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I have an old softbox that used some plastic rods and I want to replace them. Also, as I am fan of doing DIY projects I want to make some structures, probably for a larger softbox.

So do you by any chance know what material are they made of?

I think carbon fiber, but I don't know if it is too rigid and I should look for other material like glass fiber.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Why not look around at the hardware store or hobby store, and find some rod with the right flexibility? It doesn't matter what it's made from. \$\endgroup\$
    – JDługosz
    Commented Sep 10, 2015 at 21:08
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    \$\begingroup\$ You could use bamboo, aluminium poles, ... \$\endgroup\$
    – thomasrutter
    Commented Nov 11, 2015 at 4:02

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I have seen them made of fiberglass or aluminum . You could use old ( or new ) tent poles.

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I'm not sure what the budget is for this DIY project, but you might try looking for fiberglass wiring fish rod kits in the electrical tools section of your nearest discount tools store, or a big-box home improvement store.

The kits are anywhere from 12 ft to over 30 ft long (total, multiple sections), often for under US$40. Since at least as far back as Jan 2016, and current as of April 2016, Harbor Freight has a 33 ft kit including qty (10) 39 in rods for US$9.99. That's probably an excellent expense for a DIY project, enough to make at least 2 softboxes.

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I want to make some structures, probably for a larger softbox.

I remember seeing a different softbox design that is based on an umbrella, westcott has a model named apollo, the generic term seems to be "umbrella softbox". "umbrella style softbox" also yields some results.

It's basically an umbrella that doesn't open as wide as a regular umbrella with some diffusion material on the front.

A DIY version could be:

  1. find a suitable regular umbrella. some umbrella models do not need the entire rod to open. Having the rod of the umbrella stick out of the front of the softbox could be undesirable, but if you cut it of, you cannot close the umbrella any more. Look for compact umbrellas. The mechanism of those only rides along the upper part of the rod, which would be inside the softbox.
  2. spraypaint the inside with reflective color
  3. add diffusion material to the opening
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  • \$\begingroup\$ I will probably post my DIY experiments. \$\endgroup\$
    – Rafael
    Commented Nov 11, 2015 at 4:32
  • \$\begingroup\$ You can use old/damaged fishing rod. \$\endgroup\$
    – Marcin
    Commented Mar 9, 2016 at 9:14

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