15mm rods. Anyone now a good supplier?

The rods from orange aluminum don't work, they are not 15mm they are 14.8 loose on a commercial system.
 
Some days I we could just give up on the 15mm nonsense and start a new indie standard... convince manufacturers to use something sensible and mass produced like schedule 40 pipe. Look up high-grade rigid T6 at onlinemetals. Their nom375 is Roughly 17mm outer diameter, a hefty 2.5mm wall thickness, machined with +/0 0.01 inch precision, finished bare, and custom cut to length. 62 cents a foot.

SIXTY TWO CENTS a foot.

And they're making a profit on that, no doubt a significant profit, since they're a small-order custom shop.

How absurd is this.

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=1218&step=4&showunits=inches&id=73&top_cat=60
 
Anyone thought of this?

Buy 5/8" extruded aluminum rod (solid) which is 15.87mm which is ~$15 for 72"

Take said rod to your local machine shop that advertises on Craigslist ($30-40/hr)

Have said machine shop cut these rods and turn them down to 15mm

You could have a whole bunch of 15mm rod for $45.
 
turning the rods

turning the rods

I've tried doing that (turning the rods) myself, it's very difficult due to the length and thickness, I couldn't be precise enough.
 
I just made a thread about this, my apologies I didn't see this.

I am going to be doing this later on in the month. I have lots of 5/8 aluminum (welder by trade) and have a friend at a machine shop who will be doin this for me.

Just need the exact mm, 15 or 14.8?
 
Made some rods. Solid aluminum, they work great. Machining 5/8 aluminum down to 14.9 is really easy for a machinist
 
What about just plain copper pipes that you can get in any hardware store?

They are about 15 1/2mm - 16mm.


Would these work? If needed to, I'd sand them down a bit, then spray paint them black.
I'm thinking of doing that since it will most likely be the cheapest way. Not something I would use for a long time, but for now, seems like a good solution.
 
DDirector said:
What about just plain copper pipes that you can get in any hardware store?

They are about 15 1/2mm - 16mm.


Would these work? If needed to, I'd sand them down a bit, then spray paint them black.
I'm thinking of doing that since it will most likely be the cheapest way. Not something I would use for a long time, but for now, seems like a good solution.
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thats what I am planning on doing, found a nice piece laying around my house
 
clitt, did you ever make those rods? let us know how they turned out and if they fit standard rail fittings.

if you're willing to make a couple more and sell them, I'm interested in buying (depending on the price).

if not, i may get either an pair of aluminum rails for $25 at b&h

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/627265-REG/Cavision_AT1520_AT1520_15mm_Diameter_Aluminum.html

there are also carbon fiber rails for $40, but not sure if it's worth the price... any comments?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=335971&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
 
Giganova said:
I do not recommend them. They are too thin (13.5mm instead of 15mm), very heavy and very crudely made (rough surface, not polished, and have sharp edges where they were cut). I just waisted $40 on them. :angry:
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I bought the McMaster-Carr 15mm tubing, schedule 40 and found it to be smooth surfaced and very strong, without being overly heavy. Did you get the wrong diameter rod by accident? Hmmm. I built this DSLR shoulder mount out of the rod and it works perfectly. 2m of 15mm rod for around $19 was a huge bargain.
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I just keep them lightly WD-40'd. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
Gary does that 15mm rod work with standard film baseplates? The reason I ask is that it might work fine for your DIY rig but might not fit standard rod mounts.

(BTW - that shoulder rig is way beyond Thunderdome!)
 
j said:
Gary does that 15mm rod work with standard film baseplates? The reason I ask is that it might work fine for your DIY rig but might not fit standard rod mounts.

(BTW - that shoulder rig is way beyond Thunderdome!)
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It goes into our 15mm size Indifocus Follow Focus with no effort or problem. It is a true 15mm, so I don't see any problem with the tubing being interchanged for any other 15mm tubes, aluminum or carbon fiber. IF you can afford carbon fiber, the quality stuff from Cinevate is really good. They can cut you any length of it too. If you can't afford that nice stuff, buy the bulk stuff from McMaster-Carr. It will work. Look at what it can be used for...
4524413543_f2ace67ca4_b.jpg

4524415953_193d91207a_b.jpg

I just posted a step by step how to in DIY for building the Aftershock GH1 shoulder mount rig. Go check it out! :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
I just found this place: http://www.metricmetal.com/

Just requested a quote from them today for 15mm, Aluminum at 6ft. . We'll see how they're pricing is.

UPDATE:
They quoted me $85 + $8/shipping for 20' 15mm X 1mm WALL 6060, about $4.25 per foot. Not too shabby.
 
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Seems that a lot of people ask this same question over and over "where can I find affordable 15mm rods"... I too was there once and used raw materials, but the main problem was they look unprofessional and the black oxidation gets all over everything. The rods need to be anodize which turns the oxidation into aluminum hydrate that forms a nice hard coating over the aluminum. I'd be willing to help everyone out, but what sizes are you guys looking for ?

Would 15mm diameter at 4" 6" or 12" length, screwable 6061 aluminum, 12mm threaded, black anodized rods interest anyone ? I know of a guy that turns CNC parts for me all the time that can make them and is very affordable....



ifocusfilms@gmail.com
 
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I'm interested in some 12-inch rods, but it depends on price.

And "looking unprofessional" is in the eye of the beholder. To another camera/film person your DIY stuff might look unprofessional to them, but to a client who isn't a camera person it may impress the hell out of them. I have a quick & dirty shoulder mount I built for $12 in PVC materials and painted it black. You'd probably look at it and think it doesn't look professional, but every client who's seen it so far has been impressed and thinks I spent a ton of money on it.
 
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