I've been rock climbing for most of my adult life. I generally consider it to be a safe sport. But one day, while climbing near Denver, I took a huge fall on a bolt that was loose and it shot off the wall. This made me fall about 20 feet before the rope went taut and I nearly seriously injured myself. I was hobbling around for a week or so. The reason why it happened, I discovered, was because the bolt was loose and previously tightened with someone's fingers, instead of using a wrench. This is unfortunately a common thing for climbers to do, as most folks don't bring a wrench to the crag with them. So, I saw this as an opportunity and decided to do something new about it. 
The Crank Brush is a climbing tool I invented to make crags safer. It's a climbing brush, which people already bring on their chalk bag, but with the added utility of being able to tighten loose bolts on sport climbing routes. I taught myself enough CAD to create a 3D model, did extensive research on chemicals and moulding, and then I worked with a manufacturer in China to actually produce it. It was successfully funded on Kickstarter to the tune of $5000, and garnered attention from climbing pros and Climbing Magazine along the way. I now sell the brushes online and in local climbing shops.
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