Anyone have experience making their own concrete weights? Any problems?
Googling it I see people fudding about how it "isn't worth it" but spending 600$ on worthless dead weight doesn't seem "worth it" to me. Also "just get some used weights off craigslist" -- I've been checking and there are very rarely any craigslist deals on these in my area, and when there are listing they are 300$+, and even then they are snapped up within a few hours.
I made a pair of 50 pound concrete plated with one of those molds during the coronavirus gym shutdown. They suck.
How do they suck?
>rarely equal weight
>concrete dust when hitting floor/banging in barbell
>unequal weights
just shave them down or cut symmetrical lines into the plates until they are equal
>dust
add a coating
>can’t drop it
then don’t fucking drop it
Nobody told you to bang up the weights, that's on you fucking retard.
>squat 4pl8
>failure.exe
>barbell smash to pins
>pl8s crack
How long does it take?
>Any problems?
Mine broke in half. Use something better than PVC for the bar
Drop test them
Wouldn't the concrete be so brittle that it would crack after a while (especially if the concrete didn't set right)?
Wire mesh for reinforcement, plus you can coat it after to protect it when you're dropping it
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yep thanks biden
Why would you make them out of concrete? A 20kg concrete "plate" would be heavier than an iron one.
What's heavier - 20kg of concrete, or 20kg of iron?
That's right - it's concrete, because concrete is heavier than iron.
The concrete plates in the pic look heavier than iron plates
Your perception is completely wrong
I like you. Don't go to school tomorrow.
based retard.
> 20kg > 20kg
my sides
>A 20kg concrete "plate" would be heavier than an iron one
There's no way you're this dumb
I thought about making some to leave outside at my deer cabin so I could still get gainz while shooting free protein. I finished concrete for a few years after high school and did QC for several years after that, so I feel like I could make some nice ones with consistent weight since I could factor in the water loss. I bet with a decent water to cement ratio and some fiber they could handle being dropped on the dirt without breaking as long as I coated them. Fuck it I'm going for it. The worst that could happen is that I'm out ~$20 in quickrete.
1) I think steel would be better for the whole than PVC. Significantly less brittle and not affected by the curing reaction of concrete.
2) you want a wire mesh and maybe even some rebar in the weights. The weights being dropped will introduce a significant tensile force through the plate, and concrete does not perform at all in tension.
3) get a rubber sealant to coat the plates in. Like a tub of flex-seal or whatever else you see in the hardware store. This will add a better outer tensile coating and prevent chipping and aerating off the concrete.
These all add up in costs, especially with tools. Like the rebar bender and grinder for the metal whole are tools you might not already have (you should already have wire cutters for the mesh). And the plates will still break early. Meanwhile, your local used sporting gear shop has iron/steel plates that won’t break easily and cost $1-$2/lb, and it’s easier and faster than making your own plates (concrete takes 28 days for the full strength cure before you put on the rubber coat, which also needs to cure). The time investment is where the really-not-worth-it nature of making your own plates comes in.
>local used sporting gear shop
This isn't something that exists anywhere. Also 2$ per lb is more than full price, just buy retail new at that point.
Also everyone keeps bringing up "they'll break if you drop them so please please spend a thousand bucks on a brand new weight set". You guys realize that not everyone fucking dumps their bar when deadlifting like a fagboy right? Even if I did most of the time these things are going in the cage anyway. So if I want to start dropping the bar I can just make a set specifically for that while having a main set in the cage which I won't be a retard with.
So no, you don't need to spend a bunch amount on your gay upgrades. Literally just pour the concrete in the mold and it will last forever, unless you specifically have the niche requirement of needing to drop your weights. And if you do it's like 10$ per pair of 45's so who gives a fuck.
It's very easy to make, takes an hour or so to make a batch. The people that say it isnt worth it to make some, are redditors who love to spend all their money on overpriced shit. Sick consumer minds.
If you really wanna go the cheap way use the following stuff:
- Fast setting concrete
- Some reinforcement material, such as rebar
- 2 wide buckets, ideally low as well to use as a mold
- 1 big bucket or some kind of tub to mix the concrete in
- a bathroom scale you are willing to clean or to use for dirty stuff from now on
- a little scooping tool to mix the concrete etc
- water (amount according to the instructions on the concrete)
- PVC pipe to act as sleeve for the bars
- sprayable rubber/rubber paint spray to avoid the plates from dusting/chipping
- sillicone spray to spray into the bucket, to get the plates out
This will prob cost you around 50 bucks for the first batch. Maybe some more due to inflation. Batches after that will be cheaper cuz you wont have to rebuy the buckets and the sprays for a long time
I've succesfully done 200kg for around 30 bucks (eupoor)
Needed for 1 plate:
2 Chicken net squares same area as the circle
Take random concrete
And sand
Mix 3:1 sand to cement
Take a rod 10mm kinda, bend it in a circle
Mix sand and concrete, pour a quarter in the mold*
Put the square chiken net in
Pour another quarter in
Put the circle rod
Pour another quarter in
Put the net square chicken net
Let dry for 3 days, more if needed
Now go on youtube and search how to diy concrete plates, and just watch how to make the mold, I'm too lazy to type it out