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As I discovered weekend before last, a year long layoff is a debilitating thing.
So if I am to discard my feeble condition I'll have to train up a bit.
I've got the space for a small woodie in my garage, but since i'm a cheap bastard ( cheap and broke ) I'll have to make my own holds.
I've heard of the silica sand and Bondo trick, and carving 'em out of wood.
Has anyone here done DIY holds? Any tips, pitfalls?

I made my own holds for awhile, and actually almost created a fulltime climbing hold company (ChubbyHolds) just like the big boys - Nicros, Voodoo, SoIll, etc. and there's a cheap way to do things and a not so cheap way to do things. Bondo is super cheap, around 5cents a hold if you make a medium size batch and polyurethane (what the pros use) is around 40cents a hold, but to do those kinds of holds the mold is what kills you. Good molds for polyurethane will run you almost $10 a mold for a medium size hold and the mold will last you about 100 production runs, sometimes more. If you only have a small woodie I recommend wood holds which are super friendly on the hands if you haven't climbed in a year and are the easiest to make. Bondo is also good and bondo holds are super cheap. THere's TONS of info on how to make bondo holds on the internet. If you want the better way with polyurethane, it'll be pricey and people aren't that willing to share how their recipe with you. I wouldn't recommend polyurethane really because you'll end up spending almost as much as you would with professional holds just to get set up. Once you're established it's cheaper. Good luck!

I have taken some sculpture classes that delt with mold making. You can take silicone caulk and thin it down with mineral spirits just a little bit and paint it on the object to be molded about 1/16" thick. Then lightly dab cheesecloth into into it. After that dries doe a few more thin layers of the silicone and a finishing layer of cheesecloth.
Its pretty strong, much stronger than without the cloth and rather flexible. I don't know what kind of mold release you would use with plastic or bondo but the mold is strong and pretty durable.

I am not really up on what holds cost, but seems like for the time it takes to make some, you could just work a little extra and get some really good, pro made holds? Or used holds? I have never seen a homemade hold that was even close to the quailty of sometime from one of the better companies.

Wes wrote:I am not really up on what holds cost, but seems like for the time it takes to make some, you could just work a little extra and get some really good, pro made holds? Or used holds? I have never seen a homemade hold that was even close to the quailty of sometime from one of the better companies.

Well, I'm a full time daddy so now that the munchkins are at school a chunk of the day, time is not an issue. And as far as cost is concerned, it seems the average home cooked hold costs 50 cents to a buck. I guess I should check out ebay to see what used holds go for but that seems pretty hard to beat.

i've also been experimenting with making holds, but i can't seem to get as good friction as i'd like, bondo is just slick. has anyone found a good outer coating, or tips for improving friction on holds.

i have also used fiberglass resin and glass cloth to make a few bigger holds. just made a negative mold out of sand and layered the cloth inside. you get a coating of sand on the outside of the hold, and the friction is pretty good. but fiberglass resin is a bit expensive in small batches. not the cheapest way to go. but probably cheaper than buying the huge bouldery type holds if time isn't an issue.

um, you guys could do it cheaper working at McDonalds and then buying the holds. the time and effort you are expending doesn't justify the cost, IF you are trying to go cheap, as you assert.

You can add a decent portion of fine sand to the bondo mix to for added friction.

I never actually made any holds, but after doing the research and having a few friends show me how they did it....I decided it was not worth it.

Unless you are going into business and making large quantities from the same mold...you aren't going to make out well finacially.