Best glue for reenforcing holds?

Ok I know the topic is very controversial, but whatever I want to add a little glue to the back of this critical flexy flake hold on a really great route.  What's the best stuff to use that is low profile and hopefully not excessively messy and likely for me to make it visible?

PC 7, is what we used out in Phoenix. it is almost like a putty, and works great still holding up 25+ years later. Just through some dust on it to blend it in.

Depends on the size of the hold and where adhesive can be applied to reinforce it. Putty is great where it can be applied into larger voids.

An injectable based adhesive works better for small holds or where a thin crack is the only reinforcement point as the delivery method enables better penetration of the product into thin cracks. Lower viscosity i.e. free flowing adhesive.

I’ve had great luck with Redhead A7+.

I’ve used it in many different rock types- good viscosity, user friendly to touch up with your gloved fingers, neutral color… two thumbs up

Easily available at Home Depot and Lowes, uses the same glue gun and nozzles as AC-100 adhesive that I usually use with wave-type glue-ins.

Just know that if the glue is visible, that hold is probably coming off with a crowbar and you're no better off than when you started 

Luke Smithwrote:

Just know that if the glue is visible, that hold is probably coming off with a crowbar and you're no better off than when you started 

Nice, ignorant attitude.  

Sika anchorfix 1. don't use anchorfix 2, it doesn't have any texture in the glue. It's grey, so not easy to camo in something like sandstone, but in gray colored rock, it's really hard to tell from the surrounding. it's a little thick in viscosity to be used for very small fractures in crimps or something, but it's excellent for flake reinforcement.

@francis, do you have a good rec for free-flowing glue that would work on very thin cracks?

Lincoln Swrote:

Sika anchorfix 1. don't use anchorfix 2, it doesn't have any texture in the glue. It's grey, so not easy to camo in something like sandstone, but in gray colored rock, it's really hard to tell from the surrounding. it's a little thick in viscosity to be used for very small fractures in crimps or something, but it's excellent for flake reinforcement.

@francis, do you have a good rec for free-flowing glue that would work on very thin cracks?

Hi Lincoln,

Hilti RE500. Caveats include the colour (which does fade with time) and subject to your source, the price.

That said, it really does penetrate thin cracks well. Just wear thin, flexible gloves (not surgical ones as they tend to tear too easily) and have rags to mop the nozzle tip etc.

Other climbers here will likely chime in with comparable products but RE500 definitely works well for this application.

Cheers,

Francis

I've found Simpson Strongtie Set 3-G to be very low viscosity and slow cure time, I think that would penetrate cracks better than more high viscosity fast cure glues like A7+ and AC-100.  It dries smooth with no texture but so does RE500 and I don't think that matters for reinforcement.  And it's grey!

As far as making a mess goes, you're less likely to make a mess with faster cure high viscosity glues.  So I think it's really a case by case situation, depending on the penetration you're looking for!

Very interesting, thanks for the advice! I wish the Hilti stuff came in a coaxial container like the strongtie stuff does. as for the mess, I find that when I'm doing work on routes, it's because conditions are too bad for climbing, which usually means that those fast cure epoxies cure REALLY fast! way too fast to be able to properly sculpt the repair.

I was climbing is boonsboro pa recently and I did a climb where almost every hold was glued back on. (Sport climbing in an old quarry)

I know I didnt answer your question, but just felt like sharing lol.

That's the way it goes. if it weren't for "comfortizing" (chipping), lots of limestone would be unclimbably sharp. Similarly, if no one glued sport routes, southern california would have about 3 sport climbs. It's just the way the sausage is made...

Lincoln Swrote:

That's the way it goes. if it weren't for "comfortizing" (chipping), lots of limestone would be unclimbably sharp. Similarly, if no one glued sport routes, southern california would have about 3 sport climbs. It's just the way the sausage is made...

I agree with you, Lincoln, about how the sausage is made, but please don't say that "comfortizing" is "chipping".  The two are quite different in intent, execution and result.

John Byrneswrote:

Nice, ignorant attitude.  

Totally, there's no historical precedent for my opinion... I guess I'm just being ignorant :)

Luke Smithwrote:

Totally, there's no historical precedent for my opinion... I guess I'm just being ignorant :)

Just because there was an historical precedent doesn't justify having the opinion today.  For example, slavery has an historical precedent and I'm sure you don't believe that should be a valid opinion today, do you?

So yes, you're being ignorant.  

My only comment is that if a hold breaks, and you can either break the spot it came from with a hammer or you can easily break the hold more with your hand, it does not matter what glue you use, it will break again. So either drilling it or not reaffixing it seems like the smarter option. 

John Byrneswrote:

Just because there was an historical precedent doesn't justify having the opinion today.  For example, slavery has an historical precedent and I'm sure you don't believe that should be a valid opinion today, do you?

So yes, you're being ignorant.  

Wow!!! This went from gluing holds to slavery a lot quicker than I thought it would.

Kevin Mokracekwrote:

Wow!!! This went from gluing holds to slavery a lot quicker than I thought it would.

Sorry!!  I should have mentioned Hitler rather than slavery.   

John Byrneswrote:

Just because there was an historical precedent doesn't justify having the opinion today.  For example, slavery has an historical precedent and I'm sure you don't believe that should be a valid opinion today, do you?

So yes, you're being ignorant.  

Wow, wonderful logic, bravo. The outdoors aren't your gym and you can't manufacture routes as you please. Gluing is absolutely antithetical to leave no trace ethics, the attitude of "that's how the sausage is made" is ridiculous. The goal has always been, and will always be, to alter the rock as little as possible.

I second having good luck with A7. It is gray, has some texture and pretty good viscosity. It does harden pretty quickly, so avoid using it in the blazing heat so you have time to work it. That said, I am much more hesitant to use glue than I was in the past. You definitely don't want to be seeing it, so do a good job. One trick if you need a temporary dam to keep it from running out of a wide crack is to use some Wonderbread style "bread". It is sticky and can be easily picked out afterword's. Use a piece of a good heavy straw taped on well to the nozzle with duct tape and flattened to get it in deep for thin cracks.

Luke Smithwrote:

Wow, wonderful logic, bravo. The outdoors aren't your gym and you can't manufacture routes as you please. Gluing is absolutely antithetical to leave no trace ethics, the attitude of "that's how the sausage is made" is ridiculous. The goal has always been, and will always be, to alter the rock as little as possible.

Maybe you should take up golf.   Oh, never mind.  A golf course is "absolutely antithetical to leave no trace ethics."   Okay, baseball.  Oops, ball parks are absolutely...   Tennis?  Nope. Football/soccer?  Nope.  Swimming?  Nope.  Okay, how about hiking but the highway you drive on to get to the trailhead needs to be removed because it is "absolutely antithetical to leave no trace ethics."    Et cetera.

Sorry, you're Holier than thou attitude is what's "ridiculous".