WANTED: Bent, Slightly Damaged, Old, Unsafe Cams.

[AstroDav]

I would like to buy around 3-5 cams for a project I am doing. This DOESN'T involve climbing or anything else in which a person must rely on the safety of these cams. I'm wanting to stick a small waterproof case on a big rock in the middle of a creek. Normally, the rock is 3-5 feet ABOVE the water, but it's a swift mountain creek which floods about a dozen times per year.

 

I need SOMETHING that I can pretty much rely on staying put when the flood comes. One idea was to JB Weld a cable into the rock. I have permission to do this, but I'd rather do something which I could remove fairly easily later on. Simply tieing the case to a BIG rock with multiple wraps of wire would most likely keep the case from washing downstream TOO far....but I really want it to stay where I put it.

 

The cheaper non-mechanical cams/wedges/pitons MIGHT work...but I'd rather have a mechanical device...spring-loaded, which would always have a good amount of pressure on it, no matter which direction the water pushed the case around. Anytime I wanted to move it, then I would simply have to release the latch.

 

I'm sure if I played around in the barn long enough, I could invent something like this from baling wire, old springs, & crap sheet metal....but I'm not very good at that type stuff. So a mechanical rock-climbing can seems like it would be the ideal device for my needs.....but they also cost more $$$'s than I want to put into this relatively unimportant project.

 

As you can see, I'm not needing something that a person can trust his life on. It just needs to be at least MOSTLY usable. If it has minor imperfections which can be corrected with a vice, hammer, & screwdriver....that should work too. But that's why I'm looking for more than one....in trying to "customize" it to my exact needs....it might break.

 

And you can probaly also see that I'm looking for some CHEAP ones. Heck, if I could find some brand new ones that were Made In Taiwan & not built for climbing....kinda like the $1 carabiners that you can buy at Wal-Mart to use as key-chains....those would be great. But I can't seem to locate any like that, only quality equipment designed for climbing.

 

A couple different sizes would be great, but not 100% necessary. The cracks in the rock are mostly about 1/2" to 1" wide...so that gives you an idea of the size I need. Smaller is better, because those are usually a bit cheaper, harder for someone who might want to steal them to see, & I can always use a smaller crack.

 

So.....anyone have some of these that you've banged up & don't trust anymore? I said "cheap", but I WILL pay a fair price for them, just depending upon size, quantity, & just how banged up they actually are. I'm not here looking for give-aways or trying to talk someone into seeling them for a buck each.

 

I know the prices of the new ones & to a certainextent the prices of used ones, which are still suppose to be safe & usable. I'm looking for those which AREN'T any longer safe for climbing. Anybody have some? If so, shoot me a PM or e-mail or something & I just might be interested. Thanks in advance.

[BirdDog]

Cams can walk (move position) when wiggled. The force of the water may walk cams and cause them to come loose. Also rocks in rivers tend to move as well, when subjected to force from flood waters. Just a few things to keep in mind.

[Pete_H]

Overcam the shit out of them and they'd be less likely to go anywhere.

[Pilchuck71]

Check out ebay for cams by an outfit called gear4rock.

They are far less expensive than western made camming devices and have fairly good strength test ratings, especially considering your intended use.

 

[Water]

have you considered any application that would just use a vice of various sises? Not sure if you can get behind the cracks you want to anchor in but depending on that you could use a vice on a rock to act as a chock and some smaller gauge cable wrapped around it? The vice, assuming you could turn it still, would allow a quicker release than the jb weld or the wire-cage around the rock.

 

i can see the simplicity of a cam appealing but i think if you believe a passive piece of protection won't hold it due to different directional forces I have mental image of a big waterproof box shuddering back and forth in a flood current and rocking cams right on out just the same.

 

sounds like an interesting project

[Bishopp66]

This isn't the baloon boy's father is it? Are you trying to set up your next experiment... just don't put the kid in there and call the cops this time, OK??

[OlympicMtnBoy]

BOLT IT!

[Ishmael]

yep, bolt it. 1/4" x 1-1/4" or so bolts hand drilled. Quick to drill and it will not come out.

[Pilchuck71]

yep, bolt it. 1/4" x 1-1/4" or so bolts hand drilled. Quick to drill and it will not come out.

Yep!

[shapp]

Chances are I have already done what you are thinking of. Does this have to do with water quality monitoring, stream gaging, or remote pit tag detection systems or telemetry? If so PM me and I will line you out.

Shapp