Best plastic rods according to redditors

Agreed with other posters; the plastic material is overwhelmingly likely to be HDPE. Maaaaybe nylon, but probably HDPE (given its semi-translucent appearance). HDPE is food and medicine safe, dishwasher safe, tough as nails, and easy to work with.

If you're thinking of sourcing materials locally, look for a store like TAP Plastics (this is my local plastic retailer on the west coast of the US). You could also order the stuff and have it shipped; here's a 2ft length of 1" HDPE rod on Amazon for $17.00, which would give you plenty of material to make lots of utensils.

That screw on the top is a stainless, pan head hex (or socket) cap screw, which is a nice fastener but not exactly the right thread for the material (HDPE can hold threads, but the thread type on this metal screw could easily strip it out... I know I sound fussy about the fastener specs, but it matters in this case, since you want to avoid having the screw loosen itself all the time). A better fastener would be one intended for plastic; you want thread rolling screws to get the right anchoring in the plastic. You can find a 50-pack of 1",stainless steel pan head thread rolling screws for $6.44 (again, on Amazon). You'd drill a pilot hole in the HDPE bar that's smaller than the screws' thread diameter, and the screws will self-tap and get good "purchase" in the plastic.

For the thumb detent/brace, this again is HDPE sheet that's been formed into that specific curve. The nice thing about HDPE is that it can be formed using a modest amount of heat; boiling water is all that's needed in order to get it malleable enough to easily shape it into the right profile. That looks like 1/4" to me. You can get HDPE sheet and cut it into strips using a plastic cutter ($5 on Amazon), then cut strips to length, form the strips to the right ergonomic shape, drill, and assemble. Here's a 1/4" thick, 12x12" sheet for $8.50.

Finally, to deburr and smooth the cut lines on the plastic, you can hit it with a propane or butane torch, with quick passes that'll melt the small burrs and help the other marks to level-out.

Another thing to note: this utensil adapter is precisely the type of use case where 3D printers shine, and I'm looking at my 3D printer and the quick 3D model of this I just built in CAD, and I know I can bang these off and ship them to you in no time. I hesitate, though, in recommending only 3D printed parts. I have hundreds of functional prints around the house/garage/cars etc, and I love making functional prints, but as good as I get at design, and the better the hardware gets, functional prints from desktop printers still have strength and durability limitations; extruded rod and sheet are just stronger.

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All links in the same list:

- 1" HDPE rod

- Stainless pan head thread rolling screws

- Plastic cutter

- 1/4" HDPE sheet

Very cool.

FYI, I’ve been crafting a few floating monsters lately, and I’m a big fan of using 1/4” acrylic (lucite) plastic rods to suspend them in midair.

These rods are cheap, easy to cut and work with, and more than sufficiently sturdy.

I use two methods for displaying planes in flight:

1. Acrylic rodin a wood or acrylic base. I get acrylic sheet at the hardware store and wooden bases at the art store.
   
   
2. Airfix stands
   

I ordered this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006O6QXU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Enough to do way more lightsabers than I'll ever need. Just trimmed it to size, filed the end to be rounded, and then colored with a red sharpie. Once dry I sealed it with gloss varnish. I recommend attaching the blade before coloring with sharpie so you don't smudge it with fingerprints.

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I also picked up a neon green, blue, and yellow sharpie... Plenty of blade colors.

maybe this will help? 1" dia though.

EDIT: smallest length they have is 12"

EDIT2: i should have gone through these first.

2"x24" solid cylinder

1.5"x12" solid cylinder

kind of expensive though, but i dont do acrylic stuff, so maybe it isnt that bad?

"But we couldn't find round stock. This isn't something you can get just anywhere.."

https://www.amazon.com/Vespel-Round-Rod-SP-22-Diameter/dp/B00FEMZACM

It could be something as benign as plastic round rod

Lol definitely don’t do a costly permanent fix. But like, if you wrapped the stick in tape, then you wouldn’t have to change the stick.

or buy a plastic stick

Shops specializing in model trains will usually have a Plastruct or Evergreen plastic display. That would be the best way to buy just enough for this project. You can buy way more of them than you'll need on Amazon though.

Various sizes of these acrylic rods http://www.amazon.com/Plastruct-Ar-2h-Clear-Rod-Pls90291/dp/B0006O6QXU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1451920752&sr=8-3&keywords=acrylic+rod#customerReviews molded to shape by heating them, then painting with clear paint may yield the effect you are looking for.

I have used these blue Plastruct rods for an ice themed Necron warrior. They worked out alright, but the color is not as vibrant as GW's green rods. I'll see about posting a picture when I get home.

EDIT: Here are couple of pictures. The image probably does the rods a little disservice, but they are about that pale. I think some of the other colors were more vibrant.

http://www.amazon.com/Plastruct-AR-4H-Clear-Rod-PLS90292/dp/B0006O6QYO

they have diff sizes, these are the 1/8 in ones. will fit in a hg stand hole with a lil sanding.

https://www.amazon.com/Plastruct-FARB-3H-Fluor-Blue-PLS90252/dp/B0006O6QNU/ref=sr_1_28?keywords=plastruct+rods&qid=1568985482&s=gateway&sr=8-28

Chessex dice clear cases can be combined to make a 3-inch high riser, marking a 15 foot height. These are really easy to come by in most groups.

Clear acrylic rods and clear 1.5 inch bases can be obtained from Amazon for pretty cheap. Superglue, and you've got some flight risers. Highly recommend if your whole party will be using them throughout the campaign.

What are people thinking in terms of the rod? I found a few cheap ones on amazon that could probably be clipped at a hardware store:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FN17ZE/ref=biss_dp_t_asn
https://www.amazon.com/Darice-9162-08-Unfinished-Natural-4-Inch/dp/B004KQOLB4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1473271015&sr=8-5&keywords=3%2F4+rod
https://www.amazon.com/Online-Metal-Supply-Stainless-Steel/dp/B00CEHFRWI/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1473271015&sr=8-10&keywords=3%2F4+rod
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013HLZOY/ref=biss_dp_t_asn

A very sharp skew point used as a negative rake scraper can scrape through it easily without chipping the layers on the tubes.

I highly recommend grabbing a pair of delrin or HDPE bushings to use for the CA finish process.

Cheapest/most economical way is to get a chunk of HDPE somewhere online (or melt some into a block yourself) and make your own bushings. I purchase 1" HDPE rod and drill a 1/4" hole in the center, then shave them into pointed bushings so that the tube is centered. Every so often a skew to true up the bushing to a point again is necessary. You can get 6 pairs of bushings from a 12" rod for $12, or one set of bushings for $11.

The really nice thing about finishing them like this is that the thin CA has a change to "lip" over the edge of the tube and seal/stabilize the ends a bit more. A piece of 600 grit sandpaper on a flat surface and you can sand away any excess CA on the ends of the tubes.

Clear acrylic rods (these) and blue sharpie.

They were all important af


Diamond Edison Bulb,4W(40W incandescent equivalent) Energy Saving Bulb (Amber Glass), 2300K Warm Yellow,Not Dimmable, Suitable for Chandelier Wall Lamp Reading Lamp (Not Dimmable) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078PPWNZK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Bv7aBbM89A929


Acrylic Round Rod, Transparent Clear, Meets UL 94HB, 2" Diameter, 6" Length https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EVBJOLU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Bx7aBbJRATSHY

Commencer Womens Racer Back Stretch Bodysuit Leotard Vest Top BLACK-S/M https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GE4U9K6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5x7aBb4EAVZXT

Omicoo 2 Pack LED Flame Effect Fire Light Bulbs E26 E27 4 Modes With Upside Down Effect Simulated Decorative Light Atmosphere Lighting Vintage Flaming Lamp for Holiday Hotel / Bar / Party / Home https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0791BWFCL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_gz7aBbXXJ0F1C

SweatyRocks Women's Sleeveless Racerback Tank Top Workout Gym Sport Vest Tops (Small, Black#3) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078XR5FQC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Qz7aBbM6R2M83

So something like this would be good to make bolt buffer pins?

Nylon 6/12 Round Rod, Opaque Off-White, Meets ASTM D5989/ASTM D6779, 1/4" Diameter, 3' Length https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EVD1TSO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_aAMvxbN93FEQ9

Are these the plastruct acrylic rods you're looking for?

http://www.amazon.com/Plastruct-Ar-2h-Clear-Rod-Pls90291/dp/B0006O6QXU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420864369&sr=8-2&keywords=plastruct+acrylic+rod