UKC

So I was running a climbing tower for a guide camp at the weekend, and one of the holds came loose and needed tightening. No big deal - I borrowed an allen key from the campsite staff and got it fixed.

My questions are:

Do all walls use the same screws and therefore the same size Allen key (the one at this wall was 6mm)?

Does anyone keep an Allen key (or keys) in their chalkbag or whatever for such eventualities?

Are climbing walls ok with this or is it frowned upon? I'm not thinking.of moving holds or anything - just tightening any loose ones I come across.

Dom.

In reply to Landy_Dom: I've seen a few people carry Allen keys with them for this purpose. My local wall prefers you to report a loose hold so they can fix the problem themselves, might be a health and safety thing (though that sounds bonkers) for liability etc.

In reply to ColinVern:

Not that bonkers actually. It's easy to over tighten and crack holds, especially on a featured fibreglass wall, the cracked parts then fall off and brain someone. It's also pretty easy to drop allen keys (yes even with a clip) which could be nasty on a busy night. I've also seen occasions when customers moved holds to change a route.

For these reasons most walls prefer to do it themselves.

In reply to Landy_Dom: can see why people do carry their own allen keys, ive reported loose holds to staff before which havent been sorted all night!

In reply to Rich Tyler: There are two sizes in general use. By far the most common is 6mm hex which are generally couintersunk.

Some manufacturers use 8mm. These are generally a cheese head.

In reply to Landy_Dom:

In the UK they're M10 fixings, generally with either 6 or 8mm sockets depending on the type of bolt.

My local wall has keys hanging about so I just tighten loose holds as I find them. They don't often have enough staff on to do it themselves in anything like a timely fashion.

I'd never bother taking hex keys to a wall! If a hold is loose and can't be fixed there and then I just go round/past it or use it anyway.
jk