Sharpening ice gear?

[Dane]

For anyone needing picks, crampons or screws resharpened for the upcoming season now is a good time to sort through your gear and send it off.

 

If you are local or looking for someone to do it for you I started doing it commercially for friends last winter. I have a full metal shop and work on similar things every day and have for a long time....been climbing waterfall ice and working on tools since the sport began in the early '70s.

 

I'll do your gear just as I would my own. It is always a compromise between sharp and longivity. I go for sharp 99% of the time but want my own picks to give a reasonable service life as well. Majority of the work is with a hand file so heat isn't an issue.

 

I also charge a little differently.

 

$20 is a minimum charge or $60 per hr shop rate (I break that down by 20 min periods) plus priority mail return shipping. Hopefully that makes it easy to send in everything in your (and your buddies) gear stash that has a ding that you might not want to pay $8.00 a screw for. Cost effective for you. Time efficient for me. Take a look at your screw threads as well. Easy for me to remove the major thread nicks and polish the screw tube so it is easier to place in really, cold, hard ice again.

 

Typical, mildly trashed gear, would be 6 picks and 6 screws resharpened in an hour. Some more, some less obviously. But you can start there as an idea of what can be done in an hour. You send them in, I sharpen them and bill you. Send me a check or pay via Pay Pal after you get the invoice. If something looks funky or expensive to fix I'll call you on my dime first. Turn around is typically 48 hrs. or less.

 

cheers,

Dane

 

Let your imagination run wild with a "cheap" Nomic!

 

 

 

 

You can contact me via phone @ 425 391 3202 or email @ rdburns@cnw.com with questions. Shipping address is:

 

Burns Custom

700 NW Gilman Blvd #116

Issaquah WA 98027

[John Frieh]

I highly recommend Dane's work... I think his pick modifications are a large part of the reason I have never snapped a BD pick.

 

Well worth it!

 

2 months to ice season!

[Dane]

Thanks John, but no way will I take credit for the BD picks!

Luck of the draw on that one

 

A tip for keeping your ice gear in tip top shape season after season?

 

Picks? Petzl recommends you trash any pick that gets filed past the big hooking tooth. Might be an idea if you have a big bank account and don't have a hand file. Other wise don't ditch them so early. I have Petzl picks that are still usable into the second and third tooth. Just takes some gentle reshaping and they might well be a bit stronger than the originals because of the gained cross section.

 

BD's typically break at the 4th or 5th tooth. That short, at first glance, there isn't much to save. More on that below. But no problem recutting a hooking tooth back two or three teeth to keep a worn pick climbing...and again the pick might well be stronger for the effort.

 

Broken BD's? I'd either get them replaced on warrenty or I'd recut and reshape them.

Remember some hard stuff has been climbed with some pretty "interesting" gear. If I was using BD gear (and I have/do ) I'd want a file, and the ability to quickly reshape a pick, along with spares on any climb. I have heard of guys who have broken EVERY tool and their spares on climbs. Knowing that is a possibility and having the ability to reshape your gear on demand in just a few minutes takes some stress out of the equation. I might even take to using reshaped broken picks as spares on long, hard alpine climbs. I know they are stronger.

 

Even the reshaped shorter picks are better than almost all of the earliest (and short by comparison) picks available. That early gear climbed some pretty hard stuff! You may not be giving up anything if you reshape your worn out, modern, picks right.

 

Inspect and resharpen all your ice gear before the season starts and do the same right after you get home from every trip. That way the gear doesn't sit around in damp bags and rust. BTW stainless steel rusts just like chromoly...it is just slower and doesn't show as easily. So take note that the newest stainless steel stuff still needs some attention and care. Stainless steel is also softer...better for mixed climbing, maybe a bit, but stainless will require more sharpening. So it will not last as long as a chromoly crampon.

 

A quick inspection, a few stokes of a file and a good shot of WD40 will keep your gear in shape longer, season after season.

[Dane]

One caveat for all the guys that want to sharpen and save their own picks. If you start recutting teeth, make sure you do not cut stress points into the pick.

 

A stress point in steel is generally any sharp angle. So the bottom of teeth need a rounded corner. Use a small round file to finish your transitions from one tooth to the other.

 

Small chainsaw files work well for that. 12" (for picks) and 8" mill bastard and a small triangular file will do screws nicely. Just go slow and keep the original angles on the screw or pick.

A vise with padded jaws works fine for picks but I do most of my screws in my hand, held agains my vise as it is faster and easier to change angles as you go.

 

Give it a try, have fun and no matter what tool you use always carry spare picks on the climb! After all they make great pins if required

[Dane]

A pair of well used Quark Cascade picks.

 

 

Same picks with a little TLC applied and now good for the next hook fest.

 

 

 

[kevino]

Those are my beautifully done picks pictured above.

 

Just wanted to give some thumbs up to Dane. He turned around my gear in just a couple days. The screws are as sharp as my new ones and the picks are way better than they were when I sent them in. I was hoping to use them this past week but conditions didn't work out. But I do plan on using them for a week in canada/montana/wyoming this month and am looking forward to it!

[Dane]

Thanks Kevin...let me know if you don't have a partner for Colfax?

 

Here are some before and after shots of one of this week's jobs. Stuff was pretty ratty (like any of it that gets used hard) and I didn't know how long it would take to bring it back. Ended up being 2.5 hrs or $150 total for 9 screws, a front set of Darts and 4 Quark picks. I was surprised by the time required on these. Only way I know to do this is as if they are my own gear. This set required some serious TLC.

 

You have to decide for yourself if the sharpening price is worth it. I could go a full season on 4 picks and a sharp set of screws and "new" Darts. Someone else might climb 4x that much and need a resharpening 3 times in a season.

 

Before and after on some really well worn picks....all down one tooth once resharpened.

 

 

Before and after Dart and maybe a couple of seasons yet left in them...all the points, front and side are now sharp again.

 

[Jens]

That's the nicest sharpen job I've ever seen.

[pdk]

Dane,

 

What tools are you using? Curious, since you cut the teeth back quite a ways on the picks - that looks more complicated than simply using a straight or chainsaw file.

 

thanks

[Dane]

That is quite the compliment Jens, thanks very much.

 

Donnie, very cool pic!

 

 

To answer your question though, I have climbed on just about everything out there. Generally on Petzl or BD tools these days. Obviously I am not doing everything with just a hand file. I can usually tell what the owner has been up to climbing wise by how trashed the picks are and where. Mixed or thin ice takes a good hook to climb well imo, so I try to accomplish that and save as much pick material as I can for the next major sharpening. Pure ice picks can be a lot simplier to recontour. Once a tooth is removed like I had to on a couple of the one shown above you can resharpen them easily with a flat file for awhile and get some good wear from the pick again. I don't see any problem going a couple of teeth in. Petzl suggests replacing your pick once the first tooth is reached while sharpening. If someone has a way/suggestionon how they want their stuff done and it won't make the pick weaker I am happy to do what ever you ask.

 

Here is some of what I have used or use now although the CF Cobras aren't there. Looking forward to trying out the newest BD Fusion this winter.

 

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/906793/Re_Collections#Post906793

[pdk]

So are you using a dremel, or something else to remove material when reshaping picks, or just hand files of one sort or another? I've used a dremel with good luck sharpening the teeth of screws, but its tricky to make sure not to mess with the temper. I've seen angle grinders used on picks to make major alterations, but I personally don't subscribe. You do great work; if I wasn't a stickler about doing it myself, I'd be sending it your way.

[Dane]

No, I don't use power tools. Too easy to thrash the temper/heat treat of the gear that way. I use hand files and a foot wheel with a water bath.

 

 

[Bmulvihill]

Excellent work!!

 

5 screws brought back to pointy precision as well as a Petzl/Charlet Cascade pick

resurrected from a bent state.

 

quick. affordable. painless.

 

get on it.

 

 

[wayne]

Dane , are you still doing the sharpening thing? I have a couple of customers lined up if you are.

[Dane]

yes

[stevetimetravlr]

Mill bastards!

[spiderman]

For all y'all that haven't been paying attention to the ice forum for the last few years. DANE is the MAN! Tech questions, special custom modifications, sharpening gear, boot questions, jackets, you name it. Ask Dane!!!!!

 

 

He has the most valuable knowledge of anyone I've ever had the privelage of working with. He is very helpful and patient with newbies too. He can make some badass modifications to your old tools so you have a second grip on each tool, just like modern tools.

 

In short just talk to the man, and he'll have your answers:))))

[stevetimetravlr]

I just read a article written by Dane under the link "Blog" at the top of the page. It was about umblicials on ice tools and really informative. Thank you Dane, super info.

[Plaidman]

I just got a hand me down pair of foot fangs that my partner is letting me use. I was having really difficulties with my feet kicking out. He says that it is just not keeping my heels down. I thought maybe sharpening the front points would help. I inspected them and found they were a lot duller than they looked. It looks like he's been kicking rocks with em. So I have one set sharpened and working on the other now with a hand file. I am sure that it will make a huge difference. I will be testing them on the ice next week. Keep those heels down DAMN IT!!!

[Dane]

Thanks for the kind words.

 

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/

 

My blog has a 100 or so articles on alpine and ice..including a good video on how to sharpening ice screws.

 

Sorry been out climbing in the cold (-30C this day). Mostly at night as I had forgotten just how short the days still are.

 

And hate typing more than a word or two at once on my notebook Just got back home.

 

Dbl boots, big racks, packs..and my bro Dave. We broke crampons, tools, a trekking pole and a helmet in just one day. That kind of cold will do it generally. And damn near got flushed 2000' off a climb. Expensive...for Dave...but a GREAT trip!

 

Send me a PM if you think I can help on the gear issues.

 

[icmtns]

Sorry been out climbing in the cold (-30C this day). Mostly at night as I had forgotten just how short the days still are.

 

 

 

That's cold....-22F...

 

Thanks for your great blog. Lots of good info!