Fatman

[Cannon]

I know this has been hashed out before, but are these statements true?

If a Blob has "USA" stamped on the bottom, then it CANNOT be a fatman.

If a Blob does not have "USA" stamped on the bottom, then it MUST be a fatman.

[macaz]

I was wondering the same thing. I am looking forward to someone enlightening us with blob info. Looking at the different curvature of the blob is hard to tell for some of the more similar ones.

[daniel reinard]

I believe it's all in what you described with the USA. That's how my two blobs are. The Fatman is a 1st generation York non-USA stamp and the 2nd generation York is a standard blob USA stamp.

Jedd and Sorin are the experts. I thought Jedd had a youtube vid explaining it but at quick glance I didn't see it. He has to have one.

[macaz]

I believe it's all in what you described with the USA. That's how my two blobs are. The Fatman is a 1st generation York non-USA stamp and the 2nd generation York is a standard blob USA stamp.

Jedd and Sorin are the experts. I thought Jedd had a youtube vid explaining it but at quick glance I didn't see it. He has to have one.

I found Jedd's history of the blob but it does not mention USA stamping. I saw a video of his block weight collection which is very impressive but also no mention of markings.

[FrankD]

I believe it's all in what you described with the USA. That's how my two blobs are. The Fatman is a 1st generation York non-USA stamp and the 2nd generation York is a standard blob USA stamp.

Jedd and Sorin are the experts. I thought Jedd had a youtube vid explaining it but at quick glance I didn't see it. He has to have one.

I found Jedd's history of the blob but it does not mention USA stamping. I saw a video of his block weight collection which is very impressive but also no mention of markings.

I posed the same question in another thread. It looks like Daniel's explanation answers it.

[Jedd Johnson]

A USA stamp on the bottom of a blob automatically disqualifies it from being a Fatman, as far as I have been told.

However, the USA is stamped on the "YORK" side, not the number side.

So, if your eye is not trained and you do not know by the feel, if all you see is the number side, you can't really go by the absence of USA, because that head never has USA, again, insofar as my information has told me.

Another way to tell is by the shape of the connection point of the handle. Richard told me that on one of the models, the handle was "pinched" into a slightly oblong shape in order to keep it in there. He would need to chime in here to give us detail on which ones had the pinched handles, as I was about 4 beers and 6 shots of American Honey into a binge when he told me all this. In fact, he told me a lot of stuff that night that seemed interesting at the time, but since then have vanished, like John Eaton from a pair of size 32-waist jeans.

[rico300zx]

I watched a vid by richard yesterday and he said fatmans had a 1" handle. And the reason they changed the shape was tu accomidate a thicker handle because they were bending, eg. The birth of the second gen blobs have thicker handles, so id say look at the stamp and measure the handle width, get it?

Parris

Correct me if I'm wrong

Edited July 26, 2011 by rico300zx

[jad]

There's some type of measurement too. I think it was r/t the handle diameter. I think Richard was the one that posted on it originally. If you have a regular blob it's pretty easy to just stand them next to each other and tell right away.

[Jedd Johnson]

Very possible. Where is this video? Thanks.

There's some type of measurement too. I think it was r/t the handle diameter. I think Richard was the one that posted on it originally. If you have a regular blob it's pretty easy to just stand them next to each other and tell right away.

No doubt about it.

[rico300zx]

I watched a vid by richard yesterday and he said fatmans had a 1" handle. And the reason they changed the shape was tu accomidate a thicker handle because they were bending, eg. The birth of the second gen blobs have thicker handles, so id say look at the stamp and measure the handle width, get it?

Parris

Correct me if I'm wrong

Here you go Jedd, my proof

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BhhgiVDSgw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Jedd Johnson]

Good find. I've seen that video before, but never caught the tail end with the handle explanation.

[rico300zx]

Good find. I've seen that video before, but never caught the tail end with the handle explanation.

thanks, yes it's funny cause I just saw it and were talking about it today . Richard does know his blobs

[macaz]

I wonder what the new handle size is and if the old handle was exactly 1". Mine measures like 1.1" when I take a digital mic to it.

[Jedd Johnson]

I don't ever doubt Richard's knowledge of Iron Lore brother. He is the man.

Richard, I'd imagine when he says "1 inch" he is throwing out an estimate.

[Hellfire]

A USA stamp on the bottom of a blob automatically disqualifies it from being a Fatman, as far as I have been told.

However, the USA is stamped on the "YORK" side, not the number side.

So, if your eye is not trained and you do not know by the feel, if all you see is the number side, you can't really go by the absence of USA, because that head never has USA, again, insofar as my information has told me.

Another way to tell is by the shape of the connection point of the handle. Richard told me that on one of the models, the handle was "pinched" into a slightly oblong shape in order to keep it in there. He would need to chime in here to give us detail on which ones had the pinched handles, as I was about 4 beers and 6 shots of American Honey into a binge when he told me all this. In fact, he told me a lot of stuff that night that seemed interesting at the time, but since then have vanished, like John Eaton from a pair of size 32-waist jeans.

I'd be very interested to know about the handle pinch info- original vs not....I have a 100lb side, good slope to both sides, especially the handle side, handle is a bit pinched it seems. It appears VERY much like a 1/2 95lb I have that is a fatman- York side, no USA, 1" handle. Looking at them they are very much alike.

[mike60975]

I have seen York roundheads at Play-it-Again Sports that hade "USA" on the Number side of the dumbbell.

If "USA" is just a stamp and not part of the mould from which the heads are cast, then there is no reason to think that it cannot appear on either head of a second generation dumbbell.

Would definitely like to hear from Richard on this one though.

Edited July 27, 2011 by mike60975

[Jedd Johnson]

Very interesting, Mike. I have never seen this.

My cast iron lingo is not that great bro. Stamped might not be the right word.

Either way, I don't recall ever seeing a number side with the USA on the bottom, but that certainly doesn't mean they don't exist. Sorry for the slight miscommunication.

[Cannon]

So, if your eye is not trained and you do not know by the feel, if all you see is the number side, you can't really go by the absence of USA, because that head never has USA, again, insofar as my information has told me.

I wanted to ask about this. I have a number side with USA on the bottom..

edit: hold that thought. I'll double check tonight. But I'm fairly certain it's there.

[jad]

I want to see a picture of the infamous blue blobs. Having found a pair of deep dish yorks on CL and getting a fatman in a trade, I feel like the blue blob is the Moby Dick of my grip collecting odyssey.

[Jedd Johnson]

Josh, I've got one on my site right here: York Blue Blob

[mike60975]

Jedd, now you've got me second guessing myself a little. All of my blobs are (or at least were advertised as) Fatman style, unstamped, one "York " and three "Number" sides, including my 50 (which btw is also a Blue blob). Like Cannon I have been under the impression that unstamped blob = fatman blob, with the inescapable logic being that a second gen. dumbbell must therefore be stamped on both heads. So when I saw some York dumbbells at Play-it-again (60s, 65s, and 70s) I was quite supprised to see that they had "USA" on only one head, meaning that you could have an unstamped blob that was still a second gen blob.

Now I cannot say that I clearly remember that the "USA" was on the number side, but I do clearly remember that from that day on I have wondered about my "York" side blob and not any of my "Number" side ones, which would be the natural conclusion of seeing "USA" on the Number side of the dumbbell. Hopefully someone can clear this up with a positive example.

As far as the "USA" being a stamp and not part of the mould, I am just guessing on that one, I don't know anything about casting metal either. (as I recal, it did look as though it had been stamped into the metal though).

Again, hopefully Richard will step in and educate all of us a little more about blobs.

[jad]

If I understood Jedd correctly, I believe it can not be both a blue blob and a fatman. Also, the pic of the blue blob Jedd posted is clearly not a fatman.

[rico300zx]

Jedd, now you've got me second guessing myself a little. All of my blobs are (or at least were advertised as) Fatman style, unstamped, one "York " and three "Number" sides, including my 50 (which btw is also a Blue blob). Like Cannon I have been under the impression that unstamped blob = fatman blob, with the inescapable logic being that a second gen. dumbbell must therefore be stamped on both heads. So when I saw some York dumbbells at Play-it-again (60s, 65s, and 70s) I was quite supprised to see that they had "USA" on only one head, meaning that you could have an unstamped blob that was still a second gen blob.

Now I cannot say that I clearly remember that the "USA" was on the number side, but I do clearly remember that from that day on I have wondered about my "York" side blob and not any of my "Number" side ones, which would be the natural conclusion of seeing "USA" on the Number side of the dumbbell. Hopefully someone can clear this up with a positive example.

As far as the "USA" being a stamp and not part of the mould, I am just guessing on that one, I don't know anything about casting metal either. (as I recal, it did look as though it had been stamped into the metal though).

Again, hopefully Richard will step in and educate all of us a little more about blobs.

Mike the stamp wich is most likely part of the mold. I would guess, can only be on the york side, I would wonder about your numberd sides since they are not stamped in either generation.

Rico also has anyone measured said fatmans to see if their handles are 1" and then compare that to the width of a 2nd gen handle?

Edited July 27, 2011 by rico300zx

[daniel reinard]

Jedd, now you've got me second guessing myself a little. All of my blobs are (or at least were advertised as) Fatman style, unstamped, one "York " and three "Number" sides, including my 50 (which btw is also a Blue blob). Like Cannon I have been under the impression that unstamped blob = fatman blob, with the inescapable logic being that a second gen. dumbbell must therefore be stamped on both heads. So when I saw some York dumbbells at Play-it-again (60s, 65s, and 70s) I was quite supprised to see that they had "USA" on only one head, meaning that you could have an unstamped blob that was still a second gen blob.

Now I cannot say that I clearly remember that the "USA" was on the number side, but I do clearly remember that from that day on I have wondered about my "York" side blob and not any of my "Number" side ones, which would be the natural conclusion of seeing "USA" on the Number side of the dumbbell. Hopefully someone can clear this up with a positive example.

As far as the "USA" being a stamp and not part of the mould, I am just guessing on that one, I don't know anything about casting metal either. (as I recal, it did look as though it had been stamped into the metal though).

Again, hopefully Richard will step in and educate all of us a little more about blobs.

Mike the stamp wich is most likely part of the mold. I would guess, can only be on the york side, I would wonder about your numberd sides since they are not stamped in either generation.

Rico also has anyone measured said fatmans to see if their handles are 1" and then compare that to the width of a 2nd gen handle?

I could compare and measure the handles I guess. At quick glance yesterday they looked identical, no visible pinch or size difference.

[macaz]

Jedd, now you've got me second guessing myself a little. All of my blobs are (or at least were advertised as) Fatman style, unstamped, one "York " and three "Number" sides, including my 50 (which btw is also a Blue blob). Like Cannon I have been under the impression that unstamped blob = fatman blob, with the inescapable logic being that a second gen. dumbbell must therefore be stamped on both heads. So when I saw some York dumbbells at Play-it-again (60s, 65s, and 70s) I was quite supprised to see that they had "USA" on only one head, meaning that you could have an unstamped blob that was still a second gen blob.

Now I cannot say that I clearly remember that the "USA" was on the number side, but I do clearly remember that from that day on I have wondered about my "York" side blob and not any of my "Number" side ones, which would be the natural conclusion of seeing "USA" on the Number side of the dumbbell. Hopefully someone can clear this up with a positive example.

As far as the "USA" being a stamp and not part of the mould, I am just guessing on that one, I don't know anything about casting metal either. (as I recal, it did look as though it had been stamped into the metal though).

Again, hopefully Richard will step in and educate all of us a little more about blobs.

Mike the stamp wich is most likely part of the mold. I would guess, can only be on the york side, I would wonder about your numberd sides since they are not stamped in either generation.

Rico also has anyone measured said fatmans to see if their handles are 1" and then compare that to the width of a 2nd gen handle?

My fatman has a 1.1" handle. I have a blob 50 which has no handle of course so i cant compare. I posted some photos up in my gallery that shows the measured thickness deference from the two. The fatman is about .3 or so inches fatter. The blob 50 is modeled after the second generation and it does have a side that is less curved. The fatman you really cant tell the difference between the sides.

The Blue blob thing is cool. I’m learning a lot about these things. Great thread.