In reply to Anonymous:
> (In reply to Gordon Stainforth)
>
>I don't remember the wires being all that small, mind. I started climbing in 1981 when there were wires from 1-9, and I suppose I find it difficult to recall that when wires first came in (1967 or so?) there weren't all those sizes. So what range, in modern 1-9 terms, was available in 1967-70 or so?
The (Clog) wires weren't very small to start with. and as far as I remember they came in in very late 1969, at the v earliest. I suppose about the equivalent of Rock 2 was the smallest, but i really can't quite remember. The main point about them was that they were quite broad, gently tapered flat-sided wedges, on very stiff wire - so they got flicked out incredibly easily. I would say, however hard you tried, at least one in three would fall out. With a bad leader, anywhere between 60 and 100 per cent!
I've still got a lot of this ancient stuff in a trunk up in the attic. I've got a feeling - at least I hope - that my very first ('Davek') climbing harness, c. late 1969, is up there somewhere.
The only original nut I still use is my MOAC from 1968. It's been re-threaded at least twice. But I'm very superstitious about it, so don't take it now on many climbs. (Well, I'm not climbing much now, anyway!)