jorta Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Hey John, or other board members - I've been buying FBBC stock for bending for some time. I took a few months off last fall (just ran out, had to re-order, etc, etc) and got a new shipment of 7"x5/16, 6.5", 6" stock and that 7" is suddenly kicking my ass. I used to bend 3 or 4 in a work out on my way up to harder stuff and now I'm lucky if I can get a good kink. I'm trying to figure out if my form has just all gone to hell during my break or is this a new batch of steel? Reading the "FBBC calibration thread" I see that the numbers have increased from 440 to 515 over time. No worries, I'll work back up to it and through it (it's a nice challenge), but I'm trying to figure out if I've lost my form, if hitting 40 has crippled me, or the steel is just harder Thanks! Cliff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxyj75 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Hey John, or other board members - I've been buying FBBC stock for bending for some time. I took a few months off last fall (just ran out, had to re-order, etc, etc) and got a new shipment of 7"x5/16, 6.5", 6" stock and that 7" is suddenly kicking my ass. I used to bend 3 or 4 in a work out on my way up to harder stuff and now I'm lucky if I can get a good kink. I'm trying to figure out if my form has just all gone to hell during my break or is this a new batch of steel? Reading the "FBBC calibration thread" I see that the numbers have increased from 440 to 515 over time. No worries, I'll work back up to it and through it (it's a nice challenge), but I'm trying to figure out if I've lost my form, if hitting 40 has crippled me, or the steel is just harder Thanks! Cliff Cliff, I believe the current FBBC bastards rate around 480; but I will tell you this-- I have said time and again that the 480 bastards have an unusually hard kink. I would compare the kink to be really close to a Shiny. I can usually bend a bastard like a wet noodle, but I have to really work on these! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yodajaeger Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Hey John, or other board members - I've been buying FBBC stock for bending for some time. I took a few months off last fall (just ran out, had to re-order, etc, etc) and got a new shipment of 7"x5/16, 6.5", 6" stock and that 7" is suddenly kicking my ass. I used to bend 3 or 4 in a work out on my way up to harder stuff and now I'm lucky if I can get a good kink. I'm trying to figure out if my form has just all gone to hell during my break or is this a new batch of steel? Reading the "FBBC calibration thread" I see that the numbers have increased from 440 to 515 over time. No worries, I'll work back up to it and through it (it's a nice challenge), but I'm trying to figure out if I've lost my form, if hitting 40 has crippled me, or the steel is just harder Thanks! Cliff Cliff, I believe the current FBBC bastards rate around 480; but I will tell you this-- I have said time and again that the 480 bastards have an unusually hard kink. I would compare the kink to be really close to a Shiny. I can usually bend a bastard like a wet noodle, but I have to really work on these! Yepp, I have to agree about this, a can bend reds in IMPs on an ordinary workout, fairly easy, but I really have to work to put the initial kink in the bastards currently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorta Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 Excellent, thank you for the feedback. Hearing others with the same experience helps me isolate what I need to work on to get that bend back under control. I'm glad that I just had 50 shipped to me - it looks like I'll need the practice. Thanks! Cliff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthcarl Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I agree with Foxman. The current 480 lb. bastards do feel harder to kink than the number would indicate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewokhugo Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) my last experience was like this: tried the bastard and the shiny the same day , both went down to 100 deg with the same effort(from Perry's , probably from 2008 batch) Edited March 17, 2009 by ewokhugo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorta Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 (edited) I whipped up on them today. It's interesting how the mind game works in bending. Just understanding that there was a difference allowed me to mentally approach the bar as if I had something new to prove instead of wondering why the hell I couldn't do something that was easy a little while ago. I did notice a distinct difference in the sharpness of the bends - in the photo below the ones to the right are from this morning and the ones to the left were from an old batch. Well, I can't figure out how to link and image. Go to this URL if interested: Comparison Bends Edited March 18, 2009 by jorta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewokhugo Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 jorta, looks like the new batch its harder than the older. Are these bastards? my knowledge its basic but for me "v" shape means HARD and "u" shape "easier". good work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yodajaeger Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 How are the 480 lb bastards to crushdown? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxyj75 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 How are the 480 lb bastards to crushdown? Not bad at all compared to the kink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorta Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 How are the 480 lb bastards to crushdown? Not bad at all compared to the kink. I have to agree, they went fast as soon as I got them over the hump. If you see the pictures, you see that the new ones are even closer than the old ones. I've never had a problem with the crush though for any but the very shortest cuts. looks like the new batch its harder than the older.Are these bastards? I think so - they are the 7"x5/16 ones. I just email FBBC with the lengths, diameter, and number that I want and John ships it to me. I'm not sure how they are officially designated. Cliff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewokhugo Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 yes Clif they are bastards:-) crush its easier than the kink no doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.