Rusty plates

[Giacomo]

I have found an olympic weight set for sale second hand, very reasonably priced. Trouble is, the plates have a bit of surface rust. Is this a problem? Should I avoid them?

Giacomo

[lovestolift]

It's been a while since you posted this, so you may not need my advice, but here it is anyway. If the rust is so deep that it will affect the weight after some sanding, then don't buy them. If not, buy them and sandblast them if you can, or just use a bit of sand paper, then spray paint them. They'll be fine. A tip for painting them: Thread them onto a pole, hang it horizontally and separate them so that you can spray them from all angles.

[holvoetn]

Even if the rust is rather deep they may be usable.
Just make sure they are paired for equal weight so you do not create imbalances.

For the rest, as lovestolift said