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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Ghetto 19" Rods

Ed Watkins

Ed Watkins

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www.naturalscinema.com
O.k, so I have a hard time understanding why rods cost $20-70 for a stainless steel tube.

I did a bit of looking around and found some slightly ghetto spares.

19mm is almost exactly equivalent to 3/4" (19.05mm) bar.
You can get Stainless Steel 3/4" x 0.65" Rods here:
12" $2.98
18" $4.43
24" $5.82
https://www.speedymetals.com/pc-4477-8276-34-od-x-0065-wall-tube-304-stainless-steel-annealed.aspx

Upside:
Cheap, strong, about the same weight as the RED rods.
They fit the rails system (universal mount is a little snug, but all the other RED rails system fit nice).

Downside:
Not very shiny, bit rough looking. The cutting lengths vary by about 1/4 - 1/2", and you need to file and smooth the ends down (they arrive rough cut).

Good for a cheap spare set.

Hope this is helpful for someone.
 
good find. There should be an "indie tricks" subsection on the site, for those people really scraping to make the RED work who can really use links like that.

Expensive rods (like ET's) are centerless-ground, meaning that after extrusion (aluminum) or welding (stainless), the rods are ground back to a true circular cross-section, usually +- 1/1000". It seems that these rods are rough ground +- 5/1000's, certainly not a dealbreaker, but it'll probably feel "sticky" with some accs. Depending on which accessories you plan to use, these rods will probably work well. Some (arri) accessories have extremely tight tolerances, and may not slide smoothly. Obviously this is a bigger deal to some people than others, but something to be aware of.
 
finale for Ed

finale for Ed

Good find Ed. There are a number of similiar vendors. go to your local machine shop friend chuck these babys up and polish them. or just chuck them in a piece of cloth in your wood lathe! use fine paper and polish they come out shiny and just the right size. There are several finishes to rub on that will prevent oxidation.

or you can also buy similiar sizes in aluminum, have them anodized which is very nice but does add very slightly to size. If you are gonna go that way polish a bit more to very slight undersize.

Good idea from a support/strength perspective to be sure you are using seamless tubing!
 
So you are gonna take all your expensive AKS, and stuff the wrong diameter piece of shit PIPE (because thats what a tube is when it's not ground and finished) down them, score the inside, fuck the tolerances so they won't work with real rods, and wonder why your matte-box froze in place and had to be hammered out in order to save a hundred bucks?
 
Speaking about Indie Tricks does anyone know about a book or site that maps out the plans to make DIY Dollys, Jibs, Steady Cams, etc etc etc I stumbled across something awhile back but have lost track of it. Would be a great resource to refer to.
 
arrinick said:
So you are gonna take all your expensive AKS, and stuff the wrong diameter piece of shit PIPE (because thats what a tube is when it's not ground and finished) down them, score the inside, fuck the tolerances so they won't work with real rods, and wonder why your matte-box froze in place and had to be hammered out in order to save a hundred bucks?
Click to expand...

Just noticed the poster's name. ARRInick. Do you happen to vork somewhere where tolerances are very tight, ArriNick? Anything you want to tell us?

I agree though. These are the least expensive camera pieces available and you still have to find something cheaper? What is your time worth? Every time I lose a set of rods, my productions get charged about a hundred bucks each. (not that that ever happens)
 
Ed Watkins said:
O.k, so I have a hard time understanding why rods cost $20-70 for a stainless steel tube.
Click to expand...

Because rods have to have pretty tight tolerances to work right.

Ask any AC that has fought with dirty rods while trying to go from zoom to primes quickly while losing the light, etc etc. Yes, even just muck from not being cleaned can mess up how quickly supports and FFs can be taken on and off.

So I'm sure somebody can come up with cheaper ones, possibly even cheaper ones that work great. But most people that make these things like to be paid for their time, too!
 
Guys, some of the comments seem to have got a bit heated.
I suggested these rods as a very cheap set of spares. NOT as a main set.

I wouldn't recommend putting expensive gear (arrinick) on them unless you have to, I understand that the tolerances on some equipment are tighter than others and hence rods like this are NOT for main production work.
However, if you are in a bind, these could save the day.
 
Hey Ed,

With the number of people on this forum that have limited or no experience working with this type of gear, I just don't want some guy to go stuff electrical conduit into his follow focus and screw everything up. I'm sorry, but it's a really bad idea to put anything other than a properly machined rod into a precision machined hole.

I am trying to keep some well meaning kid from screwing up his gear, thats all.

Cheers,

Nick
 
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