Hockey Stick Mic Extender/Boom Pole

Hank Scorpio

Hank Scorpio

Well-known member
Who can tell me how you make a mic extender out of a broken hockey stick? The composite sticks are so light that they make perfect boom poles.

Covering hockey I have seen crews, especially the Canadian TV crews use these a lot. I am wondering how you attach the screw-on mic clip to the stick and how you thread the XLR through the stick.

Thanks Puckheads!
 
M

MidwestPhotog

Member
Can you drill cleanly through the stick? If you put a 1/4 (or 3/8 depending on the mic clip) bolt through the stick into the mic clip, with some washers as spacers? You'd be tied to a fixed direction, but it seems like it would be solid.

I've got a cheap shock mount with a hotshoe and 3/8 connection at the base, and my rode shotgun came with a hard mic clip with a 3/8 screw base, so I know there are inexpensive options. I'll thread one of those onto a monopod for a cheapo boom.
 
canuckcam

canuckcam

Well-known member
There's a freelancer here in Toronto that made one out of a broken pool cue by sticking a mic clip on the end. Ingenious.
 
Tv Shooter

Tv Shooter

Well-known member
Sounds like a lot of work to achieve something that doesn't work as well as the actual tool that is built to do that job.
 
Hank Scorpio

Hank Scorpio

Well-known member
No, not really a lot of work. You can get a broken $300 ultra light carbon fiber hockey stick at any local rink and a hanger bolt at the home depot for 49 cents. Screw a mic holder into the hanger bolt and there you go. A good way to save a couple hundred bucks, but if money is no object then I guess yes, buy the tool made to do the job.
 
A

At the scene

Well-known member
Land Rover said:
$300, really? Unless you just want to have a hockey stick, why?

$110 and this is just one of the first ones I clicked on.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/980050-REG/auray_abp_35n_1oom_pole_aluminum_3_sec.html

ETA: Just realized you may have meant a broken $300 stick for free. Guess you could but I prefer my pole that collapses.
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I have seen them also and can't understand why anyone would want that. I don't get it!! Land Rover makes 2 great points, $110 is affordable and yes I would want a pole that collapses.
 
R

Run&Gun

Well-known member
And there are real ones on there even cheaper... $39.95.

Nothing wrong with being "McGuyver" in a pinch, but c'mon man... $40.
 
Hank Scorpio

Hank Scorpio

Well-known member
Guys c'mon. Any local rink will give you a broken carbon fiber hockey stick THAT ORIGINALLY COSTS $300 FOR FREE. Use your heads, I'm not saying buy a $300 hockey stick. A hanger bolt at Home Depot is 49 cents, and the mic clip is less than $10.

The weight of those sticks is so light you wouldn't even believe how easy it is to use in a locker room scrum.

The whole thing costs about $12 but I guess you are all a bunch of geniuses and I'm a moron, sorry I even opened up the topic. I wasn't looking for a debate on if it is better than a collapsable boom pole or not I was asking if anyone had ever made one of these.
 
A

At the scene

Well-known member
Hank Scorpio said:
The weight of those sticks is so light you wouldn't even believe how easy it is to use in a locker room scrum.
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What happens when you are about 10'- 12' away? How does that really light "hockey stick" work. I'm sorry don't mean to be an ass but I just don't get it. Like the previous posts state $39.99 That's not even an hrs worth of pay. C'MON MAN!!!
 
The Thing on The Sticks

The Thing on The Sticks

PRO user
Hank Scorpio said:
Guys c'mon. Any local rink will give you a broken carbon fiber hockey stick THAT ORIGINALLY COSTS $300 FOR FREE. Use your heads, I'm not saying buy a $300 hockey stick. A hanger bolt at Home Depot is 49 cents, and the mic clip is less than $10.

The weight of those sticks is so light you wouldn't even believe how easy it is to use in a locker room scrum.

The whole thing costs about $12 but I guess you are all a bunch of geniuses and I'm a moron, sorry I even opened up the topic. I wasn't looking for a debate on if it is better than a collapsable boom pole or not I was asking if anyone had ever made one of these.
Click to expand...
I think the problem here is that you are looking for people to endorse and put their stamp on your idea. The thing is most of us here from the look of it neither wish to or would endorse this as anything but a stop gap measure.

Just because I can.... and would (in extreme circumstances) light a network interview with nothing but kerosene lamps... does not mean that I am going to scrap my lowel, nilla, or draecast kits in favor of the hurricane lamp. What you are talking about is an option, just not the one anyone here favors. What you do with that information is your decision.
 
R

Run&Gun

Well-known member
I don't think anyone is calling you a moron, brother. I know I'm not. And I'm pretty sure I speak for everyone in this business when I say that we all appreciate "MacGyver-ism" and we've all had to rig things and get creative in a pinch. But your solution is probably not something you're doing in a bind, unless it's the weekend and your boom pole breaks the day before you need it. It sounds like it's a a permanent, but less than ideal solution, when a purpose-built, but still inexpensive and better solution exists.
 
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