Sunday, December 13, 2015

American Flagpoles

By Rosemary White


Early flagpoles were simply trees selected for their relative straightness that were cut down, stripped of bark and branches, and then replanted in the ground with a flag attached at the top.

These trees would be shaped with knives and then sanded to a smooth finish. Animal fat was then used as a preservative and rubbed over the entirety of the pole for several days to ensure the wood was totally saturated with the fat. In the hands of an expert, these poles could remain functional for over 50 years. These flagpoles were very attractive, but due to their direct installation into the ground, they typically rot at the base.

Near the turn of the 20th century, steel flag poles became more popular, although they were often simply the recycled materials that had served other purposes. Ships masts were often repurposed as flag poles. Steel section poles used to house trolley lines were employed to make flag poles and eventually, sectional steel flag poles were manufactured for the purpose of flying flags. Wooden poles became obsolete. In the later 1920s, flag pole producers began constructing the long tapered poles so common today.

Assembling advances in aluminum poles drove in the end to the strength of aluminum and aluminum combinations as the essential materials for making flagpoles today. Aluminum is more flexible as an assembling material, and it has gotten to be far less expensive than steel.

The pole used to "fly" the flag planted on the moon by the Apollo 11 crew may have been the most engineered flag pole in history. The pole was designed with a telescoping horizontal support to hold a flag out stiffly in the lack of atmosphere, much less wind, on the surface of the moon. It was made very light weight and employed a telescoping design that could be manipulated by astronauts wearing massive space suit gloves. The flag was stored in a shroud that traveled tucked into one of the legs of the lunar lander.

Today, strong, stable flagpoles by The Flagpole Warehouse proved to be the best simple and affordable solutions for the U.S. Army and Navy to serve as lightning rods at the U.S Naval Submarine Base in Kings Bay, GA, and as structures for gun range warning systems at the U.S. Army Strategic Operations installation in Southern California and Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Flagpoles of 60 ft. and 50 ft. sporting The Flagpole WarehouseĆ¢€™s perfected solar lighting solutions have also been reconfigured into very effective strobe lighting warning systems. With communication and cell towers popping up somewhere new every day, flagpoles are proving to be economical mounting solutions. From telescoping solutions and other commercial grades hi-tech strong quality construction materials, The Flagpole Warehouse can provide innovative solutions for individual projects.




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