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rockgekko
May 8, 2007, 11:29 AM
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hi, I want to do some climbing at this crag that has been left to rot for a while and some of the bolts look pretty sketchy. Whats the best way to decifer if they are ok? cheers
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reg
May 8, 2007, 12:16 PM
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3/8" bolts, stainless steel, tight (hanger to the rock and bolt in the rock), condition of rock. so if it's rusty, wobbly/hanger spins, or bolt is loose and or to small (1/4" or button head) it is suspect. set up a rap and test each one by clipping an old biner to them. rig a weight like a hand maul or wall hammer to the biner and try to yank them straight out. bounch test them (while on rappell and backed up with autoblock device and stopper knots on the ends of the rope) if they're solid you'll know after all that. edit: do your self and everyone after you and replace them? if your going to use the area, do a little rehab. this is from the NPS/Pinnicles area: "Older routes may be equipped with "hardware store bolts" such as 1/4" compression bolts or 3/8" Star Dryvin expansion bolts. These should be considered extremely suspect and never completely trusted. Old or damaged bolts may be replaced, but only by hand as power drills are not allowed. If done, use at least 3/8"x 3 1/2" five piece Rawl expansion bolts or another bolt specifically made for climbing. Please paint the hanger to match the rock. This process requires experience and knowledge. Read up on the subject and get help from experienced bolters before you try it for the first time."
(This post was edited by reg on May 8, 2007, 12:27 PM)
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j_ung
May 8, 2007, 12:46 PM
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rockgekko wrote: hi, I want to do some climbing at this crag that has been left to rot for a while and some of the bolts look pretty sketchy. Whats the best way to decifer if they are ok? cheers If you post a pic of one of the bolts, I bet somebody on here can tell you a little about it.
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coastal_climber
May 8, 2007, 3:34 PM
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Check for rust stains below the bolt, and if you can, attach a daisy chain to it and bounce on it or give it some good tugs. >Cam
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caughtinside
May 8, 2007, 4:01 PM
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coastal_climber wrote: Check for rust stains below the bolt, and if you can, attach a daisy chain to it and bounce on it or give it some good tugs. >Cam that won't do anything.
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coastal_climber
May 8, 2007, 8:30 PM
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caughtinside wrote: coastal_climber wrote: Check for rust stains below the bolt, and if you can, attach a daisy chain to it and bounce on it or give it some good tugs. >Cam that won't do anything. Ok, then how do you do it?
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sbaclimber
May 8, 2007, 9:22 PM
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First, ^^^^^^ excellent place to start!
rockgekko wrote: I want to do some climbing at this crag that has been left to rot for a while and some of the bolts look pretty sketchy. Whats the best way to decifer if they are ok? My personal opinion (based only on a very limited experience of having removed a handful of bolts and seeing dozens of pictures of ones others have removed) is, if you think the bolt "looks" sketchy, then short of a proper pull-test, there is no way of telling whether or not it is is okay! I have removed bolts that were 20+ years old and looked pretty manky, and turned out to still be bomber. Others that were just as old, and looked in much better condition, turned out to be quite scary. Replacing them really is about the only way to make sure...IMO
(This post was edited by sbaclimber on May 8, 2007, 9:25 PM)
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dashclimber306
May 10, 2007, 2:12 AM
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ha we have one of those modified lost arrow deals at the local crag. sketch.
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ja1484
May 10, 2007, 2:58 AM
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A bolt is only good, even if brand new, when placed well. In short, there is absolutely NO, repeat NO WAY to tell, simply on visual/tactile inspection whether or not the bolt is bomber. So, you essentially must play the numbers game. Consider some of these factors: - Is the hardware extremely worn or corroded? - Where am I climbing? A popular crag with a ton of traffic, or the middle of nowhere? - Who places fixed hardware in this area? Is it someone well known? What is their reputation? - What are my other options? Can I place gear? Are there natural anchors? Etc. If you're climbing a New River classic that was put up by Eric Horst, and all the bolts are a shiny bright silver, the odds are you will be absolutely fine. If you're climbing some god-forsaken rural trad line that is a 7 hour drive from anywhere and hasn't seen an ascent since Gumby McHamsammich got lost back in 1978, you might want to think twice about that rusted, loose 1/4" bolt. These conundrums are what got me on gear especially fast. If I place the pro, I know it's done right, and even if it's not optimal, at least I either take the risk knowingly and climb above it or bail. I don't think I'm clipping a bomb shelter when I might as well have slung a wine glass. So, to summarize: - No way to tell if the bolt is good or not. If you know some history and a little about the crag you're at, you can make a weighted guess. That's as good as it gets.
(This post was edited by ja1484 on May 10, 2007, 3:00 AM)
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tradmanclimbs
May 10, 2007, 2:08 PM
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If you can pry it out with your nut tool it is definatly bad!! BTDT
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ja1484
May 10, 2007, 8:51 PM
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j_ung wrote: ja1484 wrote: - No way to tell if the bolt is good or not. I know what you're saying, but that's not entirely true. Sometimes, it is possible to tell if a bolt is bad by looking, for example in the pic posted above. Safe bet those are bad. You know what I'm saying. False negatives are unlikely, but false positives aren't, and they're the devastating ones...
(This post was edited by ja1484 on May 10, 2007, 8:55 PM)
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