Cutting Pitons

[elliottwill]

I recently inherited a box of Black Diamond angle pitons in the full size range. The larger angles aren't useful to me, but the narrower sizes are. I wondered about thinning down the larger sizes so they'd fit into narrower cracks. Is this possible?

Edited May 25, 2008 by elliottwill

[tomtom]

[builder206]

 

and cutting oil

[pink]

use a saws all and finish them off with a grinder to smooth and round your edges. use oil when grinding.

[MarkMcJizzy]

 

and cutting oil

 

And a geologic era. Better use something that is tied into the electric grid

 

use a saws all and finish them off with a grinder to smooth and round your edges. use oil when grinding.

I have never heard of anyone, anywhere using oil when grinding, except is very specialized machine tool applications.

 

Tools of choice ( in descending order):

Horizontal band saw (oil bath, professional tool)

vertical band saw

Porta-band

Saw-zall

Abrasive chop saw.

 

I would not hesitate to use any of these tools to cut pitons, including the chop saw. I would want to see how much the local area was heating up before I gave the final blessing to the chop saw method.

 

[billcoe]

Blades for chop saws come in many different configurations. Chop saw works fine if you use a gritty, fast cutting blade Mark. It won't get it hot enough to affect the temper at all and is very fast. Keep the pieces clamped down tight....

[MarkMcJizzy]

Lets have a contest over who has used any metal cutting tool more, me or you. I've used chop saw for days, I mean eight full hours, then more of the same the next day. Let me be the chop saw expert.

[Hugh Conway]

use a laser fags

[tomtom]

Better use something that is tied into the electric grid

 

Lemme guess. You also use the elevator to go down a flight of steps.

 

[billcoe]

Lets have a contest over who has used any metal cutting tool more, me or you. I've used chop saw for days, I mean eight full hours, then more of the same the next day. Let me be the chop saw expert.

 

OK, what do I win then?

 

I wasn't contesting your list Mark but rather adding to it. I think you nailed it. We had a hydrolic horizontal bandsaw at the last place I worked and it was the total Schizz. I cut mucho metal on that bandsaw including scads of All Thread rod to various lengths for mfg and contractors and most of the custom channel for new building hydrolic line installs around here. When that wasn't being used we had a big custom made chop saw that was used a lot as well. I've been (happily) out of that niche since @1997 though, and if I bump into it I'm paying someone to do the job now: so I rarely touch the single chop saw we have anyway.

 

I still like the smell of burning metal though.

[MarkMcJizzy]

OK, what do I win then?

Wow, you have an awesome metal cutting resume. Too bad I'm still aheead of you. Add track burners, motorized torches, Okie burners, plasma cutters, arc gougers, shears, irown workers, punches etc etc etc

[olyclimber]

real proud of you Mark

[fenderfour]

Find a fat kid. Dip one end of the piton in peanut butter. Wait.

[Briang]

Two cents here:

 

Don't under estimate the versitility of a regular jig saw.

 

Secure the piton in a bench vise. Use a good bi-metal blade (Lennox are good) and a bit of lubricant. USE A BLADE MADE TO CUT WOOD! They will work very well and be much faster than a blade made to cut metal. The piton will get hot!

 

The jig saw will be much better than a sawzall (easier to control and more precise) and less hassel than clamping it in a chopsaw/band saw vise.

 

Use safety glasses!

 

Good Luck!

 

Brian

[Hugh Conway]

Two cents here:

 

Don't under estimate the versitility of a regular jig saw.

 

Secure the piton in a bench vise. Use a good bi-metal blade (Lennox are good) and a bit of lubricant. USE A BLADE MADE TO CUT WOOD! They will work very well and be much faster than a blade made to cut metal. The piton will get hot!

 

The jig saw will be much better than a sawzall (easier to control and more precise) and less hassel than clamping it in a chopsaw/band saw vise.

 

Use safety glasses!

 

Good Luck!

 

Brian

 

dumbest post yet on this thread - thats quite an honor!

[rat]

"I recently inherited a box of Black Diamond angle pitons in the full size range. The larger angles are pretty big, heavy, and seem redundant given the existence of nuts and cams in the same size. I wondered about cutting off some of the material so they'd fit in smaller cracks,....."

 

forgive me if my reading comprehension is poor but.....

 

you have an assortment from probably 1/2" babies to regular 2" angles and you want to cut the larger ones down to fit "smaller cracks"? this sounds like you don't want to make sawed-off "shotguns" for bottoming pin scars but actually want to shave material off the long axes of the pins. if that's the case, it sounds like a pain in the ass and you might be better off selling/trading the ones you don't feel you will use.

 

 

[mattp]

That was my initial reaction, Rat, but then again I didn't want to get in an argument over who knows the most about metal chop saws.

[rat]

no way to win that one unless you tally missing appendages of various sorts.

[Hugh Conway]

no way to win that one unless you tally missing appendages of various sorts.

 

so which ones the eunuch?

[olyclimber]

well, Mark know more about it than all of you put together, so there.

[fenderfour]

More importantly:

 

Pitons are specialized equipment. They are mostly used for hard aid climbing routes. Many people bring them along for winter alpine climbing and for first ascents. Using them as a standard part of your rack is probably a bad idea. It is such a bad idea that you are likely to receive a beatingg from the "locals" if you decide to place any on a free climbing route.

 

The fact that you are perplexed at the similarity in size to other clean climbing gear leads me to believe that you don't know what these things are for. Either put them in your closet until you know you need them, or sell them to other people that do.

[pink]

seems like most sawed off angles can be placed clean anyway and isn't that what this thread is about.

[Hugh Conway]

seems like most sawed off angles can be placed clean anyway and isn't that what this thread is about.

 

run along dear, man talk < slaps pink on the ass >

[pink]

sorry maam. it's just what i heard. i have no experience with nail ups or body weight gear placements whatsoever.

[kevbone]

sorry maam. it's just what i heard. i have no experience with nail ups or body weight gear placements whatsoever.

 

 

:wazup: