Chalk up a failure

[Roark]

Does anyone have a specific answer for these two

grip-related questions:

1. When was chalk first used in lifting?

2. When did knurled bars first appear?

Thanks.

[supersqueeze]

Wow, I like the way you think! Those are interesting questions, please let us know what you learn. Another question/angle, was chalk used in gymnastics prior to weightlifting? What is the origin of chalk in grip sport?

Mike M.

[David Horne]

Joe,

They are very interesting questions. I will search my early mags to see if there are any early adverts for chalk.

David

[Roark]

Thanks everyone. I emailed David Chapman, and he had

never pondered the issue either, though he did mention

that he thought gymnasts used chalk in the 1920s.

My files have nothing on this subject, though, like

David, I have no memory of the oldtime lifters using

chalk.

I haven't even been able to find when chalk was invented

for athletic purposes, so if you find out, let me know

please.

[Nathan Say]

Chalk, as in magnesium (bi?)carbonate, or just something to keep the hands dry?

[Roark]

I don't know which came first, Nathan. Really, I am

searching for the first product that was allowed to

be used in competition, or when it began in gym use.

Are there any machinists on the board that can help

with the knurling question?

[Nathan Say]

Thomas Topham used coal soot to keep his hands dry when rolling up those pewter plates way back whenever.