Why Barbells Need Maintenance and Care?

To Prevent Knurl, Sheen of coating finish & health/life of barbell
We athletes while using a barbell inevitably leave a variety of substances behind like magnesia (chalk), sweat & even blood sometimes that get stuck into the grooves of the knurl & also over the surface of the bar. These substances begin to deteriorate your bar coating (finish) & knurl while inviting the rust & corrosion over the surface finish of your barbell, i.e. the bare steel underneath begins to rust. Adding to this, environmental factors like humidity & dirt also play a role in the wear of a bar.

Then how to avoid this?
Pro Tip: To avoid the rust-corrosion and to keep your bar working safely and well, we must spend a few minutes to take care of it by regularly following the below maintenance guide.

Maintenance & Care:
Step 1: Clean the Chalk & Dust inside the knurl grooves

  • Use a Plastic or Nylon bristle brush to remove the magnesia (chalk) or dirt & other dry debris on the bar.
  • If the chalk is settled deeper inside the knurl so that it is unable to brush off with the bare-brush in that case use some oil to get it wet & then it becomes easy to clean out.

Step 2: Apply the oil over the bar

  • Simply wipe the antirust oil over the surface of the shaft & the sleeves, you can use the plastic or nylon bristle brush to work the oil into the knurling (before this make sure to clean the brush from chalk).
  • Let the oil on the bar dry for 10-14 hours, so that the steel will soak the oil in and the bar will stay healthy. (Pro Tip: Let the bar sit overnight, so that the bar shield is more effective with a longer time).
  • In rare cases, if the rust is deep inside with the Hard chrome coated bar one can use a Brass bristle brush, else don’t use this brush with any other coating like Oxide, Phosphate, Ceramic & Chrome, Electroless Nickel, since this can develop a deep scratch over the coating resulting it with corrosion.

Step 3: Wipe off the Excess Oil

  • Take a microfibre cloth or dry towel (must be lint-free) to Wipe-Off the excess of oil over the bar.
  • Make sure the bar should not feel slick or oily before using it.

Related article: Barbell buying guide | How to choose right barbell?

How often the Maintenance & Care is required to your bar?
Since it depends on various factors like the Coating of the Bar, the frequency of the usage & Geographical location, Climate, etc., which is not common in any condition to anyone, hence it can’t be committed that how often?

But since the coating of the bar is the prime factor that can be considered for maintenance & care frequency like for Ex: The bar like Black Oxide, Bare Steel, and Black Phosphate provides a mild Oxidation resistivity that requires frequent maintenance & cares if your usage is rough & regular, i.e. every 3-4 weeks. Else, for other coatings like Chrome, Nickel, Hard chrome & Ceramic that provides a good-to-excellent oxidation resistivity hence do not requires regular maintenance & care, and can be followed only if any small rust stain is spotted. Below is the photograph showing an example of small rust stains on a hard chrome shaft.

Beyond knowing this all, how one should select an appropriate barbell suitable for his purpose?

Coatings:
*Please note that any metal-to-metal contact with the Bare Steel, Oxide & Phosphate coated shaft (while racking the bar) may cause wear on the finish over time due to a thin layer of coating which can be supposed to rust. Make sure to avoid metal-to-metal contact. It is recommended to have UHMW or rubber protection to J-Cups of the squat stand / Power Rack.

Black Oxide/Phosphate Barbells
While buying a Black Oxide/Phosphate, you need to know this?
For many of us, aggressive grip plays an important factor in our workout performance, so in that case, you will get fond of this Oxide/Phosphate coated bar, because this Oxide/Phosphate grip is going to provide you the best feeling that is near to a “Bare steel” experience. To keep this aggressive knurl alive, we need to apply a thin layer of coating which is economically achieved by Oxide/Phosphate coating but, this provides mild protection against oxidation. But if you can manage the maintenance frequency, then this barbell will be a wise choice of budgetary & better knurl feel experience bar.

Chrome (Bright Chrome)
Chrome is a Budgetary option that can withstand a better oxidation resistivity than oxide/phosphate. It has a pretty bright finish look & allows a good knurl feel the experience, but over a period of time, the coatings begin to chip off & may lose its oxidation resistivity that tends to rust of the bar.
If you are tight on pockets, it will be a wise budgetary bar.

Hard Chrome
Hard chrome is an Ideal choice of Commercial facilities because of its Silver finish look, low maintenance, moderate knurl experience & more than moderate oxidation resistivity. If, someone looking for an optimum Bar, the Hard-Chrome bar steps in your arsenal first.

Ceramic Coating
This unique polymer-ceramic composite coating was originally popularized in the gun industry for its durability in thin applications, and it offers up to 100x the corrosion resistance of a standard black oxide/phosphate coat. Since the ceramic provides a near to perfect rust resistance, i.e. hassle-free towards maintenance & comes with an aesthetic matt look, people love it. The only disadvantage is that it can be scratched with any metal-to-metal contact (while racking the bar on bare J-cups), but if you are using UMHW Plastic J-cups then this bar can last for years.
Note: Using cheap cast iron plates on the ceramic sleeve can chip off the coat too.