Ninja Climbing- Shoe Spikes

how to make a pair of ninja tree(or wall) climbing shoe spikes

**the picture shown here is of the retail version, found in some specialty stores and online. i am recerateing them

Step 1: Gather Materials and Tools

****** notice***** i am not responsible for ant injury involved, caused from,  or inflicted by/during ues if this item,

you will need:
dremel and/or angle grinder
tin snips
drill and drill bits
hammer
ruler
sharpie
paper
duck tape
8nails 1/2 inch long 1/8 inch thick (i used 1" nails and had to cut them to size, see later step)
flat steel or(as i used) tube from old metal floor lamp... altogether: 1foot long x 1 1/4" wide. and about 1/16 inch thick
shoelaces or twine
JB weld (amazing stuff this is, and cheap too)

Step 2: Draw Template

use the picture for refrence.
remember to label the "sides"
the holes are centered(or close to centered) from the middle of the template
use a hole punch to make holes in template to mark where nails need to go

Step 3: Trace Template and Cut Steel

trace the outline of the template on the metal and cut it out (i used an angle grinder)
pictured templates are offset to show tracing
*if useing a lamp tube as i did you will need to flatten after cutting and before the next step(s)
wichever method you used : make sure the metal pieces are as close to flat as possible at this time

Step 4: Drilling and Bending Sides

mark where the holes will need to be on the metal and drill them, use a drill bit as close to the size of nail possible, makes the next steps easier and end product sturdier
 (i drilled both pieces at once useng a c-clamp but this is optional)
set the piece in the edge of something solid with a sharp corner like the end of a 2x4 and clamp down as pictured. strike the "side" of the piece with a hammer as pictured, to bend it down. (as shown)

Step 5: Nail Time! (pt.1)

(pt.1) if you started with 1/2 inch nails skip to next step

the easiest way to mark your nails to cut them to size is to gea a post-it note pad, a ruler, and a sharpie.
lay sharpie with lid off on post-it pad andadd or remove layers of notes till the TIP of the sharpie measures 1/2 inches high from work surface(as pictured, with nails befor and after) and touch your nail to it while spinning the nail and holding sharpie in place
cut your nails to size along the line you just made and sharpen them. be very careful when cutting small metal pieces, or cutting any metal.
test-fit your nail in the holes you drilled previously. you want them to go all the way through the metal so the head of nail is against the metal strip. if they dont fit right, make holes slightly bigger with drill or dremel

Step 6: Nail Time! (pt.2)

for those who started with 1/2 inch nailsall you need to do is test fit them in the holes you drilled previously. you want them to go all the way through the metal so the head of nail is against the metal strip. if they dont fit right, make holes slightly bigger with drill or dremel

Step 7: JB Weld and Finishing Touches

drill mounting holes in "sides" that you bent in earlier step (see picture) [did this after i jb welded the pieces, sorry for the inaccurate pic]

with nails test-fitted, its time to mix the JB weld, following instructions on package (i suggjest useing the liquid kind you have to mix, its about 50% stronger than the JB"stick"... but either one should do the trick just fine)
i find mixing on the bottom of a soda can works quite well
apply the jb weld on nails and metal pieces (as pictured)
place on something like a bowl, or between books so that the jb weld isn't being touched and nails are held in place by gravity, (or use duck tape to hold them while it cures over night(yes, i said over night) with nails pointed down 
next day: add shoelace or twine (once again refer to pictures) to make the foot strapping that holds the item to your shoe.

paint: i prefer flat black paint, it dosent shine and is more stealthy 

go use your new tool to climb a tree, some adjustments of the cord  will most likely be needed to get it so stay in place on foot

Comments

[vladivastok]

HAY, LOVE THE IDEA. BUT, I'LL MOD. MINE WITH. STRUCTURAL SCREWS. DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE HEARD OF THEM. IT'S A TECH. SCREW USED SOMETIMES , ON METAL BUILDINGS. YOU MAY BE ABLE TO GET SOME AT BIGGER HARDWARE STORES.. JIST GET THE BIT NEEDED. FOR A DRILL. OR SCREW GUN. NO DRILLING NESESARRY. FILE DOWN THE HEAD & JB WELD, IF YOU WANT, BUT THATS' NOT NEEDED THANK'S [VLAD ]

[interestedturtle]

These look great !!!!!!! Maybe you could make these for a pair of hands.

[the.rollie]

actuall a set for the hands were on the list.. just didn't have time.. this is a prototype anyway... they tend to roll at certain angles

[Green X]

cool

[NightHawkInLight]

Very cool, they look great! I think you could improve the mounting though, shoe laces are awfully flimsy to be trusting your weight to should the piece try to slip from under your boot. You should at least have them tethered behind the heel as well so that they cannot slip forward. I would recommend leather straps, chain, or steel cables.

[the.rollie]

thanks! they work great too. they aren't meant to hole your entire body weight tho, just to assist in getting a grip under-foot whilst climbing.

they are tied behind the heel, if you take a closer look in the last step you should see it.
although yes a shoe string isn't much to rely on, its all i had at the time and it does fair quite well, i weigh about 165 and it held my weight on just one of them
thank you for the constructive criticism!