It takes balls to use nuts...

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healyje

Trad climber

Portland, Oregon

Nov 20, 2006 - 06:27pm PT

Malcolm - I know you've been looking for a way to drive your Ball Nut machinists even crazier then they are - this could be your grand opportunity. Make the Monkey!!!

John, thanks for being so generous with your insights and all this historic material.

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Nov 20, 2006 - 06:37pm PT

Healyje,
you appear to be ignoring the X factor they faced.
We can repeat the routes with the same gear, but we KNOW they go!

Anyway John is more forthcoming on some climbing topics than others.

And don't give Malcolm any more new gear ideas until we suss out the latest.
At that point he can 'spline more to you.

healyje

Trad climber

Portland, Oregon

Nov 20, 2006 - 06:46pm PT

Ron, yep, you can't recreate the X pucker, but a kid getting on it sans cams would probably come close to making up the difference given they are so used to having them at their disposal.

Not sure what you're talking about with Malcolm. I've been after him for some time to redesign the current generation of ball nuts to restore some of the many nuanced features of the Lowe-Byrne and previous generations, but it sounds like it's just too damn much hassle for such a minimal return. Might be different if more folks bought them. Hard to imagine anyone would rather use one of those 'microcams' when they could be using a ball nut.

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Nov 20, 2006 - 06:50pm PT

Well I prefer Rock-n-rollers for sandstone, but I've already belabored Malcolm with a project so wait yer turn! lol

Jaybro

Social climber

The West

Nov 20, 2006 - 09:11pm PT

"merely the goal to strive for."
-pretty much describes my style to this day. A starting point, anyway

Thanks for the elucidation, John, I always thought jingus things, and their inspiration was steve's thing.

maldaly

Trad climber

Boulder, CO

Nov 20, 2006 - 09:30pm PT

Deuce,
I didn't now that history between you and Steve. Sorry to hear it and sorry for any pain that my part in it caused. I remember talking to you and the Bird over some scotch one night in SLC and you mentioned the Monkey-Paw idea. We had already proto'ed a double-sided BallNut (think inside-out monkey-paw) that will stick in a 35 degree flare. I still carry that thing on my rack on occasion. I'll toss up a photo if I can find the damn thing. Like a lot of super-tricky aid stuff, it's tricky, unpredictable and x-rated only. But the damn thing works in some amazing places. Jello, I think I might have placed it on the first pitch of New Music. Is your memory any better than mine?
Mal

maldaly

Trad climber

Boulder, CO

Nov 20, 2006 - 09:54pm PT

Okay, found the DoubleBall and shot some photos. Sorry about the soft focus but it's all I could do at the moment.

So here's what the head looks like:

Look at the flare it will go into:

And look at how it can handle a bombay/flare:

Here's the instability thing. Sometimes it can simply rotate into a secondary equilibrium position which, often, isnt too stable:

Now it's time to open up the Knob Creek.
Mal

Jello

Social climber

No Ut

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 20, 2006 - 10:03pm PT

Are those your fingers, Mal? Looks like you've been cheatin' and actually doing some climbing.

We did New Music in 1986, before we worked on ball nuts. Have to say you did a fine job on that first pitch, though.

Cheers,
J-Lowe

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Nov 20, 2006 - 10:13pm PT

If I was Ouch I know what I'd do with that first photo.

maldaly

Trad climber

Boulder, CO

Nov 20, 2006 - 10:15pm PT

Jello, that was quite the route, wasn't it? Good job spotting it.

Hands are rough because we've been doing some concrete work around the house:

and in my spare time I installed a wood stove:
Just wish it would get cold...

Headed off to Moab and Flagstaff for some climbing over the next week. Then to Chatanooga for the Triple Crown so I'll be climbing a bit...
Mal

Edited to mention that that's not my minivan in the concrete photos!

healyje

Trad climber

Portland, Oregon

Nov 20, 2006 - 10:38pm PT

Malcolm,

Cool but that 'secondary equilibrium' is a pretty unhappy pic. I think I'd like John's pet Monkey a bit more than having my balls dangling out there like that...

maldaly

Trad climber

Boulder, CO

Nov 20, 2006 - 10:45pm PT

healyje, the thing that's weird about the "secondary equilibrium" is that I've never had it happen in the field. I can make it happen easily in my fingers but once the unit is set, it seems to stay pretty well. Go figure.
Mal

WBraun

climber

Nov 20, 2006 - 10:48pm PT

Malcolm

What kind of stove is that? (Manufacturer?) It looks cool.

maldaly

Trad climber

Boulder, CO

Nov 20, 2006 - 11:05pm PT

Werner,
It's a Rais Bando. http://www.rais.com It's covered with slabs of soapstone to hold the heat. I fired it up three hours ago with some kindling and 3 stick of wood. It's still throwing off lots of heat. I love it. No surprise but it wasn't cheap...
Mal

WBraun

climber

Nov 20, 2006 - 11:11pm PT

Malcolm, thank you

Edit: Sh#t man, those things cost more than I've ever spent on a car. Yikes, but they sure are nice.

maldaly

Trad climber

Boulder, CO

Nov 20, 2006 - 11:21pm PT

Werner, what was this thread about, anyway?
Mal

WBraun

climber

Nov 20, 2006 - 11:27pm PT

Some ball nuts that Jeff was rolling around somewhere and then Middendorf got into the fray along with Piton, and then some guy Mal got cold and fired up his stove and then Werner as usual did his thread drift off somewhere and only god knows why ....... etc etc.

You know how this sh#t plays out ......