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Matthew0718
Apr 30, 2012, 2:59 PM
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Hey, I've been wanting to build my own bouldering wall. Climbing holds are really expensive, does anyone know a really cheap place for holds, also is it possible to drill a hole in a rock with a diamond drill bit and attatch it to the wall?
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lena_chita
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Apr 30, 2012, 4:16 PM
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Yes, it is possible to drill a hole in the rocks, and attach them to the wall. Some rocks fare better than others though. Many would be too brittle and would shatter when you try to drill them.
But consider the following:
--the rock holds will be VERY heavy. You can't really drill a very small rock, it will crack.
--the rock can and does break. And when it does, it will be very unpleasant for anyone standing below.
--you will use up your drill bits at such a high rate that you won't actually have any savings.
I know people who put some real rock holds on their climbing walls, but it is more of a special case (bring a rock from a climbing trip and put it on the wall as a souvenir) rather than a sound solution for your entire home climbing wall. Everybody I know who has some natural rock holds on their wall places them relatively low, no higher than shoulder/head height, to avoid the possibility of the rock breaking and hitting you in the face.
Bottom line: not worth it.
Buy holds slowly over time. Split cost with some friends. Look for sales and special deals. Get a hold-of-the month subscription. Talk to people at the gym, maybe they would sell you some used holds cheap.
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granite_grrl
Apr 30, 2012, 4:57 PM
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It's hard to do. We have maybe half a dozen up on our wall, not sure how many broke while drilling them on top of that.
Doesn't hurt to play around with it and see what you can make work, but it's way too much work to outfit an entire wall like this.
My husband used a hammer drill to make the holes. I have no idea how he managed not to destry the rock. The other thing to keep in mind is you may also need to chisel the back to prevent it from spinning on your home wall. I think this was also done with the hammer drill.
Another option is to make some holds from wood. These generally aren't very good and also require a lot of work to make something quasi interesting and smooth enough that you won't get splinters. This still requires tools obviously, but maybe not one quite as specific as a hammer drill.
We have gotten a huge amount of holds over the past 5 years or so when going to events like Rocktoberfest down at the Red River Gorge. A couple of companies have sold their seconds fairlly cheap there. I'm not sure what kind of events happen in the OP's neck of the woods, but they might be worthwhile checking out.
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JasonsDrivingForce
Apr 30, 2012, 5:17 PM
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I put about 30 real rock holds up on our wall for the kids. It was mostly so my daughter would get over her fear of climbing on real rocks. She did just fine pulling on plastic but she was reluctant to grip a real rock.
It actually worked and my daughter got over her fear and was able to easily climb the real rocks. They are all pretty big holds so they are relatively easy to climb.
I took them all down yesterday. They just are not challenging enough for the kids now and they are such a pain when they break. About 1/3 of mine ended up breaking.
Keep in mind these holds really aren't that cheap. They are about $1 a hold. You can get a bag of 40 holds for about $50 from REI and those will last a lot longer and are much more challenging.
My advice would be to search ebay, your local craigslist, and your local gyms for used holds. That is the best deal you can find.
If you still really want to get the real rock feel then these are the best option I could find. The guy does a really nice job boring and flattening the backs of these rocks.
It will cost you way more than a $1 per rock if you try to do this kind of quality yourself.
Screw on
http://www.ebay.com/...;hash=item3f1083794e
bolt on
http://www.ebay.com/...;hash=item415f08adb6
(This post was edited by JasonsDrivingForce on Apr 30, 2012, 5:18 PM)
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jp_sucks
Apr 30, 2012, 5:59 PM
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I did this years ago and had no problems (used ontario limestone). Don't think I had a single hold break on me and used plenty of smaller sized ones as well.
The key is to use a garden hose and pour water over the rock while you drill the hole. Keeps them from breaking.
Also, just buy a drill bit from a climbing shop that is used for bolting. It's meant specifically for drilling rock and will last a bit longer. They don't cost too much and this is a pretty good way to start off or supplement your hold collection.
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gunkiemike
Apr 30, 2012, 11:47 PM
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I have roughly 150-200 drilled rocks on my home wall. Drilled them with a non-hammer portable drill (go SLOW) using Home Depot grade carbide tip bits, not diamond. The bits were $2-4 a piece and would last for 10 rocks or so. Fewer than 5% of them broke either while drilling or in use. I didn't do it to save $, but rather because it's fun. But yea, it saved me money too.
The key is finding the right type of stone. Granite can be too hard. So can some limestone, which really surprised me. Coarse-grain rocks seemed better than fine grained. Sedimentary rocks are more likely to present a flat side, but you can put some 2-part epoxy putty on the back of an irregular rock to make a flat mounting surface, or to make it stick out from the wall for a "toadstool" hold. I had my best results with a hard, grainy local sandstone called bluestone. Very popular for walls and sidewalks. It's available at landscaping stores, and you might want to see if such a retailer has scraps you can take.
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Rufsen
May 1, 2012, 7:46 AM
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If you want to make your own holds i suggest using wood. More comfortable and easier to make.
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sungam
May 1, 2012, 10:21 AM
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Rufsen wrote: If you want to make your own holds i suggest using wood. More comfortable and easier to make.
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Matthew0718
May 1, 2012, 11:19 PM
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What!? Wow thanks I have been searching for holds everywhere and it was always like 30 bucks for 5 holds. But 40 holds for 35 bucks Nice!
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Marylandclimber
May 4, 2012, 8:51 PM
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Just DO NOT EVER put climbing holds on a local climbing crag...
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Marylandclimber
May 6, 2012, 2:25 PM
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Way to ruin a climbing wall GYMS are made for that its pointless to put holds outside!
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herites
May 6, 2012, 3:25 PM
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Please say it's photoshop.
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herites
May 6, 2012, 3:44 PM
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Noone had balls to chop those holds? By the pictures it's a jughaul,so a good route for idiots, like the girl who has his leg between the wall and rope on the first pic. Where is it located by the way? Judging by .ch it's in Switzerland?
edit: just realized that there are footholds too...
(This post was edited by herites on May 6, 2012, 3:45 PM)
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iknowfear
May 6, 2012, 5:19 PM
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it's a 6b in melchtal, switerland.
(never been there).
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Marylandclimber
May 6, 2012, 9:07 PM
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If I lived there I would chop those holds in a heartbeat...
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herites
May 6, 2012, 9:20 PM
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Maybe, though I wouldn't be surprised if it's not, 4-5m bolt distances are fairly common where I climb.
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matasw
May 7, 2012, 6:26 PM
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I looked around at holds for awhile when I built a bouldering wall i my house, and yes I agree most of them are very overpriced.
I ended up getting ones made out of recycled airplane material. I've had them on the wall for a year or so and they've held up great! The price is a fraction of the price of the plastic holds. They have a rough rock type feeling to them... definitely much closer to natural rock than the plastic @ the gym.
http://rockymountainclimbinggear.com/
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stoneguy
May 9, 2012, 10:37 PM
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Find a friend that has a diamond saw, like a tile setter, grab a chunk & cut it giving you a flat back.
If you want challenge, cut some slopes. If your rock is breaking when drilled, then drill first... then cut.
I have anywhere from 3/4" x2" pieces to 9-12" and none break. You should probably also countersink.
(This post was edited by stoneguy on May 9, 2012, 10:50 PM)
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