update: found the answer to what the stuff is

[jypsee]

I ordered a Wimberley Plamp in addition to the McClamp pictured below and Wimberley kindly tells me what the material is. It's called Loc-Line ball and socket segmented tubing... in case anyone besides me cares

here's a link to loc-line
http://www.loc-line.com/index.html

btw: if you use a Wimberley Plamp on your tripod legs and have a Gitzo 1348, the part that clamps to the leg won't fit so I'm glad I ordered the McClamp with the big clamping thing on one end as it will fit my Gitzo 1348.

thanks again to all who took the time to look and respond!!

thanks to all who replied; I finally just bit the bullet and order several iterations of the mcclamp from B&H. I hardly ever blink at the cost of photographic equipment, but $44+ for what is essentially two clamps and some sort of flexible armature is "kinda spendy," as they say where I come from "up north." I guess I should be happy that this product is available

trying to ask the question in a way that is understood by others:
I was wondering if anyone knows what the gray armature material (the wire covered by gray plastic) is called. If I know what the gray armature material is called I can google it and see if I can buy my own gray armature material... I already know what the tool is used for...

I was wondering if anyone knows what the flexible "pop beads" looking gray armature of this tool is called. B&H wants $45 for one and I just can't see paying that much



thanks for your help [/b]

[steveprice]

It looks like a device for holding card to shield parts of your still life from the light source, or holding reflective material to bounce light into shadow areas. One end clips to the table, light stand or whatever and the other end holds the card. It is rigid but flexes. I think the technical term for the shielding/reflective materials is skims and flags, (you can buy these in various shapes as well) so I guess you would call it a skim/flag/reflector holder.

Steve Price

[jypsee]

and what it's used for; what I want to know is what the grey "arm" material is. The stuff between the clamps. Surely I can buy that stuff and make my own flexible clamping thing.

[thazooo]

It's an Aluminum wire surrounded by plastic joints. Keeps the wire from bending too much. I got one like it for macro work that holds the flash.
Not as flexible as you might think, but it works.

[halesr]

OOPS! You only want to know how it is put together. They call that part the flexible arm and say it is New patent pending stiffer flexible arm makes it the only product of its kind capable of holding a 12â€

[castledude]

It's called a gooseneck. It's used to make lamps and microphone stands.

You could probably hack up something from ebay. The other thing that could be used is flexable tubing that is used for gas connections to a clothes dryer.

[halesr]

The little connectors can pop apart and then be put back together so it is almost like those pop-it toys for kids from a few years back. If that helps.--Rene

[jypsee]