Can you Help ID These Stamped Initials?

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Messages 1 - 17 of total 17 in this topic
Roots

Mountain climber
SoCal
Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 1, 2013 - 01:53pm PT
Bought some carabiners from the East Coast a few months ago - been wondering who partners "C&R" were/are? Anyone know?

Thank you!

Greg Barnes

climber
Oct 1, 2013 - 01:54pm PT
Chouinard & Robbins

Duh.
Roots

Mountain climber
SoCal
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 2, 2013 - 11:06am PT
ha! But no...
pb

Sport climber
Sonora Ca
Oct 2, 2013 - 12:02pm PT
ive got some old ones like that stamped J A B found on wawona dome many years ago
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Oct 2, 2013 - 12:06pm PT
I would think you are looking for a couple or a club or organization.

Where on the east coast did you make your purchase?
Roots

Mountain climber
SoCal
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 11, 2013 - 05:45pm PT
Thanks for the reply SG - Figured "C&R" might be recognized here as partners or a couple as you suggest.

This came along with other items out of New York (indirectly to me) from climber Al Demaria so did not get a chance to ask him. The seller knows Al and Al did not know who's initials they are.

Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Oct 12, 2013 - 01:45am PT
That narrows it down a lot!

Ask jstan, Alan Rubin and rgold about it and I can ask Dick Williams if they don't get a match.
LuckyPink

climber
the last bivy
Oct 12, 2013 - 02:10am PT
bring them to Oakdale
jstan

climber
Oct 12, 2013 - 03:05am PT
1. Few of the people with whom I was in contact stamped their gear from consideration of reduced strength. The great majority used colored electrical tape. I think it technically disadvantageous to stamp a biner on a member that becomes fully loaded and cannot fail. I don't remember seeing that a lot. No one from MIT did it.
2. The biner shows strong wear and even wear that suggests lowering or rappelling. The Gunks saw little of that before the early 70's. People generally went to the top. And the soil in the Gunks is not as abrasive as it is in granitic areas
3. That model of Chouinard was used, I believe, beginning around 1957 and was superseded by the middle 70's. It was not generally present in the Gunks till the late 60's. This mitigates against some of that biner's properties, as regards use in the Gunks.

I would focus on looking at other areas, Gunks climbers who were itinerant, or perhaps the possibility the climber emigrated to the Gunks and left his equipment, or possibly exactly half of his equipment, in that area. The "&" suggests this with a probability somewhere north of 50%.

Few members of Al D's generation remain and most do not frequent Gunks.com. You might try that venue even so.

Basically there were few biners in the Gunks like this. Al moved around. He may have scored these in C4.


Roots

Mountain climber
SoCal
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 12, 2013 - 11:49am PT
Thanks for the help guys! - It does seem unique/interesting to see a "&" stamped on a carabiner. Like you mentioned, it could have been picked up anywhere and/or as booty.
Roots

Mountain climber
SoCal
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 30, 2013 - 11:46am PT
How about these initials....Thought having (3) might narrow it down easily.

"JAN" or could be "JAM" stamped on this Bedayn.


Roots

Mountain climber
SoCal
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 30, 2013 - 11:49am PT
Oh I have more...."WC" anyone? Another Bedayn:

Roots

Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 23, 2014 - 02:28pm PT
Was looking at the C&R carabiner the other day...what a surprise to see it was without "Chouinard" on it. So this is a first production run carabiner!

Alcoa I
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Jul 23, 2014 - 02:34pm PT
Jstan, or anyone... Ever hear of a 'biner, or anything else, climbing related, failing along a stamped or engraved mark?
Lasti

Trad climber
Budapest
Jul 23, 2014 - 06:09pm PT
Hey Roots,

That's a cool idea, finding the original owners of old gear. Must have a history!

Jaybro, though I also have qualms regarding stamping gear, I have a few cosmetic second carabiners stamped accordingly (2nd) by the manufacturer (BD and WC - yeah, I'm that cheap). I guess they wouldn't do it if it would compromise the integrity of the carabiner. But maybe they are using a very controlled pressure stamping technique more advanced than whacking away with an A5 hammer.

Lasti
Wayne Campbell

climber
Jul 23, 2014 - 07:46pm PT
I had a few Bedeyans back in the day, hand-me-downs from some South Bay RCS types. I was stamping gear with my initials those days and would have stamped on the gate. I found a baby angle recently with my initials on it! I used old gear for bail biners, usually!
steveA

Trad climber
Wolfeboro, NH
Jul 24, 2014 - 03:40pm PT
The WC could stand for Willy Crowther? He would of been climbing around the time that carabiner was made. Willy did the 1st ascent of Arrow, in the Gunks, and Sliding Board on Whitehorse Ledge, in N.H.
Willy was very active with the MIT outing club. He was one of my mentors BITD
Messages 1 - 17 of total 17 in this topic
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