Just wondering what people use for rods?  I have used wire hangers and wooden dowels.  Wire tends to bend after a while and I've had a couple of instances where a wooden dowel has broken during a performance.

Any other suggestions?  I had heard that acrylic dowel is good but have no idea where to buy them (Michael's doesn't carry them).

Thoughts or suggestions?

Hi - I've heard many mention welding rods as well I think?

You should head to the hardware store. There you can find the welding rods or something similar that Animal31 mentioned. We always used what is called piano or spring wire. It has some good play in it but it won't bend. In fact it takes quite a bit just to cut it or bend it when you do want to. You can't normal find it in the big name hardware stores but if you happen to have a locally owned one you might be able to. 

I'd second Shawn's suggestion of piano wire (I think the proper name for it is "piano spring wire" but I'm not sure). It really is the best stuff. Many hobby stores carry it if you can't find it at your local hardware store.

There aren't too many hobby stores in my area besides Michael's, unfortunately.  I'll check Home Hardware or Home Depot.  Thanks.

By "Hobby Store" I mean the kind that sells model airplanes, radio control cars and things like that. Are you in Hamilton? You can probably find a Hobby store in Brampton or Mississauga that carry piano wire. I usually buy most of mine through John's Hobbies in Toronto, but there are several shops in the GTA that carry it.

Thanks.  I'll do some checking around.