Spurs worn out?

[DavieR]

I purchased a set of used Bashlin aluminum spurs some years ago. I only climb occasionally, but I was recently advised that my spurs were "worn out". The aluminum had worn down too far and they were no longer safe. While this old set of Bashlins are truly not as "thick" in the stirrup as modern aluminum climbers, I've tried to notice pictures of others from their same vintage in the 60's or 70's. These look very much the same in terms of thickness and wear. Half the writing is gone from under the sleeves, and there are no other markings anywhere else. I do recognize the edges of the stirrup at not at 90 degrees, but that is probably to be expected. Also, the screws which hold the gaffs in place are exposed just slightly rather than being slightly inset inside the aluminum.
If they did fail, would it be catastrophic or would they just begin to bend downward? With the cost of replacements, I'd like to continue using these. Does anyone know how to evaluate aluminum spurs? Are there any accounts of catastrophic failures in old aluminum spurs? Thank you for any help. ~David

 

[TheJollyLogger]

I purchased a set of used Bashlin aluminum spurs some years ago. I only climb occasionally, but I was recently advised that my spurs were "worn out". The aluminum had worn down too far and they were no longer safe. While this old set of Bashlins are truly not as "thick" in the stirrup as modern aluminum climbers, I've tried to notice pictures of others from their same vintage in the 60's or 70's. These look very much the same in terms of thickness and wear. Half the writing is gone from under the sleeves, and there are no other markings anywhere else. I do recognize the edges of the stirrup at not at 90 degrees, but that is probably to be expected. Also, the screws which hold the gaffs in place are exposed just slightly rather than being slightly inset inside the aluminum.
If they did fail, would it be catastrophic or would they just begin to bend downward? With the cost of replacements, I'd like to continue using these. Does anyone know how to evaluate aluminum spurs? Are there any accounts of catastrophic failures in old aluminum spurs? Thank you for any help. ~David

It's your life. Are you asking for permission to use some 50 year old spurs? Why the hell would you use a piece of gear you don't have 100% faith in? I'm sorry, but this is unfathomable to me.

 

[Cynfawr]

They're not life support so you could probably get away with it...but would you want to risk having one give out and drop you while you were making a cut?

I'd replace any climbing kit that old I think.