MAKING CLIMBING HOLDS: Full DIY Process (including links)

Here it is, the super-cut version of the DIY Climbing Hold Series - hopefully this is a little more absorbable for those of you with shorter attention spans or commitment issues 😂.
Full DIY CLIMBING HOLDS Playlist: • Making DIY Climbing Holds
"Testing them out": • Testing out DIY Climbi...
Other videos linked in order:
ENERGY CRISIS 2020: • ENERGY CRISIS 2020 - F...
Boulder Breakdown #1 (Yellow v7): • 3D Bouldering / Climbi...
Climbing Wall Update #1: • Adjustable Climbing Wa...
My First v9 (Boulder Breakdown): • Climbing My First v9 /...
Bouldering Birthday (aka Send Day): • Bouldering Birthday (a...
Building an Adjustable Climbing Wall (Cutdown): • Building an Adjustable...
🛒 DIY Climbing Hold Materials:
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**Polyurethane Resin: www.alumilite.com/resins/alum...
**Mold making materials: www.alumilite.com/silicones/h... - I used a different product in the video
**Mold Release: www.alumilite.com/accessories...
**All in one kit (low volume): www.alumilite.com/resins/supe...
**Resin Dyes: www.alumilite.com/dyes-colors...
**Large Stir Sticks: www.alumilite.com/accessories...
**Small Stir Sticks: www.alumilite.com/accessories...
**Measuring Cups: www.alumilite.com/accessories...
**Gram Scale: www.alumilite.com/digital-sca...
**ONE-TIME 10% OFF COUPON CODE: sendstory10
*Foam for shaping: amzn.to/395SXnd
*Alt. Mold Release: amzn.to/3ti4Tch
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🛒 Shaping Tools/Other Items:
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*Dremel Tool: amzn.to/3avKrya
*Climbing Bolts: amzn.to/3NYks0w
*Box Cutter: amzn.to/3GWQeZz
*Varied Rasps:amzn.to/3NqBuER
*Sanding Foam/Sponge: amzn.to/3x7SEA9
*Assorted Grit Sand Paper: amzn.to/3GUQ5pr
*Hot Glue + Gun: amzn.to/3aq4wpr
*Compressed Air: amzn.to/3aq4H45
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🛒 Climbing Wall Materials:
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*Climbing Bolts: amzn.to/3NYks0w
*T-Nuts: amzn.to/3zqgTwl or amzn.to/3MsYLoe
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*These are affiliate links that help us out. Thanks!
Patreon: / sendstory
Follow us here too! / sendstory
TL;DR/Don't like all the talking:
Intro to making holds - 0:00
First pass at making holds - 0:26
The DIY climbing hold series - 0:45
Where to start - 1:14
Shaping the holds - 1:45
Adding bolt holds - 2:41
Making mold boxes - 3:10
Mixing silicone moulds - 3:40
Hold making platform - 4:40
Prepping the molds - 4:54
Mixing Polyurethane Resin - 5:17
Adding colour to the holds - 5:39
Pouring the climbing holds - 6:01
Demolding cured holds - 6:19
Testing the holds - 6:50
The Final Climbing Holds! - 7:17

[@courtclimbs]

Dang I now have a dumb need to make holds for a non existent climbing wall I have

[@SendStory]

Haha, that's how I started! I made holds long before the wall existed. They make great paper weights!

[@claytonharting9899]

I’m moving out soon and I’m deep into planning my own climbing wall to have in my own space. Buying holds is so expensive, but I love all things art and diy, so I’m so excited that youtube recommended me this video! I’ll definitely be watching the series, whether that’s now or when I get closer to having that wall :) Thank you!!

[@SendStory]

Excited for you! I'm sure you will have your hands busy at the new place, best of luck on the move and hope you can tackle the fun projects soon. Thanks for the support, appreciate you checking out this video and hopefully the others. I also hope to add to this series when I have the time, so check back for that too. Good luck on all fronts!

[@yeahbuddy5004]

Nice summary of your hold making series. Your holds look amazing!

[@RunNaked2012]

Your videos are really high quality with interesting content. Keep it up!

[@SendStory]

Thanks a lot, appreciate the positive feedback!

[@SendSeries]

Id love to try this some day... the holds look like they came out really well! And as always, super impressed with your editing/video effects skillz

[@SendStory]

Thanks dude. Definitely a good hobby and a great distraction from the world and life duties, haha.

[@tylerashcraft4089]

Awesome video and thanks for the links to the products!

[@SendStory]

Glad you dig it and found the links helpful. Hope you make some awesome holds!

[@WesLaverty]

I respect you for acknowledging those of us who hide behind out short attention spans when it comes to our commitment issues. However, in this instance, I am subscribed😉. Keep up the great informative work!

[@KyleAndersonSkates]

really love the idea of using the floral foam!

[@SendStory]

Definitely super flexible and easy to work with. Sometimes a little tooo easy... and you destroy something you were carefully sculpting... haha. Thanks for the comment!

[@SendStory]

A bit slow to edit and post this one, but here is the truncated version of the DIY Climbing Hold Series. I have some more videos in the pipeline, so stay tuned for some more videos in the very near future! Thanks as always for the support! P.S. Here is that wacky video of climbing on the holds: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHu6dGepjsedkNE

[@JustSomeBigfoot]

How did you get such a distinct texture on the holds? I’m in the process of making me and some buddies hangboards and would love to know thanks 🤙

[@SendStory]

@@JustSomeBigfoot Hey, no problem. The texture is actually based off of the substrate that you are sculpting from, so in this case its floral foam. There are different kinds, so depending on what kind of foam you use, it changes the texture. For example, this floral foam (linked in the description) has a finer texture (smaller pores/cells) where the white rigid floral foam has large cells and therefore creates a rough (and in my opinion, uncomfortable) texture. The pro climbing hold shapers have a specific foam that is spec'ed for carving and is more durable, has an even finer texture, as well as comes in larger blocks. It might be worth reaching out to a rigid foam manufacturer to see what you can get your hands on if you are looking to do something large like a hangboard. Good luck and thanks for the comment.

[@eliesundesastre9473]

Someday in the future I will come back to your channel, my dude, and a climbing wall will be built 💪

[@SendStory]

Heck ya! The future looks bright my dude! Best of luck!

[@kabisito]

gostei da criatividade e como mostrou

[@augmentedcamel]

Amazing quality video, really inspiring. Might starting a hold creation YT channel now!

[@SendStory]

That's awesome! Glad you liked it and appreciate the comment and stoke, have fun!

[@thisiseric]

Still absolutely wild to me how good your holds look. I imagine if I made some the would just look like random blobs :P

[@SendStory]

Ha, thanks man, but there is always room to improve! Maybe one day you can come pull on them. Also, sometimes random blobs are the best climbing holds - never discredit a good blob!

[@RunNaked2012]

What are sloper if not blobs?

[@2milesbelow676]

Intricate process!

[@SendStory]

Definitely is, but well worth it in my opinion.

[@user-xf2pk6kn4p]

hello! thank you for your video! dp yyou know how to make dual climbing holds?!

[@SendStory]

Dual as in dual tex (dual texture holds - smooth and shiny on some parts, textured on others)? I have made them, not sure how the pros do it though. I've sculpted my foam and then added in material where I want it to be slick to cover the texture (pores) in the foam. This can be done with different materials as long as they don't react to the foam or are not easily casted. You could probably get away with a thick paint that you layer up and sand off until smooth, as long as your last coat is glossy (shiny). Then you cast the hold the same way. I hope that helps! I want to do a follow up video talking about making hollowback holds, different ways to make molds cheaper, and how to make dual tex (several ways), but I unfortunately haven't had the time. I hope I can get around to it. Good luck!

[@user-xf2pk6kn4p]

@@SendStory Thank you for your kind reply! I'll give it a try. and I'll look forward to the good video.

[@sergeantoine123]

Great video! I was wondering what kind of durability you get with your holds. I know it's polyurethane like commercial holds so I imagine it's similar in longevity?

[@SendStory]

I can't say I've tested them thoroughly yet (the only way would probably be to get them up at a gym... which I might try to and do a follow up video), but I've noticed no wear or had any issues. Most commercial holds in North America are poured by Aragon Elastomers, and in Europe I think it's Composite-X and I'm sure they have their proprietary resins and processes that make the quality better, but I really can't complain about the resins I've used. Some of the dyes and pigments in some holds I've poured seem to fall victim to the elements outside (mainly UV, I suppose), but then again, so have some commercial holds (I show this in my climbing wall update video). Honestly, the biggest change I would make from the process in these videos is to get my hands on proper commercial foam to get the scale and texture closest to commercial holds. Green floral foam is definitely limiting, but cheap and easy to get a hold of. Hope that at least somewhat answers your question. Thanks for the comment.

[@sergeantoine123]

@@SendStory Thank you for the quick reply! I actually didn't really expect to get an answer on a year old video. Much appreciated feedback. I've been toying with the idea of making my own holds and volumes for a moment and discovering your video gave me the info I needed to progress with my ideas.

[@SendStory]

@@sergeantoine123 glad I could help, best of luck with your holds!

[@senseibrewster]

thanks! How and when do you add the washer/what are you using to hold the bolts steady in both the silicone and resin steps? thanks again!

[@SendStory]

Hey! I add the washer during (before) the resin pour. The hole you carve out to recess the bolt head in the foam when shaping the hold creates a cylindrical shelf (when reversed out in the mold) that you place the washer on before you pour the resin. As for the bolts, I use a tnut in the bottom of the foam to keep the bolt upright when casting the silicone mold. For the resin pours, I actually just use the mold itself to hold up the bolts perpendicular to the level casting surface. As long as the bolt is square at it's end, I find it stays nice and plumb. On that note, when casting, the bolts I use I have modified to not have any threads (cut off the threads), and only have the threadless shaft. If resin leaks into the threads, it's nearly impossible to remove the bolt without damaging the hold. On that note as well, make sure you use a good release lubricant on the bolt to remove it easier, and I find removing it before the hold is completely cured gives you the least resistance (just make sure you remove it carefully to not distort the hole size or shape). Some people use a type of plastic dowel or straw instead for this method as well. Others also just cast the hole in the foam shape so you have the bolt hole in the mold and don't need to bother with any inserts... But from my experience, when you cast larger holds, the silicone "bolt tail" is prone to distorting and moving/bending so you end up with a wonky hole in some pours and often it will rip over repeated casting and create headaches. I have been wanting to do a more detailed follow up video (or videos), but unfortunately haven't found the time. Hopefully this does a decent job explaining it and helps you out. Thanks for the comment!

[@senseibrewster]

@@SendStory awesome answer! Thank you so much!

[@henricornette3219]

Hello sir, great video, loved it ! I just wanted to know (if you still know) how much did it cost ?

[@SendStory]

Hey! Thanks for the kind words! Unfortunately that question is hard to answer because of how many variables are involved. Depending on the supplier in your area, costs can vary quite a bit, as well as the size of holds you are making. The molds are always the most expensive compared to the resin, so your budget might start off by finding out how much liquid silicone for making molds costs at your supplier (you could use the links to products in the description to try to do a rough estimate, but many art/sculpture supply stores carry comparable products). Sorry that wasn't the exact answer you were probably looking for, but hopefully it helps!

[@henricornette3219]

@@SendStory Thanks for the quick answer and the time you took to to answer!

[@haikuz]

I’m curious if these could be 3D printed with a resin printer, as I believe you can use polyurethane with those

[@SendStory]

Hey, sorry for the late response. I'm a little out of touch with 3d printing technology as of late, so I'm not sure of all the processes and materials that exist now, especially for home users. The 3 main issues in the past (which might not exist nowadays) that I have seen with 3d printed holds are efficiency/scalability, structural integrity, and texture. So it is way cheaper to print your own hold, especially if you just need one or two. As I've mentioned in videos, the mold is the most expensive part, and you remove the need for one by 3d printing. But printing takes longer and casting resin takes a few minutes. So depending on the scale of your production, the cost of the mold goes down the more you output and it can be a more efficient process once you have a mold. I would also argue you get a superior product from casting. I know 3d prints can be super strong, but I feel like a pour would be stronger. I know uv/laser cured 3d prints could give you similar results, but I'm not sure of their integrity. I have seen some 3d printed holds that seem really good just randomly sheer along a certain cross section of the hold. Resolution is the biggest issue I think, especially with home quality printers. To get the texture right, the most minute details are important. I have yet to climb on a 3d printed holds (that I'm aware of at least) that has texture that close to casted resin. Even the cheap foam I use doesn't quite get the texture right (there is a foam more dense and rigid that the pros use to shape). By no means am I saying you can't 3d print holds, I'm sure there are ways, but I'm just not sure it will yield as high of a quality of product. If you try it out, I'd love to hear how it went and have you share your results. I have been meaning to experiment with 3d holds and maybe a hybrid in-between, but just haven't got around to it. Maybe some time in the future I can find some time to continue the series. Thanks for the comment!

[@josedanielarciniegascontre9631]

Thanks for the video. How do you get a texture as a rock? Or this texture is just as plastic?

[@SendStory]

Hey, thanks for the comment. The silicone you use to make the mold captures very fine textures from anything you make with it. So in this case it is capturing the open pores of the foam you carve, which are created when you cut open the tiny bubbles that make up the "closed cells" in the foam. This is the same process larger climbing hold companies use to get their texture - so essentially this process will give you more or less what you get from holds at the gym. This gives it a texture somewhere between a coarse sandstone and a soft/fine volcanic rock. If you want it to look like rock, you would have to carve it to give it that aesthetic. The are some techniques like cracking the foam open to give it the look of a flake of a rock face, however the texture would still be the same. If you wanted to cast realistic rock texture, you would need to carve something that felt the same or similar. So you might get actual rock texture by carving a real rock, like a soft limestone or something similar, and then casting that. Original holds were cast in concrete as well, which while being super heavy, might help you get something with a more "realistic" texture. I hope that helps answer your question, thanks for checking out the video.

[@josedanielarciniegascontre9631]

Awesome mate, thank you very much. I’ll try to make few. I was doing bouldering years ago, now my kids love climbing.

[@SendStory]

@@josedanielarciniegascontre9631 as a new dad, I appreciate this. As long as you keep a safe working environment, making holds can be a fun exercise to do with the kiddos. Sounds like a pretty great parent to me. Best of luck!

[@rockyfelicia7826]

The resin you used, it looks dark - can you tint it to lighter colours, like a yellow? How about a white hold?

[@SendStory]

I honestly couldn't tell you what this resin in particular looks like cured without any pigment/dye because I haven't ever created any holds without it. I do believe that the resin without color ends up being something that isn't quite white, however, the cured color is very light and a few times I haven't got my colors as vibrant or deep as I've wanted and had to add more in my next batch (when I was still playing around with figuring out the right amount of color per volume). I have made yellow though, and it seemed to turn out quite light and I had no problems achieving a color I wanted. There are other resins that work for climbing holds, so I wouldn't be afraid of trying others if you are looking for a pure white color, and there are different ways to color holds as well. Personally, for my home wall purposes, getting an exact color match or a specific color hasn't been a huge concern. Hope that is helpful!

[@iamthekwan]

Thanks very much. How far off are these DIY holds compared to the professionally-made ones? Is there a practical size limit (e.g. to cost or effort) to DIYing where you'd be better off buying retail holds? Are DIY (or rather, "professionally home-made") holds worthy of being sold to other climbers? Just curious, as I have a (pipe) dream of opening a small climbing gym in the not-too-distant-future and am looking at making my own walls and holds as much as possible. Thanks again for the awesome videos!

[@SendStory]

Sweet aspiration, hope it works out down the road! I talk a bunch about costs and benefits in first video of the full series, I think that will do a better job framing that - so I recommend checking that out. The TL;DR version is that the molds are the most expensive, so if you are just making them for yourself, I doubt you would be saving much money, and definitely sinking a lot of time into it. There are ways to get more out of your molds, I actually eventually want to make a video on that, but haven't gotten around to it... but yea, silicone is expensive and typically a molds just outputs the same exact hold multiple times. I am not sure about selling holds, just from a safety/ liability perspective. You might want to just throw a generic disclaimer about their intended use of you were to sell them. In terms of the quality, they should be pretty dang close to commercial holds, the big difference will be texture, as your DIY foam will be different than what the commercial guys use. You will get more variety and a better price point if you buy holds from a local supplier, rather than making your own. If the company is not local, holds get heavy and expensive to ship, and if they are coming from another country, duty on holds jacks up the price. If you are planning on making a lot of holds, and filling a large wall, you might save money making your own, but not time. Shapers are masters of their craft and it takes some time to hone that in. Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions that aren't answered in the other videos!

[@iamthekwan]

@@SendStory Noiceeeee, thanks for such a detailed reply! Yeah I watched that video after writing my first comment - I suppose it would only make sense if I plan to reuse the molds for selling or something. Maybe I can start off small and sell stuff clearly labelled Home Made, to set expectations and do more practice. From a durability perspective, do DIY holds degrade? Eg smoothen out over time or something. What about wooden holds, do they get slippery over time? I figure if I'm making a wall only for myself, doing it with wood would make sense for one-off work, but if I were to sell them, then making silicon molds would pay off in the long run.

[@SendStory]

@@iamthekwan yes, it depends on your usage. Wooden holds are naturally pretty smooth, which is good for training, but definitely different than your typical polyurethane holds you climb on in a gym. Try out a Tension board or some of the wood holds on a Moonboard to get a sense of them. If you use polyurethane (the resin in these videos) you should get holds very similar to a gym (the typical floral foam used here tends to have larger pores and thus a little more textured than what they use for shaping commercial gym climbing holds). So they should wear the same as gym holds, or if they are more textured, even longer. The exception might be if they are outside and exposed to UV and heat - they may degrade faster over time. Anyhow, if say stay with wood if you want first. It's cheap and should be readily available and you will more or less use the same tools. Practice finding out shapes that feel ergonomic on the hands, then you can pretty what you learn to shaping foam and pouring holds. With that said, you can go right into foam and polyurethane if you want, it's expensive on a large scale, but if you buy a small batch of materials, it should just be a few hundred dollars. Hope that helps.

[@iamthekwan]

@@SendStory Wow... a few hundred USD is equivalent to $1000 after converting to my currency and economy. No wonder there aren't many climbing gyms in my country; they're expensive! Anyhow won't take up more of your time, thanks very much for answering all my questions. Have a great day!

[@SendStory]

@@iamthekwan No worries, I don't mind helping. Prices where I am might also be super inflated to match the cost of everything around here, so you might be able to find the same (or similar) products in your country for more reasonable prices. Check any hobby/crafts/DIY stores that might service artists, craftsmen, or professionals as a place to start. Also, hundreds of dollars ($200-ish) would get you enough silicone to make like 10 +/- molds for small jugs and crimps and enough resin to pour a good chunk of those holds. You can reuse the molds quite a bit if you handle them carefully and store them well. The resin is the cheaper of the two products, so buying more of that after the molds wont be as big of an investment. So per hold you would be paying much less. There are cheaper materials you can use (polyster resin is cheaper, but heavier and has worse fumes, standard silicone calk can be thinned out and painted on the foam instead of a pourable silicone made from molds - but it isnt as durable, etc.), but the holds wont be of the same quality. Again, starting with wood might be your best option.

[@Ishwolv]

How did you get them have that grainy texture instead of just coming out smooth?

[@SendStory]

It's kind of hard to tell in the video because of how small the texture is, but the grainy texture actually comes from the foam you carve. The foam is filled with really small bubbles (closed cell foam), and as you carve through them, you expose those cavities and create little pores that create the texture. This is one of the reasons why high quality liquid silicone that's meant for making molds is important. It gets right into the micro textures of the foam to create the texture that you get after you cast the molds. I hope that makes sense and helps explain!

[@Ishwolv]

@@SendStory That makes perfect sense, thank you.

[@Nihlink]

Yeah this is sick. Especially with the holds for a kilter costing 8k and them all being duplicates of a few holds you could easily replicate them with only a handful of molds and a couple kg of resin. Probably under 400€.

[@SendStory]

Yea, lots of options and ways to make your own. I've thought about making a hold set that's open source and people just pay for a few resin casts of the various hold shapes that they then can make their own molds of and replicate for a full wall set and then to share the shapes with others to do the same. Then there could be standard orientations/configurations and such and people can use whatever home wall app they want to share problems with the community (like stokd, retroflash, etc.). Essentially an open source climbing board standard that isn't really owned by anyone. Time and motivation are the main problem there, haha. Thanks for the comment and checking out the video.

[@Nihlink]

@@SendStory yeah I hear that, I’m and SWE by trade so I know I could technically create an app to control the leds and use clear resin to pop leds in the back of the holds. But then I realize I work 40 hours a week and maybe just colored tape will do the trick. But maybe if there was an open source project going I would be into contributing.

[@SendStory]

@@Nihlink good to know, maybe if I ever magically find the time and motivation I'll drop a comment here to pick your brains.

[@fxnny4034]

@@SendStory That's an awesome idea