What are most barbells made of?

I

ishaan

0
Hi. Just wanted to ask if anyone knew what most barbells are made of?
I am asking because sometimes I hold the weights directly instead of using the barbell, out of lazyness - screwing and unscrewing the barbell is alot of work lol...besides I don't want to let my heartrate go down too much. Anway, sometimes the sweat on my hand washes off the paint on the barbell and black marks come off on my hand (why don't they make sweatproof paint...I mean duh...), and I am worried that there might be lead or something harmful underneath the paint.
 
screwing on a barbell? What in the hell is YOUR barbell made of? A standard Olympic BB is made of alloyed steel, and they're not painted or black.
 
screwing on a barbell?? is it olympic BB, or standard BB?? the only screwing done on an olympic BB is if you have a crappy, old-school collar. Buy new collars if that's the case.

Mreik is correct, steel alloy is the most common. Some are coated with zinc, chrome, etc.(unimportant) The cheaper kinds of BB have a black oxide/zinc coating on them. no lead.

coating is overrated, trying looking for one that doesn't have coating on it.
 
There is probably nothing harmful in your bar. Since it is painted and the paint is coming off, you simply have a cheap bar. (though it was probably made in China, they have a habit of "accidentally" using lead products)

There is a lot more to a bar than most people think. If you are interested, keep reading.

Bars are made of steel. The type of steel can be the difference between a good bar and a bad bar. ETD 150 is the strongest American steel. That is what the best American bars are made of.

Some steel has a "whip" to is. Quality olympic lifting bars have this whip.

Other bars do not have a "whip," Like powerlifting bars. (though the newer deadlift bars have a bit of give)

The way the boss and pins are put together is another thing that sets bars apart. Powerlifting bars and cheaper bars have bushings in them. The ends spin, but not long.

Weightlifting bars (good ones anyhow) are needle bearing bars. On these bars the ends spin easily. Better bars will spin better. Cheaper Bars, not so much.

Knurling is extremely important on a bar. Some knurling is very fine, other knurling is "chunky." Cheap knurling will be "smooth" and will not provide a quality grip on the bar. There is also a wide range of opinions on knurling. Different people like different types of knurling.

Most all bars are coated with something. Chrome makes things smooth and the grip is not as good. Zinc and black oxide bars are better and have a higher quality grip. They generally last longer than the chrome. Chrome will flake and come off over time. (nobody likes chrome slivers in their hands, so if that happens it is time for a new bar)

Nickel coating is used on higher quality bars, makes for great knurling and will last forever. It also has a really nice looking finish to it.

If a bar is not coated it better be stainless steel. If it is not, don't buy it, it'll rust. Stainless Steel bars are expensive. That is why most pars people use have a coating.
 
thanks thats comforting...although black powdered hands can't be healthy either...
Yeah they were pretty cheap, I am a weightlifting noob, and I guess I figured why should price matter when I'm just paying for some dead weight? It's not really screw on, the weights are just heavy black disks with holes in them. The bar has threaded ends, so after you put the disks in you keep them in place by screwing this thingy on, idk what its called.
 
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