Shakespearean character's strong metal rod (8)
I believe the answer is:
falstaff
'shakespearean character's' is the definition.
'strong metal rod' is the wordplay.
'strong' becomes 'f'.
'metal' becomes 'al' (Al is an example).
'rod' becomes 'staff' (I've seen this before).
'f'+'al'+'staff'='FALSTAFF'
(Other definitions for falstaff that I've seen before include "Shakespeare's fat, convivial knight" , "Shakespeare's fat alcoholic knight" , "Shakespeare's fat 20 ac" , "from 6 &12 [VERDI & SHAKESPEARE] ?" , "Large Shakespearean character" .)