Stiffen my flagpole- experienced advice sought

peace · Post by **peace** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:32 pm

Want to plant a flag this year. Thinkin' 20ft of 3/4 pvc schdl 40 anchored to carport shelter. Standard size flag. Rather not bring steel or trip over more guy wires, will this stand a chance out there?

gaminwench · Post by **gaminwench** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:00 pm

we've always used fresh-cut bamboo for flag poles, the flexibility is actually a plus...

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:05 pm

Why do I always have to be the one to suggest Viagra?

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:49 pm

Ugly Dougly wrote:Why do I always have to be the one to suggest Viagra?

you are what you eat........

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:53 pm

peace wrote:Want to plant a flag this year. Thinkin' 20ft of 3/4 pvc schdl 40 anchored to carport shelter. Standard size flag. Rather not bring steel or trip over more guy wires, will this stand a chance out there?

I don't think you have much chance with the heat and all.....and if the wind whips up.......PVC is not so strong/rigid.
The bamboo is quite a bit better, IMHO........ or a 20' 2x4.......

with all that leverage, a flag in a strong wind has a lot of force.....

good luck

SnowBlind · Post by **SnowBlind** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:40 am

peace wrote:Thinkin' 20ft of 3/4 pvc schdl 40 anchored to carport shelter. Standard size flag. Rather not bring steel or trip over more guy wires, will this stand a chance out there?

I've build one 20ft out of 1" and 1.25" pvc, with the smaller one inside the other one. Those two sizes fit into each other without much of a gap. We've had it attached to the bike rack on a car, and it definitly needed guy wires. It's very floppy.

I'm going to try to attach it to the carport this year as well, but I'm not convinced I can do it without the wires. With only one, and 3/4 at that, I really doubt it.

peace · Post by **peace** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 4:20 pm

I think I'll go the viagra route and just leave the flag at home. Many thanks. Or I may be scouting the neighbors for tall bamboo in need of some midnight gardening. Safe travel~!

Oldguy · Post by **Oldguy** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:15 pm

I use a seven foot cherrywood staff to bear my personal flag. I lash it to a tent pole to get up to about 15 feet. This pole is about 1" diameter and flexes quite a bit and its hardwood.

I think a galvanized pipe with threaded sections could be monkey wrenched up to a respectable height with proper anchoring and guy wires.

A TV antenna aerial could work also, you know the telescoping kind like the CB boys set up.

Narrow plastic pipe flexes badly and might even deform or break. Solid roll stock metal is stiffer than pipe, mabe a 20' section of rebar? But even rebar can be bent with proper application of heat and leverage. Two weekends till the gates open. Hustle.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:38 pm

peace wrote:I think I'll go the viagra route and just leave the flag at home. Many thanks.

Yeah, and tie a blinky light to the tip so your friends can find their way home. Maybe it glows in the dark.

Rommel · Post by **Rommel** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 1:01 pm

PVC is too brittle. Get yourself some schedule 40, and you'll
be good to go.

Rommel
Gigsville-Lahontan Korps

[quote="peace"]Want to plant a flag this year. Thinkin' 20ft of 3/4 pvc schdl 40 anchored to carport shelter. Standard size flag. Rather not bring steel or trip over more guy wires, will this stand a chance out there?[/quote]

Rommel · Post by **Rommel** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 1:02 pm

PVC is too brittle. Get yourself some schedule 40, and you'll
be good to go.

Rommel
Gigsville-Lahontan Korps

[quote="peace"]Want to plant a flag this year. Thinkin' 20ft of 3/4 pvc schdl 40 anchored to carport shelter. Standard size flag. Rather not bring steel or trip over more guy wires, will this stand a chance out there?[/quote]

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 3:35 pm

SnowBlind wrote:It's very floppy.

So, as has already been suggested, try the viagra

We used wooden dowel rods in our pvc, kept our pole nice and rigid

Stiffen my flagpole- experienced advice sought

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