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knieveltech
Social climber
Raleigh NC
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 1, 2008 - 03:40pm PT
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I recently got my hands on a collection of old passive pro (peck crackers, clog nuts, etc) and included where some pieces that aren't stamped with size or manufacturer information. I'll try to post some pictures of the stuff I'm stumped on. I'd greatly appreciate any hard information, or even vague speculation, as to the manufacturer of aforementioned mystery pro.
Assorted mystery nuts. The hex on the left greatly resembles a Colorado Nut hex that I have but it isn't stamped. The nut on the far right looks more or less exactly like one of the CLOG nuts I've got, but again isn't stamped. As for the two large nuts in the middle, I have no idea.
Odd aluminum I-beam choks. I'd love to know if these things where commercially available at some point or if someone made these in the garage.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Colorado Nut Company (Bill Roos and Paul Sibley) made three sizes of I-beam nuts in the early 70s: 1.75", 3" and 4" as I recall (they were all about 2" placed sideways). Your I-beams look a lot like NutCo's, but I can't tell if they actually are.
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knieveltech
Social climber
Raleigh NC
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 1, 2008 - 04:19pm PT
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Thanks Clint, I've been hitting the nut museum website pretty hard recently trying to ID stuff. I haven't found anything that closely resembles the mystery gear though.
If those I-beam chocks turn out to be Colorado Nut gear that would be cool. Any ideas when these puppies might have been on the market?
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Here's a photo I posted earlier on the New Scanner -- Old Climbs thread, showing Steve Wunsch carrying 1.75" and 3" I-beams in 1971.
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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That thing with a sling through it is Moac, one of the best nuts ever. I think it only came in one size. Tom Frost has used the basic profile of it in his Sentinel Nuts. http://frostworksclimbing.com/sentinel.html
Mal
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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knieveltech:
If those I-beam chocks turn out to be Colorado Nut gear that would be cool. Any ideas when these puppies might have been on the market?
My best guess would be 1970-72. Their nuts improved on the Clog and Peck nuts that were available at the time, but NutCo's heyday drew to a close as Chouinard's hexentrics and tube chocks came along -- the next good idea.
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knieveltech
Social climber
Raleigh NC
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 1, 2008 - 04:30pm PT
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Maldaly: thanks a ton, that's one off my list.
Chiloe: The I-beams in your picture look exactly like the chocks I have, I'd say you hit the nail on the head. Thanks!
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Moof
Big Wall climber
A cube at my soul sucking job in Oregon
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Only ever seen one other Colorado nut, and it is still in frequent active use the the owner. It's one of those magic pieces that just finds a home on every pitch, and works great for an impromptu hammer for stubborn, lesser, nuts.
Any interest in selling them?
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knieveltech
Social climber
Raleigh NC
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 1, 2008 - 06:45pm PT
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Not really. I just finished re-slinging them and plan on taking them for a test drive tomorrow. Once I'm done putting together a rack of old pro I'm going to hunt down some tights. I'm bringin lycra back!
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bachar
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Charlie Porter used to make some pretty nice nuts....
Anybody still have any of those?
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scuffy b
climber
Stump with a backrest
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I had one of his cam hexes, but it was part of the rack that got
boosted out of my car in 75.
It was heavy.
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knieveltech
Social climber
Raleigh NC
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 2, 2008 - 09:48pm PT
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So I took the I-beams out to the crag today. Finding a placement was a bit tricky but once I did I'm confident you'd have to tear down the crag to pull it out. Definitely keepers.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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My personal favorite home made was a nut fashioned by Marty Woerner that features the word ZONK stamped into the 1" aluminum hex stock.
Check out the Diamond C Ice Gear at Neptune's Thread for some funk!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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"I'm bringin lycra back!"
armageddon isn't supposed to happen for a couple more years.
yep, definite sign of apocalypse, yep
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MisterE
Social climber
My Inner Nut
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As long as you don't start wearing the "Old Mystery Lycra" ! :-O
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knieveltech
Social climber
Raleigh NC
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 18, 2008 - 08:55am PT
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It looks like Moof's statement about I beams finding a placement on every pitch is spot on. They especially have a knack for fitting in funky crystal-lined cracks where nothing else on my rack wants to go.
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thedogfather
climber
Midwest
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Apr 18, 2008 - 09:05am PT
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I remember carrying several of the blue CMI girders for Devils Tower decades ago. If you think hexes make a lot of noise on a rack, you should have heard those things.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Apr 18, 2008 - 10:54am PT
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Moof:
Only ever seen one other Colorado nut, and it is still in frequent active use the the owner. It's one of those magic pieces that just finds a home on every pitch, and works great for an impromptu hammer for stubborn, lesser, nuts.
kneiveltech:
It looks like Moof's statement about I beams finding a placement on every pitch is spot on. They especially have a knack for fitting in funky crystal-lined cracks where nothing else on my rack wants to go.
Recently discovered another old photo (1970) of Colorado NutCo founder Paul Sibley, climbing with his gear.
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Apr 18, 2008 - 12:02pm PT
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Your first photos won't open here, for some reason. But since Malcolm nailed one piece as a MOAC, I gotta chime in.
I've had a MOAC on my rack since 1967. Quite simply the best piece ever. The rounded shape comes from being sandcast, which gives it a "human-feel" esthetic. Heard once what the word meant, but to me it's always stood for "Most Obvious Artificial Chockstone." I get a tad ritualistic about it, feeling like a climb isn't truly protected until I have begun placing it.
The MOAC was definitely our main model when Tom Frost and I designed Stoppers. And I find it very interesting that decades later when he came out with Sentinel Nuts -- and I won't leave the ground without a full set (see, the curves have gone too far. They cam in place nicely, but they get way too stuck) -- Frost returned to the steeper angles of the MOAC.
I once soloed halfway up the standard route on Pingora to retrieve the MOAC after a client couldn't get it out.
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