Making Rock Holds

There was a post in a regional forum about holds a while back that discussed hold material.  I wonder if I'm the only one making them out of rocks?  Very simple and obviously inexpensive to do that.  All you need is access to some solid rocks (I use close grain granite from the beach), a heavy duty drill (I use my hammer drill in drill mode), and a carbide bit (you could use a diamond bit).  You want to make sure the rocks have a flat back so they don't spin.  Works great.  I have not cracked a rock yet drilling them although I haven't done any super small holds.  

When drilling smaller real rock holds, pour water over the rock from a garden hose while you drill to help prevent it splitting.

I've got about 120 drilled rocks on my garage wall. Hard sandstone (what we call "bluestone" around here) drills easily enough with ordinary drill and cheap masonry bits, and being sedimentary a flat side was no problem. Some granite and limestone was just too tough to bother with though.

I have managed to drill small chips and crimps using a diamond coring bit that costs about twenty dollars. 

Gunkiemike wrote: I've got about 120 drilled rocks on my garage wall. Hard sandstone (what we call "bluestone" around here) drills easily enough with ordinary drill and cheap masonry bits, and being sedimentary a flat side was no problem. Some granite and limestone was just too tough to bother with though.

Got a photo you’d like to share Mike? This is wicked neat and the first I’ve heard of it. Rock climbing holds out of rock, what a novel idea... I feel like a F’in idiot for not thinking of this.

How do you make them feel like realistic holds though?

Mark Pilate wrote: How do you make them feel like realistic holds though?

Bahahaha!!

In the 80’s a famous type climber simply glued rocks to a cement wall in an underground parking garage in Breckinridge, worked great