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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 :)

Inexpensive 19mm Carbon Fiber rods

I don't know what sort of torsional force would be required to make carbon fiber of any given thickness fail, but I have certainly seen carbon fiber material fail in other situations. It doesn't so much break as explode. This is why carbon fiber tripods are forbidden on studio lots. That might be an over-reaction, but the fact is that this is not a situation where the gear just breaks -- you can seriously injure someone.
 
I just received my Red Carbon Rods, and I have to say I'm extremely impressed by how light they are...

By the way, they don't seem to have the cross-hatch appearance you were talking about (I think the older Red CF Rods had it).
http://www.red.com/store/601015

And they no longer call them "Carbon fiber Rods", but "Carbon Rods". What's the difference ?
 
I've seen the RED carbon rods but didn't really spend time investigating them. I was told long ago that they were the cross-hatch, but don't really know for sure. Try asking RED as they may not be directly monitoring this thread.

Brent? Jarred?
 
What are you guys planning to do with them??? Unless you're under-slinging the camera itself, you're only supporting a few accessories. If you are under-slinging the camera you should have both the front and rear top mounts and the universal mount balanced between them. If it makes you nervous then pop the steelies in for that configuration.

CF rod is extruded and can break it two ways. Splitting can be a problem and is avoidable by gluing plastic bumpers to the cut ends. True breakage is caused when the rod is overloaded and the strands along the exterior of the bend fail. If nothing but weight and gravity cause the bending and failure (static overload) it will probably fully fail and something heavy will hit the ground. A momentary load (dynamic overload) is much more likely, and enough of the rod should remain intact to keep the attached accessories from hitting the ground.

No way a CF rod would fail if used properly. They can easily support a mattebox and follow focus and a few other odds and ends.

Bob
 
Great found...
 
Still going...

Still going...

Sean Solowiej said:
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...
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, I've been using these CF rods now for over a year to support mattebox, handles, battery and hard drive without any hint of failure - catastrophic or otherwise.
 
Dustin Cross said:
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
Click to expand...

It happened to me with the original RED Carbon rods.. the ones like linked in the first post. It wasn't a total disaster as some stories I have heard but they blew into a million splinters and i got nicked by one of them.

It was pretty easy to do as well.. just tightening down the clamp the "wrong way" and it exploded.

I removed them from inventory immediately after that...
 
Carbon fiber hockey sticks... Snap - kaplooie! Tons of sharp little fibers everywhere and I spend a day or two picking them out of my hands, out of my gloves, etc..

OK, camera rods and hockey sticks are a bit different and [should] take different abuses over time. Watch out for CF rods if they have been exposed to sunlight or strong UV over lengthy periods of time, it can weaken the resin. CF can also become more brittle in extreme cold, but that applies to most everything; even more so to cast aluminum components, certain soft or flexible plastics...

That said, I've been using the RED Carbon X rods since getting my RED One (along with the ET Ultra Rods) and the Carbon X rods are excellent. Love 'em.
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
Watch out for CF rods if they have been exposed to sunlight or strong UV over lengthy periods of time, it can weaken the resin.
Click to expand...

so theyre not great to use in 50 degree heat? Just ordered a set of the RED CF rods. Was hoping theyd save me a bit of weight for HH work.
 
Andrew clemson said:
so theyre not great to use in 50 degree heat? Just ordered a set of the RED CF rods. Was hoping theyd save me a bit of weight for HH work.
Click to expand...

They will work fine in the heat. But carbon fiber and the resin it is comprised of is UV sensitive, just like fiber glass and many other plastics or polymer substances. Over time, it will degrade when exposed to strong UV.... Just like most everything else. Most plastics will sun-fade or discolor over time in the sun and become brittle. Same here, that is all.
 
So what is the actual standard for 19mm rods

19mm exactly

or

19.05mm which is 3/4 equivalent

Is there an agreed tolerance to the 19mm standard

I ask because I have 3/4 OD 316 tube here which is 19.05mm dead and doesn't fit some 19mm clamps and fittings though some users seem to have successes with 3/4 carbon tubing.
 
Dave Blackham said:
So what is the actual standard for 19mm rods

19mm exactly

or

19.05mm which is 3/4 equivalent

Is there an agreed tolerance to the 19mm standard

I ask because I have 3/4 OD 316 tube here which is 19.05mm dead and doesn't fit some 19mm clamps and fittings though some users seem to have successes with 3/4 carbon tubing.
Click to expand...

European standard engineering practice dictates using "unified bore" whenever possible in order to minimize the number of reaming tools and bore measuring gages a machine shop might have to have on hand; the bore tolerance starts at zero and goes plus, the shaft is then minus-minus for non-interference fits.

for the 19mm standard, the tolerance is -0.020/-0.041, so 18.980 - 18.959mm.
 
Jim Elias said:
European standard engineering practice dictates using "unified bore" whenever possible in order to minimize the number of reaming tools and bore measuring gages a machine shop might have to have on hand; the bore tolerance starts at zero and goes plus, the shaft is then minus-minus for non-interference fits.

for the 19mm standard, the tolerance is -0.020/-0.041, so 18.980 - 18.959mm.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this its exactly what I needed to know.

Dave
 
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