I have a plastic curtain pole (unlike that one). The spot where the extension starts creates a bigger edge than on the pic, and curtain rings always bump into it. It's really, really annoying.
Because the window is so wide I need to use such extendable pole. So there's no alternative, at least within my budget.
Is there any solution to prevent curtain rings from bumping so much against the edge?
A great trick is to buy 2 curtain rods. IKEA is cheap enough. Join the bigger rods, with narrow inside. For some might need tape to make them snug. Put join in centre to go in support. All the same diameter in the end.
Disassemble the pole. This may involve simply unscrewing it completely or there may be a retainer of some sort that needs to be disengaged.
Using a file or coarse sanding block, taper the end of the larger pole. Work slowly and don't go so far that you create waves in the end cut. Stop just short of a sharp edge. You want a long angle, such that the horizontal distance is about three times the thickness of the taper.
Reassemble the pole.
If that doesn't suit, look at creating your own custom-length pole using 1" steel electrical conduit and contact paper. Clean the pole with alcohol and wrap it with one or more layers of paper to coordinate with your decorating scheme. Mount it with common hardware sockets.
If it is a white pole, a bit of white electrical insulating tape wrapped around to smooth out the transition can help, but may not be durable. It is however a cheap option to try out.
I have used a thick plastic adhesive tape ("Ezyglide Tape", I guess other makes may be available) on my extending metal shower curtain pole and it works well enough. It goes on the top along the length of the pole and, as well as stopping the metal curtain loops scratching, smooths out the transition:
There's a product called Ezyglide Tape that is the best way to fix this - not only does it smooth out the join, but it provides a smooth, slick and silent sliding solution along the whole pole - permanently! Takes about 5 minutes to fit. Brilliant stuff.
I have a similar issue. On my curtain rod, there is a sort of plastic washer that slides into the outer rod and makes the transition from the inner to outer rod a little bit smoother. If your curtains have metal rings, that might be enough. On my specific rod, the plastic piece is not that smooth, so you may need to shop around, open boxes, and take a look if the rods come with such a piece, and if you think it would be smooth enough.
See the example on this curtain rod:
Also, in my case, I have the curtains on the rod with the loops attached to the curtain, which seem very prone to getting hung up there.My curtain rods are black, so instead of buying a different set of rods, I will try wrapping the spot in one layer of black electrical tape. Depending on what color of curtain rod you have, this may or may not be an option.
So many answers, let's add another. If you live near a makerspace, you could visit and find a helpful 3D printer owner. A tapered sleeve to provide a smoother transition is an easy model to construct and would be pennies in filament cost. Durability would be high, even with PLA filament and your color choices are endless.
I had same problem...my solution was using thin aluminium from server tray or similar wrapped around inner tube to bridge the gap between. then tape of whatever suits to seal. worked a charm.
