# Making a fiberglass push pole



## bostick29412 (Apr 17, 2009)

So call me a cheapskate, but I'm appalled at what a decent push pole costs. I'm a diy guy anyway, so I'm going to be making one and I'll post the entire process here. 

Rather than using wood, bamboo, or aluminum I've been looking for readily available hollow fiberglass pipe/tubes. I finally found some military surplus on Ebay that I think's going to work great, and it only cost me about $35 for 10 of these things shipped to my door. (plus I got a cool carrying bag for free)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150456488425&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_1242wt_825

"This auction is for ONE of the Standard Duty, Style # 1, 4 foot long fiberglass mast support pole. These poles are 1.780" OD and 1.570" ID and have a 3.5" ferrule on one end so they can slide together, this will give you 44.5" of usable length per pole. Lots of uses, great for antenna mast, bird house and feeder poles and electric fence post."

I think I'll be making my own ferrules and permanently glassing them in.. Anytide's working on special kit for me.


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## joshuabward (Apr 3, 2010)

I don't blame you the end and tips cost around 60 bucks from stiffy, so why does the pipe cost 500 bucks. I get manufacturers need to make money but a 1000% markup is ridiculous.


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## Bob_Rogers (Oct 14, 2009)

Nice find, I look forward to your finished pole report.

Gonna be heavy tho, 10 lbs for an 18' effective length.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

10lbs does seem like a bit much. I do agree the amount they want for most push poles is nuts . I wonder with it being segmented together is such short section if it will flex smoothly. Glue it together and try it out.


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## bostick29412 (Apr 17, 2009)

I started assembling the push pole after work yesterday. The 10 poles came shipped in this handy-dandy rubberized carrying bag.









As you can see, one end of each pole comes with a thick plastic ferrule. These things are not coming out..and they're just as thick as the pipe itself. The poles themselves have a nice smooth/glossy finish on the outside.









My original thought was to cut the ferrule off of each pole, then cut one of the poles into 8" sections. Each section would get a lengthwise slit cut into it, which I could compress to fit / epoxy into the pole sections: 

















I didn't like the results of this method.. it was causing some longitudinal cracking in the homemade ferrule, and it wasn't going to be a perfect fit. So, I've opted to go with the original ferrules, as they're stronger looking than I thought they'd be. I decided to use some good 'ole 5200 to bond the sections together. It should form a decent bond between the fiberglass pole and the plastic ferrule, and it's got just enough flex. I'll probably use a file or Dremel to clean up the joints as the ferrule's centers are a little proud of the poles' diameter.









I glued up a 18' pole, and used some gorilla tape to hold it all together, stood it all upright in the barn. It's not too heavy and seems like it will have just enough flex. As soon as I receive the kit from Anytide, I'll post the final piece.


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## SClay115 (May 18, 2009)

I dig this, hopefully it is an alternative to the commercially available ones...

Steve


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

Very interesting post. Great contribution to the forum.


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## SClay115 (May 18, 2009)

Something I just thought about too, depending on the amount of flex in the final product. Something that has been done in the automotive world to stiffen chassis', now I know it is going to sound strange..

But for the unibody cars, where there are cavities in the body, builders have been known to fill those cavities with two part foam. Outrageously messy if you don't have all the holes sealed up, but stiffens up the car, with minimal weight added. 

Could be a thought on this project too. That is if the end product has too much flex. 

Steve


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## bostick29412 (Apr 17, 2009)

This is a photo that Anytide sent me of the pole kit he's making for me, will be epoxy coated black. More to come...


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## bostick29412 (Apr 17, 2009)

I received the custom kit from Anytide and everything was machined to perfection to fit right into the fiberglass pole. I'd asked him to epoxy-coat it and it's pretty much the color of the local pluff mud. 


























Once I knew that everything was a good fit, it was simply a matter of slathering in the 5200 adhesive and putting it all together. 


















I used some tape to hold everything in tight while it set over the weekend. I don't really think that I need to use stainless screws but might add one at each end, just as backup. The mud around here can exert a lot of suction. Planning on a test run just as soon as the tide is right after work one day this week, and will post a final analysis. So far, the total cost is running right around $100.


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## Un-shore (Sep 27, 2007)

Great work! [smiley=1-thumbsup3.gif]

That guy is going to sell more of them poles, at least four more.


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

Looks good! Have you had a chance to weigh it?


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## bostick29412 (Apr 17, 2009)

I haven't had a chance to weigh it yet.. 
I was doing a shake/flex test yesterday and it looks like some of the original adhesive that holds in the plastic ferrules was loosening, so I'm going to re-glue them with 5200 as well.


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## joshrp01 (Jan 7, 2011)

SeaHorse,  

how did this work out?  A buddy and I have been looking into other materials as well and ran across your post.  I would be very interested to see how it performed.  Thanks


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