To help remove bubbles you can put it in a vacuum container after mixing and pouring. Do a little searching on YT and the net you will find easy to make vacuum container.
Thanks, I've built a vacuum forming table for shaping sheeted plastics before (non climbing related), but I've never thought about doing something like that for these holds. Very interesting. I think if I were ever to sell holds I poured on my own, I'd definitely do something like that. I find if resins are mixed and poured carefully in a uniform way from the same contact point and allowed to flow over the carved shape, the resin cleanly displaces the air and they end up with very few bubbles and a clean surface texture. In this video a did them in a bit of a rush (you can probably tell) setting up the camera and moving it around to capture everything, but even so, I find most bubbles float up and end up at the surface on the back that doesn't really affect their use or aesthetic and often gets belt sanded off in the last step when you are squaring up the back of the holds. Thanks for the comment, I might experiment with this next time I make holds. Have a good one.
brother.... you gave so much good information in this video. the water into the mold to find the exact volume for waste sake...... GENIUS. I was thinking "how am i gonna know how much epoxy to make?" then you said that. you're great dude. I would like a video on how to save epoxy by making a hollowback. or an explanation, or i could look it up whatever. either way, sir, great video!
Thanks for the compliments, and honestly it means a lot that you found these videos helpful. There was actually lots of info I had to cut from these them to keep it digestible, but I kept the thoughts I figured were most useful in. I have been meaning to follow up, which was going to be the hollow-backs and modifiable molds, but life has been a little wild over here and I truly haven't had the chance. I'm sure there are some resources out there if you dig, but definitely hard for me to provide useful info in a comment. I still hope to do that other series, hopefully I can get to it sooner, rather than later. Fingers crossed. Thanks again.
@@SendStory Won't be anything as well put together as yours, but I'll make a little video showing my newbie ass going through the process. Love your content, man, Happy New Year!
I have something kind of wacky planned for taking these holds for a test drive... hopefully it's not too weird, haha. Subscribe if you don't want to miss that, it should be fun (...and it's here! czcams.com/video/RJWC4sYbjZo/video.html ). Thanks again for checking out this series if you have made it to the end, feel free to ask any questions if you have any, I would love to help out anyone looking to play around with climbing hold casting.
I haven't yet, but thought about it. I know many of the transparent resins that are strong enough for climbing holds tend to be 2 part polyurethanes that cure amber in colour rather than completely clear. I wonder if that is why Kilter's holds are only selectively transparent. I know the clear holds in Magnus' prototype automated gym are the amber colour I mention. I do want to do more experimental climbing holds videos, just haven't had the time, energy, and honestly disposable income, maybe I will add transparent holds on to the list. Thanks for the comment and suggestion.
Hey, I have planned to do one, just haven't had the chance yet. I hope to get around to that soon when I can, hopefully it's sooner than later. Thanks for checking out this video, hopefully I can cast some hollow backed holds for you soon!
Such an excellent series! Final vid was *chef’s kiss*…really, an incredible job throughout. Such a valuable resource. I may have missed it in the links but was wondering where you get those longer bolts from for the molds and final casts? I only see them up to 4” in the link. Also, how did you go about shaving the threading off of them for the final cast? Do they need to be ultra smooth? Does it shrink the diameter of the bolt then? Any info would be great :)
Glad you got something from these. Also happy to hear you dig the final video, means a ton. Long response coming, TL;DR at the bottom: There are actually some things that I cut from the videos, including more info on using bolts for the molds and casting the final bolt holes. I often shoot myself in the foot by making videos too long, but I always add chapters so people can skip to what they want (also kind of shooting myself in the foot from a youtube perspective - but I dont want to waste peoples time). But I still needed to keep them at a length that people would want to watch. As for the bolts, some of the longer ones might be from holds that I have purchased from companies with the hardware (mainly Atomik, but I might have also ordered just bolts from Escape once or twice). With that said, I actually dont typically use climbing bolts for this, but I lost my cheaper bolts when I went to make this video, so I used what I had around. I usually just use a set of stainless hex bolts that you can get from any hardware store. Just get ones that have the same diameter (and save the climbing bolts for the wall). The threaded part is typically short on longer bolts, so I just grind off the inch or so of threads (straight cut) and just use the smooth shaft for casting the resin. As for the mold making, since I use T-Nuts to keep the bolts straight and upright, I still grind off the threads, but only enough so that they can thread into the tnut and not be exposed to the silicone. Some people use a plastic tubing that has a little flex for casting (or even thick diameter straws) so they can flex it to remove it after the holds cure. Like I mention on the video, you can also use wooden dowel too. I find that just doing what I did in the video (using some kind of release agent and pulling them early before the hold is 100% cured) works just fine without hassle and has the advantage of not skewing or warping (plus the trick of using the TNut during mold making). Honestly, a little Vaseline on the bolt would probably work to help release it. With that said, YES, the bolt HAS to be smooth. The resins will cure around threads and they will become one. One thing I also left out of the video is you usually have to do another pass through the casted hole with a drill if you use the EXACT diameter of bolt - you want a little bit of breathing room to thread the bolt when you are mounting the holds to the wall. I typically collect questions or add more details that I miss on projects like this on the site - for example on our wall build: www.sendstory.ca/2020/04/26/send/building-an-adjustable-home-climbing-wall-during-isolation-12ft-bouldering-wall-full-build-video/ So check back in the description for a link to that when I get around to it, or just bookmark that site and look for it. Feel free to also just comment here and I will try to respond - that way it will help others too - I honestly encourage it. TL;DR: Get standard Hex Bolts from your hardware store, grind the threads so they are only about 6 threads in depth for using them in a TNut for molding, and grind the threads completely off for casting. Use release agents to ensure it can slide out easily. Hope that helps, and best of luck! Thanks for the comment!
@@SendStory Thanks for the quick response and in depth description, it's exactly the info I was looking for! Really hope to see more shaping videos from you in the future. Your pieces are so interesting and detailed and I'd love to see some other styles and/or how you come up with and create your shapes. In the mean time, I'll be showing anyone who's willing to watch that final setting vid hah
Hey, sorry for the late response, your comment slipped through the cracks and I missed it. The washer depends on the bolts and tnuts you use. I think in the UK + Europe they are metric socket cap bolts and tnuts (size and threading), where in North America they are Imperial. For my case the hole was just wider than the diameter of the bolts I use, so ~.25"+. In terms of the diameter for the full washer, it will also depend on the size of your hold and it's profile (you don't want the washer sticking out of the holds or the mold causing the washer to sit crooked because it's too big), but generally speaking, the wider the better. There are also different grades of steel used in washers, so the stronger the better too. Lastly, depending on what bolts you are using, you might want to pick metals that match the bolt that will be affixed to it (read up about mixing metals for hardware and corrosion issues if you don't know what I'm referencing). In my case though, I just used what home Depot had and that has worked out just fine for me, so I wouldn't sweat the details too much, as long as the bolt fits in the hole and the washer stops the head of the bolt from pulling through. The rest is really only applicable for commerical products, in my opinion. Good luck and thanks for the comment!
Loved this series! Definitely going to use your process! The only thing Im curious about is the hole in the bottom of the mold. Does the bolt/nail fit snug enough that the resin doesnt leak out of the mold? Thanks for the great videos!
Awesome! Glad you found it useful! From my experience, the mold stays snug when you add the bolts/nails and doesn't leak. However, you could always use something to ensure it didn't leak - a dab of hot glue? Or plasticine? (I find plasticine really messy though, and if it's exposed to the heat of the curing resin, it will soften and be even messier). You could probably even just use a little vaseline at the bottom of the mold. If you make bigger molds with vacancies you need a mold box to insert the silicone mold into for casting (maybe I'll do another video of that in the future), but if you had a mold box, that would also stop any potential leaks. Also, make sure the bolts (if you use bolts) you use to cast the final holds do not have threads and are greased, you will not be able to remove them otherwise. Believe it or not, I had to cut a bunch of stuff out of the videos to keep them remotely digestible, so feel free to ask more questions if there is something that comes up.
Some resins you can, but it depends on the type. Some are even flammable, which might not be fun... or might be totally fun. Typically, the bubbles on the back are pretty superficial and many are removed when you sand the back of the holds/do your polish pass. Some large companies (both climbing and otherwise) have large pressure chambers to degas and pressurize materials to remove bubbles. I could have avoided the few I got if I poured the resin a bit slower, but I could tell it was going to start curing pretty quick, so I unfortunately rushed it slightly. TL;DR; Possibly, haha.
Hey, I've mentioned it in a few comments, so try to find that if you want more details, but essentially you try to get the most out manually, using fingers or a soft cloth or brush (nothing abrasive that will damage or rip the little nods that make up the texture), etc. From my experience, the resin seems to react with the remaining little bit of foam, melting it and removing it on its own. The first hold will take on the color of the foam in some minor places and may have a slightly different texture. But the next holds should turn out just fine. I usually pour greenish holds first because my foam is green and it hides any discoloration in the first pour(s). Hope that helps, I do want to do a follow up video at some point. Best of luck!
I’be already been making wood holds for a while now, and want to make some plastic ones too. Do you use mold release when pouring the resin too, or just for making the molds?
I've used it for both, it increases the life of the molds quite a bit. Without it, I find the pores of the texture of the holds can sometimes rip off tiny dimples of texture from the mold when you pull them out and start to degrade it. Also depending on how you do incuts or even just the bolt hole recesses, it helps removing the hold from that easier. I also will often keep my first poured hold that turned out correct/nicest to make molds from later on when the original mold degrades. Hope that helps!
@@shaneh7519 not from my experience, it's a very fine spray on product and worked fine. Typically a lot of climbing holds from professional manufacturers have a bit of a oily coat on them when they arrive, so I assumed they use some type of a release as well. Just make sure it's one that's compatible with your resin so it cures properly and chalk your holds up when you first climb on them.
Good job dude!! I have some questions by the way. I was try to make also some holds but I had some problems. When the mold was ready I put off foam but lot of foam stayed in the mold. How can avoid this situation?? Thanks in advance!!
Hey, good question! Unfortunately I couldn't include every detail in the videos because they just get wayyyy too long. To remove the foam you can try to remove as much as possible with your hands. After picking the bits out, you can gently massage the remaining bits out, making sure not to damage the mold. You can actually pour the resin with some foam still left in the mold. The resin will "eat away" at the foam as it cures, and remove it when casting and extracting the hold. This will make your first batch of holds have a few imperfections in the texture, but it will be very minor and they will still look great and climb just fine (you just couldn't sell those holds commercially). Just be warned that the color of the foam will deposit in the holds, so in this case a greenish color if you used the same foam as i did. So it is good to cast a similar color of hold first (like I did) to hide any discoloration. After casting one set of holds, they should remove most, if not all of the remaining foam. Alternatively, you can submerge the molds in a wash basin and lightly scrub them with a soft bristle brush - again, ensuring you don't damage the mold or texture. If you do this, make sure the hold is fully dry before casting - the resins don't play well with moisture, so the molds must be completely dry before casting. I hope this helps! Thanks for the comment and best of luck with your holds!
Finally got around to doing this myself and ran into this exact issue. Possibly didn't give my mold release enough time to dry, but the foam is a pain in the butt to demold. Thanks for the FAQ section under your videos, helped me out over a year later. haha cheers@@SendStory
Ahhhh it's so satisfying like ASMR or something when you peel the finished holds out of the mold.
Man those turned out sooo good.
Honestly, it is so satisfying every time. Thanks for the complements, maybe you can take them for a spin some time 😀
To help remove bubbles you can put it in a vacuum container after mixing and pouring. Do a little searching on YT and the net you will find easy to make vacuum container.
Thanks, I've built a vacuum forming table for shaping sheeted plastics before (non climbing related), but I've never thought about doing something like that for these holds. Very interesting. I think if I were ever to sell holds I poured on my own, I'd definitely do something like that. I find if resins are mixed and poured carefully in a uniform way from the same contact point and allowed to flow over the carved shape, the resin cleanly displaces the air and they end up with very few bubbles and a clean surface texture. In this video a did them in a bit of a rush (you can probably tell) setting up the camera and moving it around to capture everything, but even so, I find most bubbles float up and end up at the surface on the back that doesn't really affect their use or aesthetic and often gets belt sanded off in the last step when you are squaring up the back of the holds. Thanks for the comment, I might experiment with this next time I make holds. Have a good one.
Damn thats so sick!! This has been a super informative series! Props on such a great set of vids and the holds look great!
Thanks man, glad you could take something away from my rambling, much appreciated. I cant wait to show how they climb!
brother.... you gave so much good information in this video. the water into the mold to find the exact volume for waste sake...... GENIUS. I was thinking "how am i gonna know how much epoxy to make?" then you said that. you're great dude. I would like a video on how to save epoxy by making a hollowback. or an explanation, or i could look it up whatever. either way, sir, great video!
Thanks for the compliments, and honestly it means a lot that you found these videos helpful. There was actually lots of info I had to cut from these them to keep it digestible, but I kept the thoughts I figured were most useful in. I have been meaning to follow up, which was going to be the hollow-backs and modifiable molds, but life has been a little wild over here and I truly haven't had the chance. I'm sure there are some resources out there if you dig, but definitely hard for me to provide useful info in a comment. I still hope to do that other series, hopefully I can get to it sooner, rather than later. Fingers crossed. Thanks again.
This series was fuckin awesome! Going to start gathering materials and make some of my own!
Glad it got you psyched! Let me know how it goes, I'd love to see what you come up with. Best of luck! Happy New year!
@@SendStory Won't be anything as well put together as yours, but I'll make a little video showing my newbie ass going through the process. Love your content, man, Happy New Year!
I have something kind of wacky planned for taking these holds for a test drive... hopefully it's not too weird, haha. Subscribe if you don't want to miss that, it should be fun (...and it's here! czcams.com/video/RJWC4sYbjZo/video.html ). Thanks again for checking out this series if you have made it to the end, feel free to ask any questions if you have any, I would love to help out anyone looking to play around with climbing hold casting.
The holds looks great! Texture looks awesome
Almost too awesome! Definitely needed to chalk up the fresh holds before climbing on them. Thanks for the comment as always!
Those turned out so good! Can't wait to see ya use them dude
Thanks! I will try to get around to editing that footage as soon as I can, I got some pretty fun stuff I think! Thanks again for the comment.
Those look awesome, I feel inspired
Thank you very much. I'd say have at it! Thanks for the comment.
Ever try making them clear so you do diy s kilter
I haven't yet, but thought about it. I know many of the transparent resins that are strong enough for climbing holds tend to be 2 part polyurethanes that cure amber in colour rather than completely clear. I wonder if that is why Kilter's holds are only selectively transparent. I know the clear holds in Magnus' prototype automated gym are the amber colour I mention. I do want to do more experimental climbing holds videos, just haven't had the time, energy, and honestly disposable income, maybe I will add transparent holds on to the list. Thanks for the comment and suggestion.
You need some hollow backing advices.
Hey, I have planned to do one, just haven't had the chance yet. I hope to get around to that soon when I can, hopefully it's sooner than later. Thanks for checking out this video, hopefully I can cast some hollow backed holds for you soon!
good stuff
Glad you dig.
Such an excellent series! Final vid was *chef’s kiss*…really, an incredible job throughout. Such a valuable resource.
I may have missed it in the links but was wondering where you get those longer bolts from for the molds and final casts? I only see them up to 4” in the link. Also, how did you go about shaving the threading off of them for the final cast? Do they need to be ultra smooth? Does it shrink the diameter of the bolt then? Any info would be great :)
Glad you got something from these. Also happy to hear you dig the final video, means a ton. Long response coming, TL;DR at the bottom:
There are actually some things that I cut from the videos, including more info on using bolts for the molds and casting the final bolt holes. I often shoot myself in the foot by making videos too long, but I always add chapters so people can skip to what they want (also kind of shooting myself in the foot from a youtube perspective - but I dont want to waste peoples time). But I still needed to keep them at a length that people would want to watch.
As for the bolts, some of the longer ones might be from holds that I have purchased from companies with the hardware (mainly Atomik, but I might have also ordered just bolts from Escape once or twice). With that said, I actually dont typically use climbing bolts for this, but I lost my cheaper bolts when I went to make this video, so I used what I had around. I usually just use a set of stainless hex bolts that you can get from any hardware store. Just get ones that have the same diameter (and save the climbing bolts for the wall). The threaded part is typically short on longer bolts, so I just grind off the inch or so of threads (straight cut) and just use the smooth shaft for casting the resin. As for the mold making, since I use T-Nuts to keep the bolts straight and upright, I still grind off the threads, but only enough so that they can thread into the tnut and not be exposed to the silicone.
Some people use a plastic tubing that has a little flex for casting (or even thick diameter straws) so they can flex it to remove it after the holds cure. Like I mention on the video, you can also use wooden dowel too. I find that just doing what I did in the video (using some kind of release agent and pulling them early before the hold is 100% cured) works just fine without hassle and has the advantage of not skewing or warping (plus the trick of using the TNut during mold making). Honestly, a little Vaseline on the bolt would probably work to help release it. With that said, YES, the bolt HAS to be smooth. The resins will cure around threads and they will become one.
One thing I also left out of the video is you usually have to do another pass through the casted hole with a drill if you use the EXACT diameter of bolt - you want a little bit of breathing room to thread the bolt when you are mounting the holds to the wall.
I typically collect questions or add more details that I miss on projects like this on the site - for example on our wall build: www.sendstory.ca/2020/04/26/send/building-an-adjustable-home-climbing-wall-during-isolation-12ft-bouldering-wall-full-build-video/
So check back in the description for a link to that when I get around to it, or just bookmark that site and look for it. Feel free to also just comment here and I will try to respond - that way it will help others too - I honestly encourage it.
TL;DR: Get standard Hex Bolts from your hardware store, grind the threads so they are only about 6 threads in depth for using them in a TNut for molding, and grind the threads completely off for casting. Use release agents to ensure it can slide out easily.
Hope that helps, and best of luck! Thanks for the comment!
@@SendStory Thanks for the quick response and in depth description, it's exactly the info I was looking for! Really hope to see more shaping videos from you in the future. Your pieces are so interesting and detailed and I'd love to see some other styles and/or how you come up with and create your shapes. In the mean time, I'll be showing anyone who's willing to watch that final setting vid hah
@@spencertimlin5322 ha, thanks a bunch man!
Great video - What size washers do you use? And do the washers end up embedded in the resin of the holds?
Hey, sorry for the late response, your comment slipped through the cracks and I missed it. The washer depends on the bolts and tnuts you use. I think in the UK + Europe they are metric socket cap bolts and tnuts (size and threading), where in North America they are Imperial. For my case the hole was just wider than the diameter of the bolts I use, so ~.25"+. In terms of the diameter for the full washer, it will also depend on the size of your hold and it's profile (you don't want the washer sticking out of the holds or the mold causing the washer to sit crooked because it's too big), but generally speaking, the wider the better. There are also different grades of steel used in washers, so the stronger the better too. Lastly, depending on what bolts you are using, you might want to pick metals that match the bolt that will be affixed to it (read up about mixing metals for hardware and corrosion issues if you don't know what I'm referencing). In my case though, I just used what home Depot had and that has worked out just fine for me, so I wouldn't sweat the details too much, as long as the bolt fits in the hole and the washer stops the head of the bolt from pulling through. The rest is really only applicable for commerical products, in my opinion. Good luck and thanks for the comment!
Loved this series! Definitely going to use your process! The only thing Im curious about is the hole in the bottom of the mold. Does the bolt/nail fit snug enough that the resin doesnt leak out of the mold? Thanks for the great videos!
Awesome! Glad you found it useful! From my experience, the mold stays snug when you add the bolts/nails and doesn't leak. However, you could always use something to ensure it didn't leak - a dab of hot glue? Or plasticine? (I find plasticine really messy though, and if it's exposed to the heat of the curing resin, it will soften and be even messier). You could probably even just use a little vaseline at the bottom of the mold. If you make bigger molds with vacancies you need a mold box to insert the silicone mold into for casting (maybe I'll do another video of that in the future), but if you had a mold box, that would also stop any potential leaks. Also, make sure the bolts (if you use bolts) you use to cast the final holds do not have threads and are greased, you will not be able to remove them otherwise. Believe it or not, I had to cut a bunch of stuff out of the videos to keep them remotely digestible, so feel free to ask more questions if there is something that comes up.
@@SendStory awesome! Thanks for the quick reply!
Could you use a heat gun or something to pop the surface bubbles?
Some resins you can, but it depends on the type. Some are even flammable, which might not be fun... or might be totally fun. Typically, the bubbles on the back are pretty superficial and many are removed when you sand the back of the holds/do your polish pass. Some large companies (both climbing and otherwise) have large pressure chambers to degas and pressurize materials to remove bubbles. I could have avoided the few I got if I poured the resin a bit slower, but I could tell it was going to start curing pretty quick, so I unfortunately rushed it slightly.
TL;DR; Possibly, haha.
How did you clean the foam from the mold before pouring?
Hey, I've mentioned it in a few comments, so try to find that if you want more details, but essentially you try to get the most out manually, using fingers or a soft cloth or brush (nothing abrasive that will damage or rip the little nods that make up the texture), etc. From my experience, the resin seems to react with the remaining little bit of foam, melting it and removing it on its own. The first hold will take on the color of the foam in some minor places and may have a slightly different texture. But the next holds should turn out just fine. I usually pour greenish holds first because my foam is green and it hides any discoloration in the first pour(s). Hope that helps, I do want to do a follow up video at some point. Best of luck!
I’be already been making wood holds for a while now, and want to make some plastic ones too.
Do you use mold release when pouring the resin too, or just for making the molds?
I've used it for both, it increases the life of the molds quite a bit. Without it, I find the pores of the texture of the holds can sometimes rip off tiny dimples of texture from the mold when you pull them out and start to degrade it. Also depending on how you do incuts or even just the bolt hole recesses, it helps removing the hold from that easier. I also will often keep my first poured hold that turned out correct/nicest to make molds from later on when the original mold degrades. Hope that helps!
@@SendStory awesome, thank you for the information. I’m guessing the mold release doesn’t affect the texture of the hold?
@@shaneh7519 not from my experience, it's a very fine spray on product and worked fine. Typically a lot of climbing holds from professional manufacturers have a bit of a oily coat on them when they arrive, so I assumed they use some type of a release as well. Just make sure it's one that's compatible with your resin so it cures properly and chalk your holds up when you first climb on them.
Good job dude!! I have some questions by the way. I was try to make also some holds but I had some problems. When the mold was ready I put off foam but lot of foam stayed in the mold. How can avoid this situation?? Thanks in advance!!
Hey, good question! Unfortunately I couldn't include every detail in the videos because they just get wayyyy too long.
To remove the foam you can try to remove as much as possible with your hands. After picking the bits out, you can gently massage the remaining bits out, making sure not to damage the mold.
You can actually pour the resin with some foam still left in the mold. The resin will "eat away" at the foam as it cures, and remove it when casting and extracting the hold. This will make your first batch of holds have a few imperfections in the texture, but it will be very minor and they will still look great and climb just fine (you just couldn't sell those holds commercially). Just be warned that the color of the foam will deposit in the holds, so in this case a greenish color if you used the same foam as i did. So it is good to cast a similar color of hold first (like I did) to hide any discoloration. After casting one set of holds, they should remove most, if not all of the remaining foam.
Alternatively, you can submerge the molds in a wash basin and lightly scrub them with a soft bristle brush - again, ensuring you don't damage the mold or texture. If you do this, make sure the hold is fully dry before casting - the resins don't play well with moisture, so the molds must be completely dry before casting.
I hope this helps! Thanks for the comment and best of luck with your holds!
Finally got around to doing this myself and ran into this exact issue. Possibly didn't give my mold release enough time to dry, but the foam is a pain in the butt to demold. Thanks for the FAQ section under your videos, helped me out over a year later. haha cheers@@SendStory