Secret weapon machine

[Carl Roberts]

Thinking of building kinneys secret weapon ,would anyone have spec on one from functional hand strength for me,, height , length of  long bar  ,etc ,anything that  would give me some idea, thanks guys 

[John Knowlton]

I found this on the web.

Specs for the Secret Weapon

 

If you are into Grip like we are at Diesel Crew, you know that Joe Kinney, the first man to ever close the IronMind #4 Captains of Crush Gripper based a lot of his success on the secret weapon gripper machine he design to use for extra crush work that he housed in his work shed. I have found the specs for the secret weapon on the Gripboard and will post them here for everyone's access:

• "Upper unit: start with square tubing 2/16" thick steel, 1 3/4" square, total length is 30 inches long.
  
  Handle bar is 3/4" for both top handle and bottom - 7 inches from the top is the top handle, 4 1/2" long.
  
  Bottom handle, when parallel with top handle is 13 3/4" long.
  
  Pin to hold the weight on the bottom handle is drilled 4 inches from the end of bottom handle.
  
  Slot dimensions are 3/4" wide, 2 3/16" long starting exactly 8 inches from top of unit.
  
  Top handle is shaved off slightly on the bottom at the end; this simulates a gripper more closely when the bottom handle touches the top which is why this is done. Joe Kinney also has stated that unless this is done it "pinches" although with a very heavy weight I don't see how this is possible.
  
  Bottom base holder is a 2/16" thick, 2 inch square, 4 1/2" long welded to hold the upper unit upright. 1 3/4" square tubing is used, and 16" long measured from the back - at the ends of that front cut and weld at approximaetly 30 degrees forward with the ends of the base extending another 17 1/4".
  
  Bolt to attach bottom handle to upper unit is drilled exactly 8 1/2" from the top. I believe a 2 1/2" long, 5/8" bolt is used but don't quote me on that -- I'll haffta shoot on over to Home Depot to get the proper specs on that.
  
  A 1 inch eyebolt is used to attach the weights to the bottom handle; a thick "S" hook is attached to that.
  
  The only thing (?) I've left off is the marks for the back if you want to mount the upper unit to a wall or something more solid than just using a bottom base. In that case, I have the specs for that too. Drill two holes 4 5/8" and 20 7/8" from the top of the unit -- now you can mount it instead of using a bottom base like Kinney does!!"

In addition, zcor adds:

• "An important detail with the top handle, it needs to be set in the tube at 92 degrees before welding.
  
  The top handle is NOT placed straight out from the tube or at perpendicular 90 degrees.
  
  Simply put, angle the top handle down 2 degrees past perpendicular."

 

[Carl Roberts]

Thanks John, 

[John Knowlton]

no worriers, post a picture  when you get it done

[eman]

The one I have in my profile pic from about 10 years ago was made from a fire extinguisher stand they were throwing out at work and the handle was some scrap in the maintenance shop. If you work in a factory you'd be surprised at the stuff they throw away that can be used for bending and grip training. To  keep mine from falling over I used some concrete bolts in the garage floor but stud mounting at waist height would probably be the way to go. 

I have since had a custom grip machine built with with two small handles that come off the side that seems to work just as well.

 

[Carl Roberts]

That’s a great looking machine  what would be your opinion on training with the secret weapon ,does it carry over to improving on closing grippers, and what sort of weight do you train with on it 

[eman]

Carl,

First I'm probably not the best resource for Grip Training advice as even the #3 has eluded me for many years of on and off grip training, but what I will say is that any topic's involving Joe's equipment and/or training typically are topics to tread lightly around.

When I used mine I used maybe 130lbs at most which and found that for me the palm of my hand would be far more sore (maybe a good taping of the metal would help) than if I had just did normal volume training with a hand gripper or a Vulcan ( I had the Baraban) adjustable gripper. like 6-10 reps with a gripper 10-15lbs lighter than your goal. For me at least anytime I'm trying to control a weight in the negative rep either on the secret weapon, a grip machine, or a negative with a gripper press against my leg this was not ideal as my palm would either be bruised and or the ligaments in my hand would be too sore to heal in a timely manner. 

I would recommend you use your off hand as a spotter and us it more as a forearm builder. Allowing the weight to pry your closed hand open over and over again to the full ROM of your hand is not something I would recommend. This is the primary difference between a grip machine and the secret weapon with a grip machine you are actually lifting and lowering the weight vs the secret weapon was meant to be lifted  and used as an extreme negative machine. The benefits are there if your careful and don't get hurt doing it, but most would say its not worth the risk.

I can't speak for everyone but I would probably lean towards using a filed gripper, gripper holds, and or suspending a weight from a gripper as an alternative method.

[matek]

7 hours ago, Carl Roberts said:

That’s a great looking machine  what would be your opinion on training with the secret weapon ,does it carry over to improving on closing grippers, and what sort of weight do you train with on it 

Maybe this thread will help. There are some insightful comments on the machine (not just comments discussing Joe Kinney):

 

[John Knowlton]

Hows it going with your project

Edited October 6, 2022 by John Knowlton

[Carl Roberts]

It went well but  I had two machine made for me  friend made them easier than I could of,  secret weapon  just need slightly altering  tho  the gap between two bars is slightly to wide  and hole on bottom bar need to come  come in 4 inches  rather than at end 

[Cannon]

Great work! No doubt these will give a good workout. The location of the hole on the SW doesn’t really matter but the handle spacing does. Hopefully that can be corrected.

[Rick Browne]

The space between the bottom of the top hole and the top of the bottom hole is 3/4 inch. That 3/4 space allows for the handles to close up tighter than that of the gripper. "Beyond the Range" of a closed gripper is the purpose.  Plus the weight pin needs to be located on the bar in front of the hand towards the machine. Other than those tweaks, it is a nice looking SW . 

One more thing... if you do readjust the space to 3/4, you will have to file the bottom of the top handle to about half way of the handle

 

Edited October 6, 2022 by Rick Browne

[Carl Roberts]

Thanks Rick , ye that’s what he is adjusting it to 3/4 gap ,can’t wait to get training on them

[Rick Browne]

Let me clarify the location of the loading pin. It should be 4 inches from the end of the bottom handle. This will give you about a 2:1 weight ratio.  The top handle is filed  2 9/16" from the end. And yes, I do have a Kinney built SW 

16 minutes ago, Carl Roberts said:

Thanks Rick , ye that’s what he is adjusting it to 3/4 gap ,can’t wait to get training on them

 

Edited October 6, 2022 by Rick Browne

[John Knowlton]

Man those look fantastic.

Your friend did a great job.

Didn't take too long. Can't wait to see your progress with them.