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quartziteflight
climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 23, 2009 - 09:56am PT
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hellooo tacoheads!
I think I'm going to try my hand at making some holds for a woody. There's some good info on the net, but I've got a couple specific questions.
1)Does the washer need to be embedded in the hold? Or can seat in when I drill the hole.
2)Has anyone tried using old holds as a template for making molds?
3)What about using houshold items as templates for the molds...halved grapefruits for small sloppers. Toy balls for big sloppers.
4) Jibs. Can I just screw those on the wall with deck screws?
5) I'm a crackwhore. Can you paint the sand/resin mixture on boards to texture them? Hopefully I'll have a #2 crack and maybe some OW suffering stuff
thanx!
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Jan 23, 2009 - 10:14am PT
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We always preseated the washers in wooden holds, to make sure you don't split it.
Just used standard woodscrews on jibs. Predrill 'em!
Dunno about painting resiny shizz.
Use a really hard, dense wood for holds......Good luck!!
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quartziteflight
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2009 - 10:37am PT
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Did you use a router to shape the wood holds?
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Jan 23, 2009 - 11:11am PT
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I've made many holds for my wall by making a cast of an original hold I like, and filling the mold with a combo of sand & bondo. It's an inexpensive way to make a bunch of big roof jugs & such. Here's how to do it!
1- Get some latex from a hobby shop. It comes in a jar about the size of a coffee can. Brush on a layer of latex & let it dry for a few hours. Repeat this several times to build up some thickness. At this point you need to layer on some gauze all over the hold to give the mold some strength when manipulating the mold off of the finished hold. It you skip this step, you are likely to tear the mold when you remove it from the new hold. Once the latex/gauze combo is on the mold, brush more latex on it & let it dry a few hours. Repeat with more layers of latex over the gauze. I believe I would do 3 layers, run the gauze, & apply 3 or 4 more layers of latex. Allow more time for damp environments. Don't forget to make a wider base to allow the hold to sit once it's filled with sand & bondo, think of a base of a lamp as your guide.
2- Get a can of bondo & get some clean beach sand from a building supply store. It's key to have clean sand & no dirt. I would suggest gloves for the next steps as the bondo is kinda messy & it's hard to get off of your hands.
3- Mix as much sand into the grey bondo primer as you can get it to take. A stick for stirring up the mixture should stand straight up in the container when it's about right. Too little sand & the holds feel slick.
4- Add the red hardener to the sand/bondo combo. Once this is done, you only have a couple of minutes to fill your molds before the bonds sets up. At this point, you can add an epoxy based color agent to make the holds different colors. Do not use any other color agent! The hold will break along a band of color if you use something else.
5-Add color & give it a few swirls & start packing it into the mold. Make sure there are no bubbles or air pockets. When the mold is almostfilled, press a washer into the base where the hole will be & fill it in some more. Too little bondo between the washer & the wall surface, & the hold will break when you really crank on it.
6- Let the hold cure for 24 hours or so on a piece of cardboard or a paper plate. When dry, carefully peel off the mold & sand the base of the hold so it sits nice & flat against the wall surface. Drill out the hold for the nut, making sure you drill thru the washer embedded in the hold.
&- Slap your holds on your wall & start having fun!
It may take some trial & error to get it just right but it's easier than you think.
I hope this helps!
Levy
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quartziteflight
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2009 - 11:54am PT
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Sweet!
It may take a little trial and error, but this shizz doesn't look too hard...200 bones doesn't go that far when buying holds, but it sure buys a truckload of bondo and sand...I'll be azzhole deep in holds!
I was thinking about using that liquid latex stuff for making a mold of boobies for the climb wall. Anways hooray for boobies and climbing holds!!
cheers
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BBWolf
climber
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Jan 23, 2009 - 12:28pm PT
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levy
any pics of your homemade holds?
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Tez
Mountain climber
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Jan 23, 2009 - 12:43pm PT
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If you are going to make your own holds, use wood. It is less abrasive on the hands, works better if the wall is cold, and you don't have to deal with the fumes of making a new hold.
Go down to your local hardware store and get a few railing end pieces. These typically have a good shape for the hand.
Preparation is easy:
1) Take out the screw and put a bit of glue in there - let it dry for at least a day.
2) Drill a hole in the wall - perferably at a stud
3) After you screw it in, you may want to put in a small screw on the side to keep the hold from turning - again, pre drill this hole.
I also took a short section of wood railing and drilled it out to fit a T-Nut type bolt (with a washer). Depending on the orientation, it makes a great pinch or crimp.
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goatboywonder
Trad climber
Estes Park, CO
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Jan 23, 2009 - 01:33pm PT
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I have had pretty good luck with just drilling a hole in a rock and bolting it to the wall. It works best to drill a small pilot hole first and then finish with a 3/8th mason bit. A press and some clamps makes this a lot easier. Also, if you have problems with the hold spinning on the wall, slip a piece of bicycle inner tube behind it.
To make some difficult feet I have either drilled small (~1/2" - 1") pockets directly in the plywood or just smeared bondo/sand mix directly on the plywood, shaping in into small ripples.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Jan 23, 2009 - 01:36pm PT
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You can use a router, If you table mount it & watch those fingers!
Or any hand tool you like, depending on how tedious you want the process to be.
I like the feel of the wood holds, as long as you use a good wood, like I was sayin' before.We also made some stone holds like the Goatboy was mentioning above. Some will break, some won't.
Happy crafting!
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rwedgee
Ice climber
canyon country,CA
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Jan 23, 2009 - 01:55pm PT
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Here's how to do it. Get this stuff, polyester resin, 2 parts; A & B mixed together half and half.
Hardens in a minute and is ready to climbing on in 10 minutes, as soon as it cools. You color one half then when you're ready add the other half. It goes off(exothermic) in 30 seconds. Use silicone with the hardener for the molds. I've made my own for specialty stuff but most are copies. You can add colors for solids or "swirls" or whatever, or rub some on the mold and it will transfer to the hold. The small "sheets" of holds are the most efficient as you can make a dozen in literally 2 minutes.
Yes, use washers as it distributes the force more evenly. A little silicone on the back of a finshed hold will keep it from spinning as opposed to overtightening it. The bigger they are the hotter they get and heat is what ruins the mold so you don't get as many out of the big molds. Sand or microballoons(fillers) are a waste of time unless you're commercial. Be sure to use a releasing agent(it's like Pam for holds so they don't stick and tear the mold. Fiberglass and Bondo are old school. Fiberglass offgasses for 3 years and is brittle. Bondo is $$. I've made quite a few. 3 #woodies worth. I've got buckets of old ones lying around.
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scuffy b
climber
On the dock in the dark
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Jan 23, 2009 - 04:20pm PT
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quartziteflight:
5) My structure is outdoors. I decided I needed an epoxy-based
paint for durability.
I rolled a coat of paint on (with surfaces horizontal) then
poured lots of fine sand onto it and pressed it in. After I
brushed off the excess it took some rubbing to get to an
acceptable state. It has proven to be a durable texture.
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quartziteflight
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2009 - 05:07pm PT
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Rwedge,
Damn dude. thats a pretty pimp setup. Thanx for the info. How'd you make those molds? You duck hunt much?
Scruff,
cool.
Captn,
I know this guy who builds custom bars. He gets this tropical wood in called paulapay(sp?) He usually has tons of scraps. It's actually heavier than water and super oily. It should make some pretty cool wood holds...Routers are good...losing fingers not so good...
cheers
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Jan 23, 2009 - 06:01pm PT
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dang rwedgee, you are a regular McGyver! Very, very impressive.
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quartziteflight
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2009 - 07:18pm PT
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salad,
That's cool bro. But it ain't for me. I'd rather make something than pay someone anyday...
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rwedgee
Ice climber
canyon country,CA
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Jan 23, 2009 - 08:36pm PT
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Quartz, 1st season of duck hunting for me. I like it but there's not a lot of ducks in so cal.(except for the golf corse) Did OK at the lake in Palmdale a few times, which is good for being 27 miles from my house. Saw thousands of geese around Grand Junction ,CO while ice climbing last week. Next season will be better because I know a little about it now.
As far as making the holds I put them in a tray like pan( see picture with card board show box top) or something like a shoe box lid. Arrange them so you can fit as many as possible (as the casting silicone is expensive- $100 a gallon) with similar heights to reduce dead space. Any part of the tray that doesn't have a hold will have to be filled with silicone, so pack them in like puzzle pieces. Glue the holds onto the tray with some caulking or double back tape then fill the tray with the silicone(after mixing in the hardener). The silicone will harden in a few hours, depends on the temperature(warmer = faster cure time and how much hardener/catalyst you put in). Overnight is a good rule I used a pyrex(glass) pan once and had to break it to get the mold out. Cardboard is the way to go just tape up all the holes(from the inside) so the silicone doesn't leak out. It will leak out thru the smallest hole and make a HUGE mess. Trust me on that one. HUGE. When it's done you just pop the holds out and you have your mold. Email me if you more beta on coloring, etc.
I've got a bunch of old ones laying around and a bunch of fiberglass ones you can have for postage.
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quartziteflight
climber
dirthy souf hoes throwing dirty souf bows!
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 24, 2009 - 11:28am PT
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email sent
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quartziteflight
climber
dirthy souf hoes throwing dirty souf bows!
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 25, 2009 - 09:56pm PT
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Captn,
No sh#t bro! Imagine that someone would actually be interested in climbing and training in a climbers forum! Jesus f*ck! Who are these people?
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Jan 25, 2009 - 11:03pm PT
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I always made my climbing holds out of black walnut. I found them to have the best texture and they are very durable. Easier on the fingers than plastic. I have some that are more than 25 years old and have been outdoors and they are still going strong.
Ken
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