Hi Kevin.
Talk to the RC flyers and get small electric helicopters that they are tossing out.
You can salvage all kinds of hardware and carbon rods and linkages from them.
The best thing is that it’s free!

I have used lots of carbon rods and tubes for pushrods. You just can’t go undersize, the stuff is just too stiff. It is so light that who cares if it is overkill. No big deal.

Use what you have and maybe give a a little bend test to reassure yourself it is enough.