crazy_bee Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Hey guys, I had this idea for an homemade inch Dumbbell. I really wanted to buy a cast replica but it would have costed me about 800 CAD. Being a father of three young kids that kind of expense is hard to fit in the budget. That is how i thought of doing my own. Yes, I know, the FBBC handle is still the cheapest way to go. But I wanted to have a real, one solid piece dumbbell. I found out that if you take two 88 pounds Kettlebells, cut the handles and weld a 2.5 inch CRS handle to them, you have a very realistic replica. I will have to weight it further with a proper scale, but i got a little over 170lbs on my bathroom scale with it. You can do the same thing with 32kg bells for a smaller replica. For smaller than that you might want to do this with competition kettlebells, it would do a better more rotational force with the larger globes. Be sure to do this with cast steel kettlebells and not cast iron. ( Cast iron is a pain in the ass to weld.) You will need close to 300 amps welder to weld that thick, so you might want to take it to a welding shop. I hope it helps someone, and most importantly that this wasn't talked about before. Thanks, David Hoffman Pics: 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richcottrell Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 That's wild. Love to see pictures of the work in progress... Let us know when you pick it up for the first time too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gripmaniac Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Wow! Practical and (relatively) inexpensive. Great job! Do you think the welds will hold ok? Globe dumbbells cop a lot of dropping (based on my experience) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acromegaman Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Great idea! Any cheap sources for the kettlebells @crazy_bee? What brand did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoggoth Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slazbob Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camz Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Supercool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwwm Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 I think if one knows the proper techniques for welding cast iron, this is a great idea. Having said that, given the size of the cast iron, it should be fairly forgiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royz Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Sweet! Great idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeezus Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 That looks great, dude. Is that SMAW? I am also curious about what brand of kettlebell you used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 That looks fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico300zx Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 nice job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acromegaman Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 It looks like these kettlebells http://www.ebay.com/itm/142055501094?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT but these are cast iron. It's hard to find cast steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acromegaman Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 2- 90lb kettlebells equal future goals 😁 I still need to cut the handles off and paint. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aroostook Barbell Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 What a super cool idea. Thanks for sharing with us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Juncker Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 35 minutes ago, acromegaman said: 2- 90lb kettlebells equal future goals 😁 I still need to cut the handles off and paint. I'd leave the handles on. Might make it easier to transport... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acromegaman Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 32 minutes ago, Adam Juncker said: I'd leave the handles on. Might make it easier to transport... Makes it heavier too. I'm not sure of it'll kill rotation though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeezus Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 9 hours ago, acromegaman said: Makes it heavier too. I'm not sure of it'll kill rotation though. Shouldn't affect rotation. How are the handles attached? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richcottrell Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 also, if your not able to lift it, you can now hook tubing to those handles and attach it to a pull up bar so give a little help until you can lift it solo 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Juncker Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 5 hours ago, Squeezus said: Shouldn't affect rotation. How are the handles attached? I think he started with 1" handle and just did a 3,000 pass weld. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksandar Milosevic Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 What a great idea, looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acromegaman Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 No welding on this bad boy. Loctite. I also had the handle drilled and tapped 1"-8 so I could use all thread to put it together. Feels pretty rigid. @Squeezus 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeezus Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 @acromegaman that is incredible 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acromegaman Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 1 hour ago, Squeezus said: @acromegaman that is incredible I appreciate it 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donc101 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Nice work! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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