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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 13, 2016 - 10:25am PT
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I wanted to make my own portaledge and so I started with what I thought would be the hardest parts. I got some input and made the corners. This will accept OD 7/8, .035" wall, 4130 tubing.
1 inch OD Titanium -6Al -4V (aka T64) was in my garage so why not use it?
Drawing:
The titanium was machined to make half the corners so 8 total pieces were machined:
Then the material was tacked together to form the corners:
The experienced welder did his thing (not me):
Now you can't weld Titanium and be done. T64 needs to be stress relieved and then preferably aged to bring the hardness and ultimate tensile strength up. For this you need a Kiln capable of accurately going up to 1,000 degrees F for 4 hours.
T64 (and titanium in general) cannot be aged in an oxygen environment. It causes an alpha white layer that will crack badly at your welds. To do this you apply 'stopoff' on the part to prevent oxygen from touching it then you put it in an argon environment during the aging process.
Argon purging out oxygen prior to bake:
4 hours later and slow cool to ambient we have mostly finished 6.2oz each corners:
More to come as the weeks roll by.
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Lambone
Big Wall climber
Ashland, Or
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Aug 13, 2016 - 10:45am PT
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cool, I hope they are easier top put together then my stupid name brand portaledge.
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Prod
Trad climber
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Aug 13, 2016 - 10:47am PT
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Nice.
Prod.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Aug 13, 2016 - 11:37am PT
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Pretty. Thanks for posting.
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Aug 13, 2016 - 11:41am PT
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cool. But titanium is not light, is it necessary?
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 13, 2016 - 11:57am PT
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Studly,
Titanium is definitely not necessary but I had it laying around. I can always make lighter ones in the future. I am pretty new to big wall climbing with only 100ish pitches of aid under my belt and two nights on the wall.
What weight are the corners on name brand portaledges? Fish uses solid Al but drills holes in the center for bungee so they are around 3.5 oz i'm guessing? So that's a difference of 10oz?
I don't plan on a light portaledge. I think I may make it 90" long. Being 6'5" makes me want a longer one.
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ecdh
climber
the east
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Aug 13, 2016 - 04:41pm PT
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yeah thats cool. i now know 500% more about titanium than i did 10 mins ago. just as objects they are nice things.
will be keen to see how this all turns out.
if you could produce a clusterf*#kless suspension system youd be up for a Nobel (all respect to the original designers who no doubt did they best they could).
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SalNichols
Big Wall climber
Richmond, CA
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Aug 13, 2016 - 05:29pm PT
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You can bore out those IDs you know...
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WBraun
climber
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Aug 13, 2016 - 05:31pm PT
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Fine quality workmanship, top notch .....
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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Aug 13, 2016 - 06:07pm PT
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Awesome job! Since you had the material, I'm sure it was a fun project in its own right.
I've had good success going the "other way." While you have your tubes going over your corners, I've used aluminum blocks and drilled into them on two adjacent faces, enabling the tubes to slide into the blocks to form the corners. I get a very, very rigid result this way with virtually no frame-bow and no need for a center brace. And the aluminum is light.
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 6, 2016 - 08:14am PT
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The long weekend was fruitful. Had some time to put in on the portaldge.
Titanium corners
4130 seamless tube
4130 sleeves to connect long tubes, sleeve fish eye welded in place to one of the tubes
Portaledge main material 210d packcloth
portaledge back up material (blue) 410d packcloth (heavy but I had it laying around)
Brown side protection is 16 oz hypalon.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Killer craftsmanship.....and I like the colors. Auburn University colors. My alma mater. WAR EAGLE!
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 12, 2016 - 07:50am PT
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Got the main bed mostly done. Just need support fins and suspension.
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Sep 12, 2016 - 09:52am PT
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Very impressive!
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AlanDoak
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Sep 12, 2016 - 09:52am PT
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Very cool, I love engineering projects that end up in something you can use.
I dunno, would a zig-zag stitch have been a better choice than a straight stitch on the long side pockets? I'm genuinely curious, it's a high stress location, can anyone educate us?
Also, I'm curious about your adjustment method on the 6 cords. Is it easily adjustable under load? Make sure you have plenty of adjustment range to account for various slopes and such. And, I'd suggest clip loops of some sort on the 6 guy lines to organize gear. Also, a top-center strong point that's human rated is very useful, particularly if you're using a fly.
I didn't care for the 6 carabiners at first, but they double as a handy clip in point for gear, I suppose.
Thanks for sharing!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Sep 12, 2016 - 11:01am PT
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fun project
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 12, 2016 - 11:57am PT
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AlanDoak,
The suspension system isn't done. The cord was quickly rigged with carabiners clipped to the load points. I wanted to make sure it all held together and didn't need repair.
Still needs:
-Two center fins with cup holders and zipperd pockets
-Adjustable suspension system with 1" cam buckles.
-Haul Bag
Rain fly is separate project as far as I'm concerned. Already sketched out the funky angles (fractals) and purchased material/tent pole.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Sep 12, 2016 - 12:37pm PT
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Looks awesome Randy!
Nice fish! and is that a "Coiler" painting on your mantle?
Have you thought about a middle spreader bar?
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 12, 2016 - 12:52pm PT
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No "coiler" painting on my wall. Just outdoor art from me or friends.
I made the portaledge 50" wide which maxed out the width of the material I bought. My goal was to keep it at a reasonable width to avoid a spreader bar. The massive wide portaledge made by metolius needs a spreader bar.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Sep 12, 2016 - 12:57pm PT
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Good choice with the Titanium. I have lots of Titanium just lying around the house and garage. Doesn't everyone?
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