Self-made Plastic/Composite Sticks?

K Williams · Apr 1, 2000

I'm considering buying some plastic/composite rods to make some sticks. So far, I anrrowed my choices down to the following materials:

Nylatron GS
Delrin
Nylon
Zytel ST801

Does anyone know which is the best material for FMA sticks, what diameters they come in, and the approximate costs for lengths between 22" and 28".

Myers,

From a previous post, I gathered that you've bought polycarbonate rods in the past. Is polycarbonate better that the materials above?

Thanks.

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K. Williams
Modern Arnis Student
AKTI Member #A000978

[This message has been edited by K Williams (edited 04-01-2000).]

Myers · Apr 1, 2000

I like the polycarbonate sticks that I have. They seem to be pretty much indestructable. We've slammed them together as hard as we could to test them and they don't even crack. They will chew up rattan sticks when doing heavy siniwali drills. The weight of the 1 inch tubing matches that of a rattan stick fairly close. 1 inch rods are more like a kamagong or cocobola stick. Of the materials you listed, Nylatron is the only one I'm familiar with. I briefly examined a stick made from this. It seemed to have more "flex" and therefore more "reverb" than the polycarb. The polycarb will have more "reverb" than rattan, but it is easily compensated for by wearing the fingerless weight-lifter's gloves or fitting the stick with a grip of some sort. Its comes in all the standard diameters: 1/2, 3/4, 7/8, 1. The 1 inch diameter polycarb tubing I use was a little less than $4 per foot. A pair of sticks came out to about $20. That's a little more than commercial rattan sticks, but its a one time investment.

Check the yellow pages under "plastics." If there isn't a company in your immediate area, I bet there's one willing to ship to you. They are clear/translucent, but sometimes they'll even have them in different colors. Otherwise you just tape them up with the color of plastic tape that you prefer.

Keith

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"Walk softly and carry a big stick!"
Teddy Roosevelt