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Inexpensive 19mm Carbon Fiber rods

S

Sean Solowiej

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Hello,

I originally had configured my Red with Carbon Fiber rods, and was disappointed to learn that these were not being produced or distributed by Red when my number came up. As it turns out, 19mm Rods convert to .748 inch rods. The closest imperial version will be .750", or 3/4" Rods, which are not so difficult to come by. I ordered a 48" length of .750"OD Carbon Tube here:

http://www.dragonplate.com/ecart/product.asp?pID=691&cID=42

Then cut it in half for two 24" CF Rods. Total cost with shipping, not including hacksaw or assembly time, was just under $60. The outside diameter slips perfectly into the Red 19mm clamps. The difference between .748 and .750 seems to be negligible for this application.

For my purposes, they work perfectly. I've definitely shed significant weight without the steel rods, and they seem extremely strong with no noticeable flexing. I can't imagine a 19mm cinematographic rod application for which they would not work perfectly. But acknowledging that there must be limits to the scope of my imagination and experience, it is of course possible that these will not be the perfect solution for your needs...
 
Well that's cool - thanks for sharing that.

I think the RED ones have a special cap on the ends something to stop the carbon splintering and shattering i think - although im probably wrong. Maybe?


Andrew.
 
No, still waiting for my RedRockMicro mattebox. I've hung the LCD screen on a Red universal mount across the front, a handle on the far right end, and the battery/drive mount (without drive so far...) on the back. Next trick is to fabricate a basic lens support for the Nikon 80-200 that can ride up and down from the center of the Red universal mount.
 
Do these rods have fibers in dual directions or in a single direction? You can tell because dual will have a cross-hatch appearance. Never put deflective stress weight (which is what we use rods on a camera for) on a rod that does not have that cross-hatching. They can fail catastrophically.
 
Mitch Gross said:
Never put deflective stress weight (which is what we use rods on a camera for) on a rod that does not have that cross-hatching. They can fail catastrophically.
Click to expand...

There's always a catch...

I suppose this product can still be safely used for lightweight top-mounting of accessories without failing catastrophically. Has anyone been able to locate a source for cross-hatch .750" or 19mm tubing? It's got to be out there...
 
Does RED Carbon X use cross hatch design ?
 
single direction strength orientation

single direction strength orientation

So is one plane weak and the other strong? What if you align the pattern vertically to maximize strength in that direction?

Mitch Gross said:
Do these rods have fibers in dual directions or in a single direction? You can tell because dual will have a cross-hatch appearance. Never put deflective stress weight (which is what we use rods on a camera for) on a rod that does not have that cross-hatching. They can fail catastrophically.
Click to expand...
 
Has anyone actually ever seen carbon fiber fail catastrophically?

I haven't and I have put extra weight on my cheap Cinevate carbon fiber rods to tray and make them fail catastrophically.

How much force does it take to make them fail catastrophically? Can you snap a 24" carbon fiber rod with your bare hands?

Just asking,
Dusty
 
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