This is a set of over 100 models, most of them ready-to-print climbing holds. There is also a set of 'full model' files that you can rotate in the slicer to finetune the holds difficulty. See the Saturnus folder for examples. Scale, rotate and stretch these as you see fit to get the amount of challenge you want.
For texture I use Cura's fuzzy skin on about 50% of these. It adds some grip, but makes them take away more skin over time as well. Depending on the filament you use and your skin you may prefer one or the other.
Some of these holds have a bolthole prepared. For those program a pause at the end of printing the hole for the washer. Do not print supports there, and put an M10 washer in before resuming the print. This will distribute the load from the bolts head to the plastic. Ive also included 3 models of socket cap M10 bolts if you want to add these in the other models.
For the others, use the screw holes provided or drill your own to mount them using at least 2 5mm wood screws. 3 is better and required if you're strong or heavy.
All holds have been designed by me, for me to use on a 55 degree overhanging wall, to make boulder problems up to 7B/C. You can see them in use on my Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@hetistijmen
I use it to store beta videos so not the most engaging content, but it gives an impression of how these work and feel.
If you have any questions or want to request a specific hold, contact me here or via my Youtube account - I'd be happy to discuss hold design and the tips and tricks I picked up making and using these. You can also contact me to produce the holds for you. I ship from the northwest of Europe, inside the EU.
--- FDM 3D printing settings
I prefer to use Colorfabb LW-PLA because it gives me a very nice finish, but normal PLA also works. Matte finish is generally better than gloss.
I print with just enough gyroid or lightning infill to keep the top surfaces looking nice, and 3-5 outer skins. After, I remove the bottom layers (if there are any, I use them to improve bed adhesion) and put the 'shells' in a big bucket of sand. Then fill with PU or PE resin.
To save money I put glassfibers and glass baubles in the resin, this also reduces weight. If you are using PE I'd highly recommend glassfibers as they will decrease the chances of the resin cracking (esp if using an impact driver to tighten screws/bolts).
The LW-PLA I use has the added benefit of making everything very watertight and giving the PLA an internal closed cell structure. During use (or with some quick sanding) this will open up and improve friction to a level similar to softer woods like birch or poplar.
It's also possible to print these straight out of PLA and I haven't had any mishaps with that, but I wouldn't do that if you want to train on them. A strong climber can pull around 100kg on the test hooks CNC Kitchen uses (they're jugs!) and PLA breaks sharp. I've tried nylon/PA holds and while alright they feel worse to me at much higher cost. I'm also reluctant to try carbon fiber reinforced materials due to the high levels of skin contact.
Something else I've experimented with is printing flexible negatives as molds to cast holds in. This gives some very directional grip that might make for some crazy comp boulders. For training it's ok for making precise feet, but a little rough on the skin.
