Objects Database

Karabiner, piton + Nut (homemade)

Accession Number

1647.2022.1a-c

Object Name

Karabiner, piton + Nut (homemade)

Created

03/02/2022

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

03/02/2022

Brief Description

A snaplock karabiner, a p shaped piton and a nut on rope.

Materials

Metal, aluminium

Dimensions

Nut-3(L) x 1.5(W)cms. Karabiner 11(L) x 6.5(W) cms Piton - 13(L) x 3.5(W) cms

Number Of Objects

3

Colour

Silver

Provenance

We always enjoy items of the homemade variety since they are by definition, unique, and tell of a world without fancy gear shops, massed production equipment and a breed of men and woman who had a ‘make and mend’ mentality. The items themselves often hinting at a time line, in this case we think the 1960’s.
Much of the UK’s climbing gear was imported from the continent back then; Stubai of Austria being the most prolific producers of pitons.
The one we have here is pretty much a copy of a Stubai leaf piton, cut from a sheet and bent to form the angle which has a large hole for a karabiner.
We have never seen a homemade karabiner before but this one looks very much like a copy of a triangular shaped Haseney karabiner which you will find elsewhere in the collection. Unfortunately, we know little about either’s history.
The final one is a little easier to work out as it looks like a crude version of a Peck cracker cut from a piece of aluminium rod - comparison picture opposite.
Our good friend, Ian Sykes, kindly dropped these items off in a bag of ‘goodies’ which belonged to his ‘mate’….we don’t know who his mate was and whether or not he made these but thanks anyway.

Acquisition Method

Donated by Ian Sykes.

Acquisition Date

03/02/2022

Condition Check Date

03/02/2022

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

03/02/2022

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