I moonlight as a sculptor. I fabricate and sell climbing holds to gyms and individuals from out of my small studio space in Edinburgh as Rainy Day Holds.
The process starts with sculpting shapes from rigid polyurethane foam. If destined to be a cast resin hold, a silicone mould is made from the foam shape, which the liquid resin is poured into. If destined to be made from fibreglass, the patterns are coated in a high build primer paint and sanded to the desired glossiness. A fibreglass mould is made of the pattern from which the final holds are eventually cast - with thickened resin areas around the screw holes and metal reinforcements for added strength. The texture for the fibreglass holds is often a fine aluminium oxide blasting medium sprayed onto wet paint or resin via an air compressor in multiple even layers.
The process starts with sculpting shapes from rigid polyurethane foam. If destined to be a cast resin hold, a silicone mould is made from the foam shape, which the liquid resin is poured into. If destined to be made from fibreglass, the patterns are coated in a high build primer paint and sanded to the desired glossiness. A fibreglass mould is made of the pattern from which the final holds are eventually cast - with thickened resin areas around the screw holes and metal reinforcements for added strength. The texture for the fibreglass holds is often a fine aluminium oxide blasting medium sprayed onto wet paint or resin via an air compressor in multiple even layers.
The process starts with sculpting shapes from rigid polyurethane foam. If destined to be a cast resin hold, a silicone mould is made from the foam shape, which the liquid resin is poured into. If destined to be made from fibreglass, the patterns are coated in a high build primer paint and sanded to the desired glossiness. A fibreglass mould is made of the pattern from which the final holds are eventually cast - with thickened resin areas around the screw holes and metal reinforcements for added strength. The texture for the fibreglass holds is often a fine aluminium oxide blasting medium sprayed onto wet paint or resin via an air compressor in multiple even layers.
In 2026 I was chosen as a finalist in the Walltopia Shapers Showdown and flown to Sofia, Bulgaria to compete. You can find my submission video here.
