Photos of BEAUTIFUL HARDWARE

ryan climbs sometimes wrote:

That’s how we knew we were at the right turn out, cause we could see the pillar. 

Glad you found it but Im replacing them with painted hangers lol.

Kevin Mokracek wrote:

The middle of nowhere routes are exactly the routes that in my mind should be camouflaged.  

100% agree!

Bolts, like chalk, are necessary and accepted parts of our sport. Everyone knows it’s good practice to brush your ticks. Why not camouflage your bolts?

Tal M wrote:

Speaking of camoed hardware: shoutout to Peter Thomas for showing this great granite camo to me - a gray primer with rustoleoum “Stone” spray paint on top. Takes a couple days when done right so that everything cures well.

There’s 27 bolts in this pic, including anchors, with a couple different types of camo. How many can you spot?

Zero! This is awesome!

Josh Janes wrote:

100% agree!

Bolts, like chalk, are necessary and accepted parts of our sport. Everyone knows it’s good practice to brush your ticks. Why not camouflage your bolts?

Gratuitous climbing shot with camouflaged bolt:

Pretty area specific, for example, around here most of the new development is on climber owned land, best practice is to leave things unpainted. Smooth Stainless doesn't hold paint very well, most spray paint jobs end up wearing off over time,  higher quality paint does seem to hold on longer though.  

I love that twist bolts are already a matte gray and the rounded profile doesn't seem to reflect light like other bolts. Definitely one of the more lower profile setups even before painting,  after painting you'd be hard pressed to see them at all from the ground, paint on the is a great option for areas where it's necessary and unpainted a good option where is not necessary but low profile style is still preferred.   

Beautifully timeless hardware!

Raumer SLBs. Beautiful and bomber!

Thanks be to ASCA! 

DrRockso RRG wrote:

Pretty area specific, for example, around here most of the new development is on climber owned land, best practice is to leave things unpainted.  

You are fortunate to having climber owned crags.  Out west they are almost non existent and land managers ideas of how to deal with climbers varies from area to area or National Park to National Park and seems random and subjective.  Because of that the best practice IMO is keep a low profile and install camouflaged gear.

Interesting topic about camouflaged gear. I’n my experience, painted gear doesn’t really hold up too well. It chips and fades variably depending on application and type of paint. There are many methods I’m sure, but I’m curious if any experimentation has ever been done? Wish the “Project Farm” dude on YouTube was a climber.

The only thing I’ve ever found that helps the paint stick better is etching the metal prior to painting, or using some sort of self etching primer prior to painting. 

Lately I’ve been soaking all plated chain and screwlinks in white vinegar. I cut the top off a plastic milk-jug, fill it up about a third with white vinegar I purchased from Costco in bulk, and submerge the hardware for a few days, allowing it to set out in the hot summer sun. I have stirred with a stick a few times a day. After a few days the chromate plated highway chain and the zinc plated screwlinks are dull and bare- all the galvanization removed chemically. I then fish out the hardware and spray it off with fresh water from the hose, and allow to dry in the sun. Finally, when dry it gets polished/cleaned with a rag.

Next I paint it with rustoleum self-etching primer. Seems to stick better than cat shit. Far superior to any and all other methods I’ve used up till now, time will tell how long the paint will last…

below are some before and afters

Dwayne La Roca wrote:

Lately I’ve been soaking all plated chain and screwlinks in white vinegar. I cut the top off a plastic milk-jug, fill it up about a third with white vinegar I purchased from Costco in bulk, and submerge the hardware for a few days, allowing it to set out in the hot summer sun. I have stirred with a stick a few times a day. After a few days the chromate plated highway chain and the zinc plated screwlinks are dull and bare- all the galvanization removed chemically. I then fish out the hardware and spray it off with fresh water from the hose, and allow to dry in the sun. Finally, when dry it gets polished/cleaned with a rag.

Next I paint it with rustoleum self-etching primer. Seems to stick better than cat shit. Far superior to any and all other methods I’ve used up till now, time will tell how long the paint will last…

below are some before and afters

Those look really nice! Taking off the electroplating to add what is likely a less long lasting coating in the name of camoing seems shortsighted though. Ending with rusty streaks 15 years down the road instead of using stainless to begin with which naturally has a duller finish than plated.  

I've used both muriatic acid baths (leaves an even duller light gray finish than the standard one) and a blow torch to heat color (leaves various colors depending on your process,  I chose a sandstone colored brown) on Stainless with good success.  Staying away from electropolished SS like the climb tech wave bolts,  helps quite a bit in being less shiny.  

Dwayne La Roca wrote:

Lately I’ve been soaking all plated chain and screwlinks in white vinegar. I cut the top off a plastic milk-jug, fill it up about a third with white vinegar I purchased from Costco in bulk, and submerge the hardware for a few days, allowing it to set out in the hot summer sun. I have stirred with a stick a few times a day. After a few days the chromate plated highway chain and the zinc plated screwlinks are dull and bare- all the galvanization removed chemically. I then fish out the hardware and spray it off with fresh water from the hose, and allow to dry in the sun. Finally, when dry it gets polished/cleaned with a rag.

Next I paint it with rustoleum self-etching primer. Seems to stick better than cat shit. Far superior to any and all other methods I’ve used up till now, time will tell how long the paint will last…

below are some before and afters

This is similar to what I have done, except I only soak the galvanized chain/Q-links for about an hour in vinegar. No need to remove all the protective layer, just etch it a bit. I then apply the same self etching primer and let cure for 48 hours. The primer needs to be top coated/painted for sure. Primers have properties which help them adhere to surfaces. Paint has properties which seal out moisture and UV protection which helps prevent the breakdown of the coating and prevent rust. You can’t have both. That’s why good paint tends to chip off over time while primers will fade and form a chalky surface. A “paint/primer in one” is a compromise of both and the worst of both worlds. They should not be used. The more glossy your top coat is, the better it will hold up over time as well. I use a satin or eggshell finish which works fine and is not too shiny. Flat finishes do not tend to hold up as well in exterior applications. I have galv and zinc plated chain out there that is 10+ years old and still looks like it was just painted yesterday. 

DrRockso RRG wrote:

Those look really nice! Taking off the electroplating to add what is likely a less long lasting coating in the name of camoing seems shortsighted though. Ending with rusty streaks 15 years down the road instead of using stainless to begin with which naturally has a duller finish than plated.  

I've used both muriatic acid baths (leaves an even duller light gray finish than the standard one) and a blow torch to heat color (leaves various colors depending on your process,  I chose a sandstone colored brown) on Stainless with good success.  Staying away from electropolished SS like the climb tech wave bolts,  helps quite a bit in being less shiny.  

Stainless is without a doubt the best option. But I have quite a bit of galvanized steel on hand and am trying to use it responsibly. In our climate we see very little to no rust streaking, but we do see a lot of zinc-kill streaks 

Time will tell how well this solution holds up- I’d suspect for us it is an easily replaceable 30+ year solution to use the stripped carbon steel.

Once I dol-out the carbon steel, I’ll order a haul of stainless chain and links.

Thank for the feedback!

You too Salamanizer! Good stuff

I'm a bit mixed how I feel about camo hardware, it starts out great but usually ends up looking pretty terrible as it wears IMO.

I didn't read all the recent posts on camo folks methods of camo-ing, but has anyone tried powder coating hardware?
Seems like it would be more durable than paint options.

Mr Rogers wrote:

I'm a bit mixed how I feel about camo hardware, it starts out great but usually ends up looking pretty terrible as it wears IMO.

I didn't read all the recent posts on camo folks methods of camo-ing, but has anyone tried powder coating hardware?
Seems like it would be more durable than paint options.

Even a terrible looking worn camouflage paint job is less an eyesore or noticeable from a distance than a shiny hanger.    It doesn't need to look good it just needs to blend in better than the reflector that unpainted hangers are.

Kevin Mokracek wrote:

Even a terrible looking worn camouflage paint job is less an eyesore or noticeable from a distance than a shiny hanger.    It doesn't need to look good it just needs to blend in better than the reflector that unpainted hangers are.

I disagree. The beauty of opinions....

But still, anyone powder coated hangers?

Mr Rogers wrote:

I disagree. The beauty of opinions....

But still, anyone powder coated hangers?

But in this case I’m right lol.  

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