I have been obsessed with Milo Barbell globes for some time.

I like Olympic weights as much as the next person, but there’s something to be said about the old-time globe barbells and dumbbells made by the first American strength company in the early 1900s

Some time back, I acquired a Milo Duplex that belonged to Leo Stern from the legendary collector and historian Osmo Kiiha.

Stern said this was the first piece of strength equipment that he purchased, and he cherished it all his life. Over time, it was also used by some strength luminaries, including the great John Davis.

Recently, I was able to acquire an extra set of the fabled Jackson Milo collars.

As my fellow Iron Brethren Noam Schwartz shared a few months ago with the community, these were custom inner and outer collars that Andy Jackson produced to fit the Milo globes. It is not known how many he made, but not many.

I wanted to use them on a Milo Duplex, and I thought it would be epic if I used them with Stern’s globe.

I enlisted my friend Chris at Mutant Metals to create a custom stainless bar with knurling that would work for this.

I’m super happy with how it turned out, and I think it’s a really cool piece that bridges generations across 100 years.

Milo Barbell > Leo Stern > Andy Jackson > Osmo Kiiha > Today