Homeade Ab Iron

Like I said it's ugly, but I love it.

Started with a piece of cold rolled bar stock 1" wide by 1/4" thick by 12" long.

I drew a curve on the work bench that had an 18" radius and hammered the bar stock until it matched the curve.

Then I used a file to taper the last 2 inches of the flat from the original 1/4" down to 1/16". Back then I didn't own a grinder.

Rounded all edges and put a small radius on each corner of the business end.

The handle ended up being a piece of black hose off an old washer drain line, the kind that hang over the edge of a sink. It fit tight over the bar and it took a nice grip pattern when I went over it with a rough rasp. I found after a few outings that I needed to trim the back side of the grip because it interfered with it sliding along the rock face.

The years of salt water have put a "rust" finish on it that actually protects it from further corrosion.

I dropped it twice and the brown metal and black handle made it really difficult to find, so I painted it yellow and haven't dropped it since  As you can tell it was painted awhile ago.

One thing I have found is that I personally don't like aluminum as a material for ab irons, the softness of the metal causes it not to slide along the rock as well as a harder metal does.

I may some day build me a new one with a bit more length in case I ever do run into an old growth giant, and it'll be out of stainless because of it's hardness but for now I do love my stubby, rusty, iron, peeling paint and all.  It has character.

Dale.  Dude!!!  That is art right there!  I know ab irons, and I've found a variety of them on the ocean floor.  That's a special tool right there.  Nice one.   

Thanks, not sure art is the right word, but over the 20+ years since I made it I've tried lots of others and haven't found one I like better, for several years now it has been surviving on a quick rinse and lots of neglect til the next outing.

This is starting to feel like a threadjack, my apologies

Dale L