Collapsible poles for parade banner??

[Optic]

Hey folks, I'm looking for an idea to have a collapsible 12 foot pole for a parade banner - the type that is held by one person on each end as the pole goes across the top of the banner widthwise.

Right now the customer is packing it up as 12' long and they go all over the country with it and shipping costs are killing them.

Any ideas on something that would do the trick?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[J Hill Designs]

excuse the crude drawing, but this is my first notion...

 

[www.esigns.com]

not an ideal solution but i have seen expandable/telescoping painting poles used, they collapse to about 34" and you can screw them into each other to connect them. some expand 3 times their collapsed width.

 

[Gino]

I don't think a PVC pipe is going to remain straight... or even near straight for 12'. If you put sleeves in there, it's probably going to make it bow even further. I've often told cheap customers to get a telescoping paint pole too, but it the end, it doesn't really work because the pocket needs to be hefty to fit the bottom end of one of those.

For the most part, when making a banner for parades and such, we put a pole pocket on the bottom and on the top. The top if it's over 8' wide, we suggest an aluminum pole so it's lightweight. In the bottom we suggest and will supply chain for two reasons. One, so the banner stays flat and no curl at the corners and the other is so the banner doesn't whip around if it's windy. We also use the chain in the bottom in case someone hits it with their shin, it won't hurt them.

Having to ship this thing around the country would probalby make it a bit awkward, so I would use a combination of what jhill mentioned but I'd make it from aluminum with a long threaded sleeve and an inner thread to hold a solid piece of threaded rod to keep the middle from bowing.

 

[J Hill Designs]

oh I was talking 1" OD wood poles with 8" pvc sleeves

but yeah aluminum with threaded sleeves would be alot sturdier

 

[Optic]

Holy smokes, you guys are awesome (and apparently not busy today!!)

Thanks for the great advice. I'm going to look into the threaded aluminum idea.

 

[J Hill Designs]

yup not too busy...hell, I only came in to work cause it was payday

 

[Gino]

I was supposed to be off today, but we had an urgent request to get a directory finished before Christmas and...... here we are, but we're almost finished.... and they're paying dearly for this. Just Jeremy and me in here today. Now we're running Chrsitmas cards and fun stuff. Then it's fa la la la la lalalala.

 

[Optic]

Ok, now my customer wants to step it up a knotch. She wants battery powered lights on the pole to shine light onto the banner for night events... ideas???

 

[J Hill Designs]

i believe those are called flashlights

:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

couldnt resist

 

[Gino]

Yeah..... get some kid to walk with a flashlight up his butt in front of the banner. Either that or get some jars of lightning bugs and have them suspended from long fiberglass poles from headbands.

Really, what kind of a parade is at night without street lights, store lights and all kinds of other sources that your banner needs to be lit up ??

 

[www.esigns.com]

well again..not the perfect answer...but...there are battery and solar powered lights for real estate signs http://www.ebay.com/itm/Battery-Operated-Lights-2-Sided-Real-Estate-Sign-/180567047388 I have NEVER seen anything I am 100% happy with and would much rather take the time to engineer a led directed light bar and a power source but if you are looking for something off the shelf that is the direction I would start in my searching.

 

[nashvillesigns]

solar power led parade lights? okay. who parades in the Dark??

 

[www.esigns.com]

I've been to 4 parades after dark or dusk into dark in the last month and then there is Mardi Gras (not just New Orleans) I prefer to attend Mobile most of the parades start at 4 pm and run into the night.