods. I need at least 12 feet of rod.

A lot of vendors have small diameter rods, but far fewer have 1/2" rods. The ones I have found are over $10 a foot.

I have found carbon fiber tubing in 1/2" OD relatively inexpensive, but I'm not convinced the tubing will be stiff enough and have enough inpact resistance for my application.

My application is trimming the edges of fins cut from fiberglass/nomex composite board. We use a 1/2" piece of copper pipe to cut out some of the nomex core and then glue in the carbon fiber rod. We want to use carbin fiber rod to stiffen the fins.

Brian Elfert

tater schuld · Accepted Answer

use a smaller pipe and then you can use the smaller rods.

neat idea, I'll have to look into this for strngthening a boosted rc glider I am plannin on.

find some pipe a bit bigger than carbon arrow shafts, then do what you do.

I like it!

nedtovak · Answer

Love to hear about your rc boost glider.Working(mentally)on a sub $100 complete rc rocket glider system myself.Ted NovakTRA#5512IEAS#75

David · Answer

I think some people have used carbon fiber golf club shafts. You can find used shafts sometimes when people have upgraded their golf clubs.

(These are tubes and not rods, but I'm thinking that if a tube is stiff enough to be a golf club shaft, it's pretty darn stiff. What's the force of a club hitting a ball on a long shot?)

mike · Answer

I found that TAP plastics carry an epoxy/carbon tube in various sizesthat we are using for longerons in an upcoming project. The tubes arevery light weight, stiff and reasonable priced.Brian Elfert wrote:

Jerry Irvine · Answer

Those are tapered thick CF tubes.

Brian Elfert · Answer

Unfortunately, the fin material has two thin layers of G10 on the outside and nomex honeycomb. The area between the G10 layers has to be filled completely.

In the past, we have used 1/2" dowels, but I want carbon fiber to stiffen these fins a little bit.

Brian Elfert

Brian Elfert · Answer

Maybe I will go with the tubes and see how they work out.  I'm waiting for a vendor to call back to see if they have rods in bigger than 1/4".Brian Elfert

tater schuld · Answer

good bleedin luck! I am fighting costs also. too cheap myself to pick up a lightweight reciever for $30 plus $10 per servo for a $5 foam glider that will use a $5 reload and a $40 casing.

hey! thats a hundred right there.

then we gotta add batteries, a radio, chargers....... I think I'll just gut the $300 hangar queen I got right now and save myself the headaches

Any sources for cheap carbon fiber rods?

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