How are exercise weights made?

[evilhomer]

So this one is a Trainwreck story. I've cast many tales detailing how he is a compulsive liar. I can't explain why he feels this need, but of course, I possess an entirely different level of insanity than this idiot, so our brains work in entirely different ways. So for this tale of his compulsive lying, I will focus on his career. Some quick math puts his age at roughly 584 years old. He had worked in every industry imaginable, literally anything he sees, he has worked on that. We were at a site of a high profile construction project; the client was explaining how they use an entirely new construction technique that nobody in North America understood, they had to bring in specialists from South America to do the work. Well they could have saved themselves a lot of money because Trainwreck has done that before and is an expert. Even when he's telling the truth, he still feels the need to lie. Following his dismissal from MMM the first time, he went to work at a snow removal company. This much is confirmed truth, but then he's got to go on about how he drove the snow plows and trucks. Any professional company that would allow an unlicensed driver to handle their vehicles is the kind of company that would hire a Trainwreck.

Anyways, a few weeks ago we are moving an exercise machine. It's one of those pully system universal gym with the flat rectangular weights. Trainwreck goes on about how he worked for a manufacturing company and his job was to drill out the holes in these weights. Then this week, we have to move another one of these machines. Once again, he tells this fable. He's even done some research and names the manufacturer that he was working for. Everybody is aware of his compulsive lying and is sick of it, nobody could be bothered calling him a liar but the eye rolls and snickering gave them away. Rather than just dropping the matter or **gasp** coming clean with the truth, Trianwreck doubles down, no, he swears to God that it's the truth.

Now, the thing is, these weights are cast iron. My assumption is that they are cast with the holes in them. I don't know how difficult it would be to drill through cast iron, but I'm sure it would fall under the "very difficult" category. To say nothing of the absolute precision necessary to have everything perfectly in line. I did some preliminary research, but all I could find was videos on regular round weights, which are cast with the holes existing. I couldn't find anything on these rectangular flat weights. Does anybody have this info?

I'm not making it my life's mission to figure this out. Even if I get the proof, I wouldn't be able to present it to Trainwreck because the would be "bullying" and would lead to another "panic attack". But just for the sake of my own curiosity and amusement, I would like to know.

[RealUnimportant]

I found this manufacturer of pin-loaded weight stacks, and they seem to use hot rolled steel, which would be easier to machine that cast iron. As they'd all be cut to a set size with predictable mass, a jig to ensure the holes are in the right spot wouldn't be difficult to create - but it's far more likely for such holes to be drilled by a robot so as to ensure accuracy. That's the tell here, it's not the kind of job that's done by man anymore.

[evilhomer]

Thank you. Searching for "Weight stacks manufacturing" did show me a manufacturing process. So they are in fact drilled out. Reputable manufacturers used computer controlled drill machinery, but it's entirely plausible that someone working in a sub-sub basement warehouse wouldn't be as precise. So I suppose it is plausible that sometime when Trainwreck was a young pup of just 218 years old, he may have truly worked in this industry.