Objects Database

Homemade nuts

Accession Number

1154.2014.1(a-c)

Object Name

Homemade nuts

Created

05/08/2014

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

05/08/2014

Brief Description

Three nuts with holes for rope or wire. One on rope

Materials

aluminium

Dimensions

a&b - 3(l) x 2.5 (diameter)cms c - 3(l) x 2(w) cms

Number Of Objects

3

Colour

silver

Provenance

It can be quite hard sometimes to decide whether or not things are homemade, which has to be a tribute to the maker! Early climbers used pebbles, chockstones and engineers nuts threaded on a rope, to jam into cracks for anchors when climbing. In the 1960's companies like Troll and Clog started making aluminium alloy chocs, nuts and wedges to do the job. Then came the hexagonal, quickly followed by the hexcentric(an offset version of the hexagonal) Supposedly, all manufactured nuts had the company stamp on them i.e. Troll, Clog, Chouinard etc. The first thing to look for then is that stamp; if it's not there the chance is that you've got a homemade version though beware since some very early nuts didn't have a stamp, and it was not uncommon for 'seconds' to have the stamp filed off and sold cheaply. It was also fairly common for climbers to file commercially made nuts to make different sizes.
Meanwhile, there were lots of climbers around who were good engineers, pefectly capable of filing and cutting a lump of aluminium into a hexcentric shape and drilling a couple of holes for the rope to thread through.
We're pretty sure these three little fellas are homemade but unfortunately we are not sure who by. An excellent wee addition to our collection whatever.

Acquisition Method

Donated by Mick Tighe

Acquisition Date

05/08/2014

Condition Check Date

05/08/2014

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

05/08/2014

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