Monday, 6 January 2025

New Year's Competition Winners!

Monday, 21 October 2024

Up-cycling old weights

Many people who have gotten into weights typically end up amassing home kits. These kits tend to consist of cast iron weights that go onto spinlock bars. Due to the nature of cast iron, it will start to corrode and form rust over time, something which can be made worse depending on where the weights are stored. Whether you intend to keep them or sell them, why not up-cycle them by giving them a facelift?

Whilst there are videos and tutorials out there of people placing cast iron plates into a vat with coils and putting an electrical current through it [a process known as electrolysis], there are simpler and cheaper ways of up-cycling old plates.

Table of contents

Rust removal

The first step is to remove as much rust as possible from the plates, typically with a brass brush or sandpaper. It is best not to use a steel-wire brush as it is harder metal than iron and can leave scratch marks on the plates. If this step has removed the rust to a satisfactory standard, then you can give the plates a wipe with some 99% isopropyl alcohol to remove any rust-dust and leave the plates ready for varnishing or painting. Isopropyl alcohol is non-corrosive to metal so will not cause rust. It also evaporates in a short span of time meaning you don't need to try to dry them.

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Rusty old plates.

More stubborn rust

If the above method hasn't removed enough rust to a satisfactory standard then you can place the weights into a white spirit vinegar bath. White spirit vinegar contains the most acetic acid, which helps turn rust into a removable paste. Depending on the level of rust, you may need to leave it in the bath for up to 24 hours or more. If the weights are very badly rusted you may need to remove periodically, scrub off the rust paste and place back into the bath. Be careful however because after a while the vinegar will start to eat into the good metal.

To make the acidic content stronger you can add salt to the vinegar bath. The recommended ratio is 1 cup [236ml] of salt to 1 gallon [4.5 litres] of white spirit vinegar.

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Coating

Once you are happy with the amount of rust removed, it's time to coat the plates. If you prefer the look of the plates as they are then you can simply coat them with Rust-Oleum or any other anti-rust sealant.

In the following picture I have removed the worst of the rust from the plates, however they still have a thin layer of rust on the surface. Depending on what you intend to do with the plates dictates how much to remove. As I intend to spruce up the plates with a new paint job with an anti-rust paint, all I needed was to remove the worst of the rust and leave a smooth surface.

A spray can works better for getting a more even, smoother, surface than using a paint brush. I find spraying a couple of layers provides a good coverage. For my plates I used Rust-Oleum Metallic Gun Metal, which gave a lovely colour and sheen to the plates.

Once you have applied the paint and let it cure, you can apply a few layers of hard wearing spray varnish or clear coat of Rust-Oleum to provide an extra level of protection to the paint job so that it can take a bit of handling, such as being used for weight lifting. Make sure you use a matt spray otherwise you can end up with a super-shiny looking plate, unless that is what you are looking!

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Take away

Hopefully this post has inspired you to give your old weights a new lease of life, whether for yourself or for selling to someone else. Indeed, upcycling them could potentially fetch you more money than badly rusted plates. If you have any questions then feel free to ask away in the comments or send me some feedback!

Monday, 27 March 2023

Let's get to the core of the core

We often hear about the core. The first thing that most people think of when it comes to the core are six-packs or abdominal exercises. For others they are often told to "brace" their core during exercises such as the squat or deadlift. Little do most people including the majority of PT's know that

Friday, 25 November 2022

Human Movement - Part One

All external physical actions that we as humans, or indeed any animal, make revolves around movement. Movement is a kinetic chain that is made up of three core components: the nervous system, muscular system and skeletal system.

Friday, 27 May 2022

Site Update

Yep, it's been a while since there has been an update, just over a year. The reasons are various, from COVID-19, to fractured ribs, to work, moving house and pretty much life in general amongst other stuff. Now things have calmed down a bit (and only a bit) I can return to concentrate on expanding and improving this site and the premise of Gym Pal itself.

It has always been my intention to produce and upload my own videos, however I lacked the place to do them and the local leisure centres frowned upon video recording. In the past few months however I have been able to convert the garage of my new house into a personal gym, and once finished I can begin. I also have other plans for the near future.

On top of that I've been on the lookout for a new logo for my brand, and whilst I still love the grittier "Capture It" font, I took my hand at creating a new logo that uses the more contemporary "Impact" font. All good logos also need something else other than words so I created a physique silhouette with minor cut-outs. I think it looks pretty good, and well, impactful!