Gear Museum

Early Eiger hex chocks were just like the type in Conor Marks photos. They were symmetric hex stock with the end facets slightly tapered.

Eiger hexes

A lot of companies and individuals were trying things out and refining what worked. In the late 60 and early 70s no one was really sure what was going to be the best idea or work for the widest range of rock types. There were some real innovative minds at work! Tom Frost, Chouinard, Forrest, Lowe... And others. They were trying to nail down the basics and capture the ideas that would eventually become our industry standards.
I don't know who it was but I once heard it said, "Complicated I can do! It's simple that's hard." I think that can ring true when you think about the simple beauty of some gear design. A lot of thinking went into keeping those ideas clean and neat.

Christopher Gibson wrote: Stuff that I have aquired through Mountain Project and Ebay. Two sets of rigid stem friends both of which were bought through MP an ice ax from 1950 that has been up Mckinnley various Chounaird Pitons, climbing shoes, hexes and nuts and a framed first and second edition of Off Belay Magazine. Would love to get my hands on a 1970's Chounaird Hammer.

Any one know what brand these forged cams are? Two are marked with numbers (4, 3 and 1/2). The number 2 seems to have been re-stamped and there is a faint marking of "micromat". 

Also looking for info about the two marked "titan and micromat". 

Thanks!

The one on the right in the first photo looks like it could be one of the early forged friends judging by the hex nut axle terminations, although it almost looks too shiny to be that old. Although it looks to be a bit small for a 3.5 friend, unless my eyes are playing tricks on me. On the other hand, forged friends were a relatively simple design, simple enough for someone to make a homemade friend in a machine shop so it could also be that. 

Yeah. It's looks to be new old stock of some sort. They don't  look the same as any of the forged friends I've seen. I guess it could have been homemade. 

1. Chouinard, SMC, Clog, campbell. Forrest

Woodchuck ATC wrote: Cool stuff. Some people have called my gear 'museum quality' in the past. Check out these items. Left to right: some angled T'shaped chock(not a Forrest Titon), a Chouinard CrackN'Up for thin cracks, SMC taperlock nut, an SMC cam nut, a Campbell Saddlewedge, a Troll hexnut, and a pair of Chouinard drilled hexcentrics. The carabiner is a Salewa 'R.Robbins' 3,000lb oval, top of the line for 1980 era.

Thats The gear I started climbing with. My friends who had been climbing  for years before me made some of their own gear for Wide cracks. Tube chocks and giant tri cams.  I have since upgraded My rack