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Chockstone Forum - Gear Lust / Lost & Found

Rave About Your Rack Please do not post retail SPAM.

Author
T-nuts for bouldering wall
paul
16-Nov-2007
1:47:10 PM
I have been approached by some people to help design and construct an outdoor boldering wall. At the moment the dilema which I am facing is with the T-nuts. My biggest problem on my own home boldering wall seems to be the bolts / T-nuts which hold the holds on rusting. Will galvanised stuff last or is stainless the go?

As some members of this forum have constructed their own boldering walls I was wondering what people had found with different variations of T-nuts?

six-sevens
16-Nov-2007
5:11:00 PM
The T nuts I use are zink plated and are ok if sheltered and occasionally WD40'd. Black bolts rust the plated ones dont seem to. I WD40 the box of bolts before setting also. Stainless will cost more then replacing bolts periodically.
Steve
Paul
17-Nov-2007
10:34:34 AM
Dose anyone know what, if any the difference between galvanizing and zink plating is?

six-sevens
18-Nov-2007
7:03:06 PM
Galvanising is suitable for direct outdoor use. Zinc just stops surface rust in low exposure environments.
grangrump
23-Nov-2007
1:13:16 PM
And partly related:
what is the best way to unbolt a spinner hold?
grabbing the spinning T-nut with multigrips is challenging...

latheboy
23-Nov-2007
3:16:01 PM
DO NOT USE GALVANISED ANYTHING EVER!!!!!
S/S is the only way to go .. yes it costs a bit more but you wont have to change them ever.... Get Zinc coated cap screws and it will be all good ...
devlin66
24-Nov-2007
2:27:17 AM
Push the t-nut back into the hold and put a couple of tek screws in the notches. should hold enough to get the bolt out.
Paul
24-Nov-2007
12:30:29 PM
On 23/11/2007 latheboy wrote:
>DO NOT USE GALVANISED ANYTHING EVER!!!!!
>S/S is the only way to go .. yes it costs a bit more but you wont have
>to change them ever.... Get Zinc coated cap screws and it will be all good
>...

We ended up getting stainless t-nuts and bolts, so it should last.

AlanD
24-Nov-2007
1:45:14 PM
On 17/11/2007 Paul wrote:
>Dose anyone know what, if any the difference between galvanizing and zink
>plating is?

Poor terminology really. Gavanising is an industrial process used to protect one metal, by applying a sacrificial metal layer, also known as galvanic protection. Zinc plating is purely a process where a layer of zinc is used to coat another metal. In other words both terms refer to both the common coating process.

What is commonly called galvanising should be called hot dipped galvanising and zinc plating should be refered to as zinc electroplating.

With hot dipped galvanising, the base metal (usually iron or steel) is dipped into a bath of molten zinc. This process results in a thick course coating of zinc, the actual thickness can be controlled by the temperature of the molten zinc and chemical additives.

With "zinc plating" they are usually talking about the electroplating of zinc onto the base metal (usually iron or steel). The zinc is added to the bath via zinc salts and the zinc form metal ions. Using an electric current, the zinc ions are attracted to the base metal and the zinc plates onto the base metal. With this form of coating the zinc layer is usually very thin, hence not ideally suited for outdoor use.

Other forms of zinc plating also exist, such as vapour deposition, but the above two are the two primary methods of coating.

Phil S
24-Nov-2007
3:50:16 PM
On 23/11/2007 grangrump wrote:
>what is the best way to unbolt a spinner hold?
>grabbing the spinning T-nut with multigrips is challenging...

If the T-nut is relatively flush to the back of the panel getting a good grip can be awkward - there are a few other choices...
1/ Try a couple of small self-tappers placed tight against the T-nut in the hope that they will hold it (from spinning) long enough to remove the hold. I've had little success this this technique.
2/ If you are not that attached to the hold simply destroy it with a hammer and then easily remove T-nut with vice-grips.
3/ If the hold is not to be destroyed the only other option I'm aware of is to take an angle grinder to the back of the T-nut untill the whole thing, barrel and all, is small enough to be forced through to the front of the wall. This option will damage the back of the panel - probably could'nt do it twice to the same T-nut placement.

Phil S
24-Nov-2007
3:53:26 PM
Also, if you go with the grinder method be sure to have fire fighting weapons close at hand.

Rat Man
26-Nov-2007
5:43:30 PM
On 23/11/2007 grangrump wrote:
>And partly related:
>what is the best way to unbolt a spinner hold?
>grabbing the spinning T-nut with multigrips is challenging...

Vice-Grips!!
the real US made ones, not chinese ones. You can usually get a really tight grab on the tnut with the front face of the vice-grips, it's better if you can grab them on the side of the pliers though (with the body of the pliers lying on the wall) but sometimes the tnut is too deeply embedded in the ply for this.
If you cant get any purchase at all, drive a screwdriver in under the tnut and bend up 2 sides and then lock the visegrips on.
This is the system I use most at The Lactic Factory when some of my less-aware guest setters crossthread the capscrews all the way in.
Otherwise Phil S' system of grinding the back off is a good option, or if you're really keen and have a few 10mm drill bits to wreck you could attempt to drill out the head of the capscrew from the hold. (have never had to do this yet).
Have tried the extra screws method and it failed dismally.

In summary - get yourself some Vice Grips, they are the ducks guts all round super tool - I'm surprised you've managed to live this long without them.

Christian

There are 12 messages in this topic.

 

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