Actually, it's pretty easy.  All you need is some "hot-rolled" steel bar, which you can get from a local metal shop. A 10 lb bar is made from 1 inch hot-rolled round, 4 feet long. A 14 lb bar uses 1-1/8 inch diameter bar. You get 1 inch crutch tips and lengths of foam pipe insulation at the hardware store, plus some colored cloth tape to bind the ends. Have a friendly local metal shop cut the steel for you, or you may be able to buy it ready-cut at a steel jobber.  It costs about $5 per bar, all parts together, cutting cost not included.

Use the table below to determine the diameter of steel bar you need to use for the weight you desire.

To make the bar, you slip a crutch tip on one end of the piece of round steel you chose, then slide on the (tubular) pipe insulation, and cut it off about 3/4" below the other end, exposing a bit of the bar so you may then slip on the other crutch tip. Use the cloth tape to bind the ends of the insulation so it "grips" a bit, and you're done!

Pound weights for hot-rolled round steel bar diameters - all lengths 4 feet  (divide weights by 2.2 for kilograms)
3/4"      --  6#
1"         --  10.6#
1-1/8"  --  14.3#
1-1/4"  --  16#
1-1/2"  --  24#
These weights are approximate.

Again, you can get the steel cut by any reasonably complete metal shop. If you buy the steel in 20 foot lengths, you'll get a better price. If you can, have the shop buy and cut it for you, as they can often get a better price by including it in one of their regular orders from a steel supplier. I paid an average of $3.50 each for the raw steel 4-foot pieces.

The pipe insulation I could find won't fit anything bigger than 1-1/8" without splitting, but you can get plain 1/8" thick foam sheet at a hobby shop, and glue and bind it on with tennis racket handle wrapping, for the larger sizes. You may be able to find other I.D. (Inside Diameter) of the foam tube pipe insulation at a plumbing supply shop.
Be creative!
Cheers,
Bill Whedon

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