Many of the foam weapons used in LARP and medieval combat games use a fiberglass core.  Warlord Sports (www.warlordsports.com) is a quality purveyor of foam swords using Goodwinds’ fiberglass.

“Warlord Sports uses fiberglass tubing in the vast majority of our
products. When properly padded it has incredible resiliency, just the
right amount of rigidity, and a strength-to-weight ratio that simply
cannot be beat. We manufacture an entire line of top-end combat sports
products that rely on fiberglass tubing as the core component and no
other material can replace it.” -Brennon Meiners, Warlord Sports

We are happy to be a part of the LARPing world and supplying fiberglass to Warlord Sports.  We also work with Edhellen Armoury and Merchants Wares, so there’s lots of Goodwinds fiberglass in LARP across America.  Check it out, you might just find a fun new hobby!

But that’s not what Goodwinds sells.  We provide American-made fiberglass rods and tubes from 0.060 inches in diameter up to over 1 inch in diameter, used in kites, tents, archery, RC hobbies, catamerans, and lots of industrial purposes including snow plow guides, underground gas detection, and inflatable jetliner slides (in case of emergency).

So what are fiberglass rods and tubes?  How are they made?  What is so special about them, anyhow?

Fiberglass Tubes

Well, fiberglass is, essentially, teeny-tiny fibers of glass that are reinforced with a polymer, usually an epoxy or vinylester resin.  The tubes Goodwinds supplies are called Filament Wound Epoxy Tubing (FWET) and are created through a continuous winding process that can create tubes with very thin walls which are then reinforced with impregnated epoxy.  These tubes are strong and somewhat flexible, and are great insulators.

Fiberglass Rods

The fiberglass rods Goodwinds supplies are formed from a pultrusion process – basically, a pulling of the fibers of glass through the polymer to bind them.  These rods are flexible and have a great strength-to-weight ratio.  If you’re interested in learning more about the pultrusion process, our supplier, Glasforms, has a guide with photos on their website here.

We love fiberglass rods and tubes, and we know our customers do, too.  It is heavy and strong, flexible and durable.  Best of all, it’s inexpensive, especially compared to carbon rods and tubes.  If you’re looking to do a project and weight is not an issue, fiberglass is a very cost-effective way to go.  The great flexibility of fiberglass is why it is used for tent poles and backpack stays, LARP swords and kites – fiberglass can accept a lot of shock force, bending without breaking.

What do you use fiberglass rods and tubes for?  Tell us about your projects, we’d love to hear about them!