Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
- Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Barbell discolored in storage
Q. Hello everyone,
I have a weightlifting barbell that's only a few years old, purchased new and stored in its original cardboard shipping tube. The tube was unsealed and open to air circulation. This barbell has been stored in a climate-controlled environment alongside 50+ others. However, none of the other bars have developed the same issues -- this one has turned into what looks like a spotted leopard.
I've included images of the bar for reference, as well as another bar that's over 30 years old, which was stored on the same rack without any issues.
Does anyone know specifically why this bar has changed in appearance? I initially thought it might be oxidation, so I tried polishing it. When that didn't work, I progressed through using nylon, brass, and steel brushes, but nothing changed the appearance at all.
Thank you in advance for your time and expertise.
- Las Vegas, Nevada
August 27, 2024
A. Hi AJ,
Assuming this is the same brand you've been using, not an off brand, so presumably the same surface finishing, it seems that there is no other conclusion than that the sulfides or other volatile contaminants in the cardboard caused the problem during prolonged storage.
If metal brushes didn't remove anything it can't be a discolored clearcoat, but must be damage to the plating. If nothing fixes it, sorry, replating one item will probably be more expensive than replacing it.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Hello, Ted, and thank you for your response.
The bars are indeed different brands.
After speaking with others in my community, I've found that several people have experienced the same issue with this particular brand of barbell, even when their bars were not stored.
To clarify, the storage tube was open at both ends and had a few breaks where the bar could be seen and touched from the outside. The bar was only in contact with the tube at the fat ends, so there was over 2 inches of space between the bar and the tube along most of its length.
Interestingly, I have other bars actually resting/touching the top and sides of this tube, and none of them were affected.
I also had 10+ bars stored in identical tubes without issue.
Given these circumstances, I'm leaning towards the possibility that there was an error during the original plating process, which led to this outcome. That's why I'm reaching out to experts like yourself for further insights.
- Las Vegas, Nevada
August 30, 2024
A. Hi again. It's hard to know from a photograph what the finish even is, let alone why it's defective. I assume that nickel and chrome plating is the normal finish for this equipment and it looks like they clear-coated it after plating with some kind of lacquer which is not up to the job (although you said metal brushing didm't change the appearance); or maybe a different plating was substituted, perhaps bright zinc plating followed by chromating; maybe it was an attempt at white bronze plating to offer nickel-free equipment ... but personally I just don't recognize the look of this defect, and can only hope that someone else will.
It's certainly unsatisfactory, but whether you have legal recourse on equipment that is presumably out of warranty, is a question. You can get comments from 'experts' via the web, but you can't get "expert opinion", which has a far more restricted meaning :-(
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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