Well, it started with my purchase of 290 pounds of some York plates. They are the ones with USA on them, the 45's are milled, but the 25's are not. From there, I wanted equipment that allowed me to squat in my basement, and I really wanted a power rack. The problem I ran into is that my ceiling height is only 81 inches, which eliminated my options of just about every power rack. Then I began contemplating just purchasing a half rack "Body-Solid GPR 370", until I came across the York FTS Power Cage. The height of the cage is 80 inches, which was perfect. So I ended up contacting Allison Foreman from York, who's name kept coming up as the go-to person from York during my searches. I ended up purchasing the cage and a plate tree through her. During the shipping of my order, I came across more York plates through craigslist. I just could not resist, so I ended up buying 425 pounds. I believe the plates are older then my other ones. They do not have USA on them and both the 45's and 25's are milled. The guy also had a York bar, that I added to the collection. The plates and bar have seen better days, especially the bar. I haven't had the time yet to clean the rust with a wire brush. If the plates clean up nicely, I will keep them looking original, but from viewing some of the posts of refinished plates using rustoleum black spray paint, that might certainly be an option. Concerning the bar I’m not exactly sure what route to take, I read several options, just going to attempt to get some of the rust off and go from there.
The cage and plate tree came yesterday, so I spent last night putting it together. My wife helped me out, which turned out not being the bonding experience I originally planned. Overall, I am extremely happy with the cage. It is very study and fit with less than an inch to spare. The main purpose of my post is really to thank Allison Foreman again, she was an absolute pleasure to deal with and is the example others should follow concerning customer service. Allison was always friendly and I'm extremely pleased with the whole process. I also want to thank you guys for convincing me to buy a full rack instead of a half rack, overall I'm just happy with everything.
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03-23-2012, 05:34 PM #1
The beginning of my obsession............. with York Barbell
Last edited by KastorTroy; 03-23-2012 at 05:43 PM.
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03-23-2012, 05:53 PM #2
- Join Date: Dec 2010
- Location: Virginia, United States
- Age: 63
- Posts: 13,034
- Rep Power: 63386
Congratulations on your decision to go with York. Allison is wonderful and she can get you the best deals on new York equipment. Understand that while York is a good company, it's not the York of old. The company does continue to make very good bars, with their "North American" bars being some of the best around.
The old-school York plates are some of the best around. Yorks with "USA" on the hub are from the 1990's. Yorks without "USA" on the hub are from the 1970's and 1980's. The 45s and 25s are often milled, but not always. I wouldn't view the unmilled 25s as lesser plates. It is hard to find the smaller plates with milling marks. Don't listen to anyone who says the 25s were the smallest denomination to be milled. They weren't. 10s, 5s and 2.5s were milled as well. (I am certain of this and have four each of the milled 10s and 5s. The 2.5s elude me.) The rarest plates of this era are the 35s and 2.5s, with milled 2.5s being the rarest of all.
Your bar is from the 1980s. Start with CLR and folllow the instructions on the bottle. Wipe down with a wet rag and wear rubber gloves. Hit the bar with a wire brush only if you have to. Rust is bad. Patina is good. Know the difference. Don't pull the sleeves off unless you really, really have to. They will be held on with roll pins. The pins can bend so don't f--- around with them. Do not use WD-40 for lubricant on the sleeves. Get 3-in-1 oil. Use WD-40 as a preservative and cleaner on the bar, but don't let it get into the sleeves.
One last thing. If you are into the vintage thing, go over to IH.com and join. Don't be an a--. Introduce yourself and then read a lot before posting much.
Oh, and get some bigger pictures taken with something other than a cell phone. We are sophisticated iron porn viewers here and don't care for small, blurry images.You need a good rack, a bench, and a 300-lb Olympic weight set. Now, what was your question?
My home gym: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=652376&p=1465291461&viewfull=1#post1465291461.
()---() York Barbell Club #1 (DD, RH, Kg) ()---() []---[] Equipment Crew #36 []---[] []---[] Ivanko Barbell Crew #51 []---[] [M]===[6] Mech6 Crew #29 [M]===[6] ~~ 4 Horsemen ~~
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03-23-2012, 05:58 PM #3
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03-23-2012, 06:33 PM #4
AttyGuy - Thanks for the info and also the advice. I'm defiantly going to go with the CLR route you suggested on the bar. If I do spray paint the plates, hopefully they turn out as nice as your refinished York plates that I've seen in your previous posts. Also sorry about the pictures, I did take them with a camera., but I had to resize them and must have shrunk them down way to much.
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03-23-2012, 07:15 PM #5
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03-23-2012, 07:23 PM #6
My hookup just got back to me, saying it is in fact a York barbell.
The deal is roughly 600 lbs. of plates and the bar for $300.
I haven't seen them yet, no pictures. I may be checking them out tomorrow. I'm searching here for pics of milled vs non-milled, etc.
Thank you Atty for the info re: "USA" being made in the 90's.
Anyhow, York is what I used way back when in school so I'm feeling nostalgic and want some for myself. If I can get the non-China stuff it will be a plus.
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03-23-2012, 07:48 PM #7
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03-24-2012, 01:06 AM #8
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03-24-2012, 05:51 AM #9
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03-24-2012, 05:57 AM #10
- Join Date: Jan 2010
- Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Posts: 45,352
- Rep Power: 406859
Don't scare the guy too much, he can get new pins and I can't imagine anyone that could torque that pin enough to mess up the bar or donut.
OP if you need to remove the sleeves, hit the pins with some a penetrant like PB Blaster and let it sit over night. Pick up a pin punch set at Depot, I think mine was $9 for three sizes, and tap them out slowly. If you let the penetrant (NOT WD-40) sit overnight they should come right out. But I agree with ATTY, unless they aren't spinning freely there is no real reason to remove them.
we should consider a York obsessed sub crew of the equipment crewBoomer Rep Crew #1
[]---[] Equipment Crew #37 []---[]
()---() York Barbell Club #3 ()---()
"You want science and studies? **** you. I've got scars and blood and vomit."
-Wendler
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03-24-2012, 06:07 AM #11
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03-24-2012, 07:27 AM #12
- Join Date: Dec 2010
- Location: Virginia, United States
- Age: 63
- Posts: 13,034
- Rep Power: 63386
You need a good rack, a bench, and a 300-lb Olympic weight set. Now, what was your question?
My home gym: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=652376&p=1465291461&viewfull=1#post1465291461.
()---() York Barbell Club #1 (DD, RH, Kg) ()---() []---[] Equipment Crew #36 []---[] []---[] Ivanko Barbell Crew #51 []---[] [M]===[6] Mech6 Crew #29 [M]===[6] ~~ 4 Horsemen ~~
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03-24-2012, 07:40 AM #13
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03-24-2012, 11:36 AM #14
Alrighty, I got my Yorks today so I'm officially a member of the obsessed crowd.
515 pounds, barbell, a badass 6 horn rack, some Inzer leg wraps and a nice lifting belt (tossed in because the seller was way cool) for $300.
Most of the platess are the milled "York Standard Olympic Barbell" plates like the 45 pictured below, but the 25s are in a different style (still milled), as are the other smaller plates.
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03-24-2012, 11:44 AM #15
- Join Date: Dec 2010
- Location: Virginia, United States
- Age: 63
- Posts: 13,034
- Rep Power: 63386
The bar looks to be stainless steel, and not the usual chrome vanadium you see on most York bars. Treat it well and don't take a wire brush to it.
Is there any writing on the hubs of the 45s? "USA"? The one 45 pictured looks practically mint. I'm guessing that all of the other Yorks have "USA" on them and the newer marking ("York")? Are any of these plates milled? The 25 is from the 1990's and is US-made.
You got a sweet deal. The bar would go for $100 to $200 alone.You need a good rack, a bench, and a 300-lb Olympic weight set. Now, what was your question?
My home gym: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=652376&p=1465291461&viewfull=1#post1465291461.
()---() York Barbell Club #1 (DD, RH, Kg) ()---() []---[] Equipment Crew #36 []---[] []---[] Ivanko Barbell Crew #51 []---[] [M]===[6] Mech6 Crew #29 [M]===[6] ~~ 4 Horsemen ~~
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03-24-2012, 11:51 AM #16
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03-24-2012, 12:11 PM #17
Yes, all the 45s and 35s have "USA" stamped on the hub in thin lettering. (*edit* actually, they all do) They are all immaculate! They all seem to be milled except the 10s, 5s, and 2.5s
Thanks! It wound up being a little less weight than expected but considering the quality, condition, and the extras (hell, the rack alone would cost decent $) I'm feeling like this is my best score so far, mostly because I intend to actually hold onto these. I have some CAP, Impex, and Weider stuff to sell now.
I also scored two 45 lb. and one 35 lb. hex dumbbells at a yard sale today as well, for $20. It's looking to be a glorious weekend
*excited to be a York Dork*Last edited by Vermonter; 03-24-2012 at 12:29 PM.
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03-24-2012, 12:36 PM #18
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03-24-2012, 12:37 PM #19
- Join Date: Dec 2010
- Location: Virginia, United States
- Age: 63
- Posts: 13,034
- Rep Power: 63386
Could you show us pics of the fronts of the 35s and the backs of the 35s and 25s?
It's funny, but even though these are among the newest vintage York plates, they are also the ones I've seen the fewest of.You need a good rack, a bench, and a 300-lb Olympic weight set. Now, what was your question?
My home gym: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=652376&p=1465291461&viewfull=1#post1465291461.
()---() York Barbell Club #1 (DD, RH, Kg) ()---() []---[] Equipment Crew #36 []---[] []---[] Ivanko Barbell Crew #51 []---[] [M]===[6] Mech6 Crew #29 [M]===[6] ~~ 4 Horsemen ~~
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03-24-2012, 12:38 PM #20
- Join Date: Dec 2010
- Location: Virginia, United States
- Age: 63
- Posts: 13,034
- Rep Power: 63386
You need a good rack, a bench, and a 300-lb Olympic weight set. Now, what was your question?
My home gym: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=652376&p=1465291461&viewfull=1#post1465291461.
()---() York Barbell Club #1 (DD, RH, Kg) ()---() []---[] Equipment Crew #36 []---[] []---[] Ivanko Barbell Crew #51 []---[] [M]===[6] Mech6 Crew #29 [M]===[6] ~~ 4 Horsemen ~~
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03-24-2012, 12:46 PM #21
I went with AttyGuy's advice concerning the bar and the man knows what he's talking about. I grabbed some CRL from home depot with some cheap rags and a scrub brush. I filled one bucket 50% CRL/50% water, and another with just water. I also used a toothbrush for scrubbing and designated one wet rag to wipe off the CRL mix and the other to wipe completely dry. The CRL defiantly worked wonders on the bar and the finished product looks great. I will sometime next week possibly repeat the process one more time, but I’m very happy with the results I had. Now, the next step is the plates.....
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03-24-2012, 01:09 PM #22
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03-24-2012, 01:26 PM #23
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03-24-2012, 02:33 PM #24
- Join Date: Feb 2012
- Location: United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Posts: 4,646
- Rep Power: 65158
Those plates are beautiful, but that zebra just made me piss myself!
My training log:
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http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=153596291&p=1062453741#post1062453741
[]---[] Equipment Crew #43 []---[]
-!!!---!!!- No Excuses Homemade Equipment Crew #1 -!!!---!!!-
()---() York Barbell Club #4 ()---()
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03-24-2012, 03:25 PM #25
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03-24-2012, 03:30 PM #26
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03-24-2012, 03:41 PM #27
- Join Date: Dec 2010
- Location: Virginia, United States
- Age: 63
- Posts: 13,034
- Rep Power: 63386
Just need the crew/team/group name. . . .
You need a good rack, a bench, and a 300-lb Olympic weight set. Now, what was your question?
My home gym: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=652376&p=1465291461&viewfull=1#post1465291461.
()---() York Barbell Club #1 (DD, RH, Kg) ()---() []---[] Equipment Crew #36 []---[] []---[] Ivanko Barbell Crew #51 []---[] [M]===[6] Mech6 Crew #29 [M]===[6] ~~ 4 Horsemen ~~
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03-24-2012, 03:48 PM #28
- Join Date: Oct 2004
- Location: Flint, Michigan, United States
- Posts: 8,920
- Rep Power: 21475
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03-24-2012, 03:57 PM #29
- Join Date: Dec 2010
- Location: Virginia, United States
- Age: 63
- Posts: 13,034
- Rep Power: 63386
You need a good rack, a bench, and a 300-lb Olympic weight set. Now, what was your question?
My home gym: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=652376&p=1465291461&viewfull=1#post1465291461.
()---() York Barbell Club #1 (DD, RH, Kg) ()---() []---[] Equipment Crew #36 []---[] []---[] Ivanko Barbell Crew #51 []---[] [M]===[6] Mech6 Crew #29 [M]===[6] ~~ 4 Horsemen ~~
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03-24-2012, 04:14 PM #30
- Join Date: Dec 2010
- Location: Virginia, United States
- Age: 63
- Posts: 13,034
- Rep Power: 63386
York Barbell Club!
You need a good rack, a bench, and a 300-lb Olympic weight set. Now, what was your question?
My home gym: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=652376&p=1465291461&viewfull=1#post1465291461.
()---() York Barbell Club #1 (DD, RH, Kg) ()---() []---[] Equipment Crew #36 []---[] []---[] Ivanko Barbell Crew #51 []---[] [M]===[6] Mech6 Crew #29 [M]===[6] ~~ 4 Horsemen ~~
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