So I'm beginning to explore what I can use for puppet rods....and I'm curious to what every one else is using for arm rods?  I've heard of people using welding rods, but I can only find them in bulk....And I'm kinda looking for the cheapest way out!(Ive got like a dozen puppets I currently want to build!).  So any suggestions are welcome.  One thing to keep in mind, I do not want to sacrifice quality over price.....If I have to spend the money then that's ok, I'm just looking to see what my options are.

There are many materials but the ones that seem to most commonly used is piano wire (you can find this at a hobby shop that sells R/C planes, ect), wooden dowels, Plastic dip and plastic heat tubing (the last two are options).....the average rod is about 23 inches in length including the dowel handle which you can spray paint black if you wish but does not need to happen.

I hope this gives you some ideas of materials......

Daryl H

Thanks for the info stiq.....What I'm really looking for is some sort of metal rod.  I've used the inset of caster wheels(the sleeve the wheel slides into) in the wrist of the puppet, which is cut down shallow enough to straddle the wrist(only my hands are foam).  Half inch wood dowel fits inside of it perfectly(snug enough to manipulate the rods without it falling out, but still removable).  What I would like is a rod of metal that I could slide into a bored out center of the dowel, so the dowel(which will be only about an inch) will be completely recessed inside the wrist and all you would see is the small diameter  of the metal rod leading to the hand rigs out of the camera shot.  I have a few hundred old steel hangers, which are ideal, but I would have to straighten them and paint them flat black to minimize light reflection.  I'm looking for something similar to the gauge of the hangers but ready made.....

Piano Wire....is what you are looking for it is the same as coathanger but stronger and will make rod manipulation more precise.  I would never use a coat hanger due to the lack of response to movement.

Daryl H

Daryl is correct, piano wire is what you want to use.  It is also sometimes called spring wire.  The reason for that is it's resistance to bending.  It flexes but is very hard to actually bend.  You can do it but if you have to really work at it. I normally put it in a vise then take pliers and bend it.  The reason I mention this is because you might need to create an L on each end that "hooks" in to the wood pieces so the rod does not spin around inside of the bored out center of the dowel. 

excellent suggestion!!  This is exactly what I was looking for, thank you guys!!  Shawn I plan on boreing the hole slightly larger than the diameter of the piano wire,  Filling the hole with adhesive, then inserting the wire...but bending the wire into an l shape is definitely plan B.....Have either of you guys used this before, I was curious as to the tensile strength of the 1/8" piano wire which is what I would like to use.

For all those looking for the aforementioned here is a link to the cheapest piano wire I could find.....But they have a minimum order of $16(a good excuse to pick up some other stuff).

http://www.kitkraft.biz/product.php?productid=690

Thanks again stiq and Mr. Sorrell

3/32" is the most requested size for rods I do make rods with this size all the time......if you ever come to my blog tv room I would be glad to show you some of my rods.  It is about the same size as a coathanger wire, give or take.

Hope this helps......

Daryl H

Try this tutorial

http://swazzle.com/blogs/2006/01/puppet-building-tutorial-arm-rods.html

It doesn't really go from one page to the next so follow the link and come back to your original page or open them in a new window.
it comes from this tutorial which taught me a lot about draping fabric...

http://swazzle.com/blogs/2006/03/puppet-building-tutorial-ratchet.html

The above Rod tutorial is not one of my favorite models.....I would suggest using a round dowel not a square one......drill a hole at the round part and put the poll into the hole with some epoxy......and then do what you want with the end that goes into the hand to meet your needs.....Keep it simple and you use less money....buying that wire and using most of it up for two rods, this can really add up.

Daryl H

Fair enough, I hadn't expected  bailing wire to be that expensive but I see your point, when I looked again, it does use a lot of it.
Just to clarify...Do you use a dowel instead of the piano wire? When you describe drilling a hole "at the round part" do you mean in the end or on the side (side would be wire I guess and end would be dowel) If wire in the side, I'd be surprised epoxy could hold the torque but I trust your experience.
It's great that this has come up, I have made stand in rods of coat hangers (though heavier gauge than usual) because I wanted to make better rods once I'd decided how, or raked enough cash for materials.
It is a popular topic on here but mostly about how to make them detachable so I'm glad to learn more about the basic construction. Funny because I was starting to think I "had a handle" (pardon the pun) on how I was going to do it!