Making your own climbing holds on the cheap??
Ralph Seguin
My wife and I are really strapped for cash, but I would very much like
to make a bouldering wall outside my garage or some such place.
We cannot afford the pre-fab holds in shops.
A couple of ideas that have come to mind in terms of making my own
climbing holds:
-buy bags of reinforced concrete and sand
-Form the sand into various shapes as molds
-Place a bolt facing upright to act as the anchoring bolt
-Pour [fiber reinforced] concrete into the molds and let set and
cure
-Pull the new holds out of the form
Will this work?
Other suitable and inexpensive materials?
Thanks.
-Ralph
rpseguin AT yahoo DOT com
Jesse Schomberg
Hi Ralph.
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/9640/index.html and
http://www.tradgirl.com/rc/faq7.htm#holds have some ideas. I don't know
if your idea would work or not. My guess is the surface of your holds
will be quite rough.
Peace
~Jesse
John
in a gym where one of the bouldering sections has wooden holds. There's
alot you can do with a few blocks, a chisel and sandpaper.
Except for slopers (too slippy) and jibs (too weak) wood can be used for any
holds. Much cheaper if what you care about is training, not "check out my
wall" bragging rights.
"Ralph Seguin" <rpse...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:63ca7e76.01100...@posting.google.com...
Mike Garrison
>
> My guess is the surface of your holds will be quite rough.
That's what sandblasting is for.
-Mike
Mad Dog
>Wood, while not as flashy or cool as real holds, can be used. I've climbed
>in a gym where one of the bouldering sections has wooden holds. There's
>alot you can do with a few blocks, a chisel and sandpaper.
Wood rules. Wood. Good wood.
I'd hate to just have a chisel and sandpaper, but I guess one could sit in
lotus, chant and chisel. Bench sanders and table saws are the ticket.
>Except for slopers (too slippy) and jibs (too weak) wood can be used for any
>holds.
There are tricks that work for slopers. Take red oak and orient the end grain
towards the grip side. Keep sandpaper around to clean the surface every now and
then. Grind small ribs (for her pleasure) onto the surface. For jibs, make
laminates and attach with wood screws. It works.
>Much cheaper if what you care about is training, not "check out my
>wall" bragging rights.
Technically cheaper but time is money and good wood holds take time. But when
the plastic has your hands looking like a lobster, wood feels good.
Mad "morning wood" Dog
Jim
easy
go to the hardware store and pick up a few masonary drill and then
to your favorite rock garden and start picking rocks.
take your time drilling .. heat will damage the drill bits . so a big
cup of water near by comes in handy .
some will drill really easy, some you wont get a 1/4 in into and hit a hard
spot.
toss it away and move onto the next one.
This will make a dust mess but you will have real rocks on the wall..
Dont tighten them to much on the wall with the bolt . they will crack
in a way that may be good .. simulating that flake the breaks away when you
grab it .. so go ahead and crank them babies tight .. hheheheee
took me about 2 days and now i have 2 , 5 gallon pails full of drilled
rocks.
"Ralph Seguin" <rpse...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:63ca7e76.01100...@posting.google.com...
Mike Yukish
> John" says...
>
> >Except for slopers (too slippy) and jibs (too weak) wood can be used for any
> >holds.
I use wood holds for all of my slopers. How, you ask? After making the slopey hold,
I smear it with Elmer's Wood Glue and then dump fine sand all over it. The sand
provides just enough friction to make the hold really work for you, but not to tear
the skin. They are much more skin-friendly than the Franklin holds, for example.
Another trick is to drip a couple of blobs of glue on the back, and put sand on
them. Keeps the hold from spinning.
Lord Slime
> I use wood holds for all of my slopers. How, you ask? After making the slopey hold,
> I smear it with Elmer's Wood Glue and then dump fine sand all over it. The sand
> provides just enough friction to make the hold really work for you, but not to tear
> the skin. They are much more skin-friendly than the Franklin holds, for example.
>
> Another trick is to drip a couple of blobs of glue on the back, and put sand on
> them. Keeps the hold from spinning.
I agree, wood is probably your best bet. Be sure to use HARDWOOD
and not soft pines, etc. Softwoods will break, and you'll end up on your
back unexpectedly, or get injured in other ways.
We tried pine (2x4s, 2x2s) for many hand and foot holds. We tossed
them all in the fire and remade them from oak.
Mike's right about them spinning. Another alternative is to put
a small woodscrew into them (besides the normal bolt).
- Lord Slime
Sam Shank
> -Form the sand into various shapes as molds
> -Place a bolt facing upright to act as the anchoring bolt
> -Pour [fiber reinforced] concrete into the molds and let set and
> cure
> -Pull the new holds out of the form
>
> Will this work?
Probably not. Check out my page.
http://www.geocities.com/samshank
Good luck,
Sam
nathan sweet
>
>Mike's right about them spinning. Another alternative is to put
>a small woodscrew into them (besides the normal bolt).
>
Yet another alternative is to use stair treads on the back of the hold.
These are available at Home Centers and look like a long sheet of sandpaper
with a self sticking aluminum backing. Peal off the backing and stick it to
the (clean) hold. The rough side goes to the wall.
nathan sweet
Jim Cormier
> Other suitable and inexpensive materials?
>
> Thanks.
> -Ralph
> rpseguin AT yahoo DOT com
I do not use molds, but am considering it. The method I use entails
hand shaping each hold which gives me great results, Unfortunately it
prevents making duplicated holds.
Heres the technique:
1. Preparing the bolts.
Use 3/8" socket head cap screws
place a 3/8" large fender washer on screw
place 3/8" i.d. poly tubing over threaded portion of screw (leave
about 1/2" of threaded tip exposed)
place a piece of 1/2" - 5/8" vinyl tubing over socket head
Place plastic or wood plug in tube end
this will cover the screws from all cantact with the resin, but
allow removal of everything but washer.
2. Preparing the boards.
Use a variety of 3/4" plywood boards
drill 1/2" holes with sufficient spacing for molding holds
instal 3/8" t- nuts
cover boards with wax paper
screw above bolts into t- nuts
3. Mixing resinous concrete.
Add 1 qt. of resin to a plastic pail
add silica sand to resin until about consistancy of mashed potato's
(must be able to shape and hold its position, no sag)
add hardner per instructions about 11- 15 cc per qt.
4. Molding holds.
grab a handfull of resinous concrete
mold around bolt
press firmly (you need to make sure there is no air pockets or thin
spots)
mold and shape (try to make sure there are multiple features on each
hold)
When satisfied cover hold with loose sand
5. Finishing
After holds are cured (hardened)
dump sand of holds (save for future use)
unbolt from boards
remove tubing from back of holds ( I use a threaded bolt)
save tubing (if not damaged) as they can be reused
wire brush holds to remove any excess sand
6. Advantages to this type of technique.
saves on expense of molds
holds can be modified at any time (Drilled, grinded, cut, etc....)
holds retain texture after extended use. this is because of the
process, as excess resin tends to flow downward towards base of hold
and exposes more sand grains. If you consider that with molded holds
the resin would tend to flow to the ouside of the hold (gravity) and
not expose the grains of sand but tend to encapsulate them you can see
why molded holds tend to get slick after extended use.
7. disadvantages.
Holds tend to be heavier
more labor time
lack of duplicates
Jim Cormier
Cormier Mountaineering
Ryan Morin
new google search and search for the term "making climbing holds" and
it comes up with a bunch of resources.
one of the most effective ways for getting holds i have found is to
find rocks next time you are at the cliff. look for some strong rocks
that have a good feel to them.and a somewhat flat back. the best part
is everyone will be different. then purchase get a masonry bit from
your local hardware store and drill a hole through the middle. then
bolt it on with an appropriatly sized bolt and proctect the rock from
the bolt head by using washer.
Also previously i have called or emailed hold manufacturing companies
and asked them for a catoulouge and sample and they sometimes will
include a small cripmp or foothold.
GorgeMonkey
I find that if your real rocks are not flat enough on the backside,
you can smear them with Bondo, let it harden, and grin the bondo down
flat so your hold will have more contact with your wall.
I have also found that you can use just plain old Bondo to make some
smaller screw on holds.
I've had a 230lb. sumoclimber hanging on it and it hasn't broke (yet).
If you did use the bondo idea, you can use the same glue/sand coating
method mentioned earlier in this thread.