If you want to build your hand and finger strength, you can't neglect "open hand" position training.
This setup does the trick using bumper plates.
And, even though I'm setting two 25 lb bumper plates (NOT plain steel plates and not slippery bumper plates!) on top of the rack, I found it to be stable, as long as the plates are centered on the cross-beam, the movement is done under control (no kipping) and the pull is even on both sides of the plates.
I found two 25's to be the perfect size for this for me.
On a side note, I've done it with the plates set on top of the pull-up bar itself but that is MUCH more unstable, MUCH harder to set up, and is a setup that I don't recommend doing.
I've got the plates set on top of the square, flat surface of the rack cross-beam (the thicker the cross-beam, the more stable it'll be).
The wide open "claw grip" hand position really challenges the muscles of the hands and forearms strongly.
I do the pull up bringing my head to one side of the bar, then the other. This gives a bit more focused work on side of the body each rep.
After my "claw grip" gives out, I switch to a fingers-only false grip in order to keep going a bit further and challenge the hands and fingers in a bit different way.
Further in the video above, I'll show how I set this up (stand on a bench and place the plates one at a time) and how I take the plates down.
I also like this setup with just one plate (I show it with a 35 lb plate) with a claw grip or a false grip.
This method is also a hack I use for getting a neutral grip, which is easier on the shoulders, if neutral grip handles aren't available.
Another excellent "open hand" grip exercise is the Slam Ball Pull-Up
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