king crusher Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Hi guys, So my co worker asked me to come into the warehouse and "try and bend some metal" so went back there and it was a 5/16" threaded steel rod 8" long. I have watched some bending vids so I used some rags to wrap the ends and that prob is just so-so so I used a pair of mechanix type gloves too. I was able to bend it to under 2". He filmed with his iphone so maybe I can post it. Where does this rod rate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchapman Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Hard to tell. It is threaded so it will be easier than regular 5/16". The 8" would throw off an experienced bender, but it probably didn't feel odd to you, unless your shoulders are very inflexable. The towels and gloves are a wildcard. I would say it is a decent, respectable bend for a first time. I would love to see the video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Scibelli Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Lol that sounds pretty fun. I'd say if that's the first time you've ever bent anything that's pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Ruby Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 (edited) Hard to tell maybe 300ish but the length might give most people problems. Could be less if the steel was weak. A good thing to try out would be some galvanized 60d -try to make sure galvanized if you can since the non galvanized are pretty weak- Those will feel similar to a blue nail usually sometimes easier or harder depending on the nail. Also I started out bending earlier this year and the fbbc bender bag was a fun buy since it came with wraps + a lot of various steel to mess around with. Post some videos though you will get a lot of feedback and based on your grip strength will progress very quickly. I haven't been bending much recently-at all sadly- but I think its a good idea to try out the various styles also -reverse, du, and DO- I think it helps I tried to work all styles in when I was bending and feel you get a better overall workout but most like to specialize especially as they move to the hard steel. Edited August 14, 2013 by Stephen Ruby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 I pretty much used the doh method as the duh seemed odd. but after reading the pinned rules of bending I see I broke the rules by bracing on my leg. it first kinked when braced on my upper leg but the bend was doh. im asking for the vid. its pretty funny as I was in my work clothes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 Here is my "virgin" bend haha. obviously you can tell I have no idea what i'm doing. this was posted on my friends youtube..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQAwFnLp43g 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchapman Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Here is my "virgin" bend haha. obviously you can tell I have no idea what i'm doing. this was posted on my friends youtube..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQAwFnLp43g Wow, that wasn't really threaded, just on the very tip. If you got a quick lesson on technique I think you could be a beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 cool thanks. What do you mean by threaded only on the tip? thay the threads are shallow? the threads do run the whole length of the rod but the 5/16 looks to be the width of the actual steel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acromegaman Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Short steel bending is fun and addicting, but I would stay away from the All Threaded rod. It breaks pretty easily and if you are bending near the neck, it might jab something that you don't want it to. Good job and safe bending. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 yeah thay piece was like two feet long and actually I rolled it into a loop and as I pulled it further it snapped thay 8" piece right off. I actually had the same thought. do you guys think if I got some galv 60p they would be easier or harder? what about bolts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchapman Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Here is my "virgin" bend haha. obviously you can tell I have no idea what i'm doing. this was posted on my friends youtube..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQAwFnLp43g Wow, that wasn't really threaded, just on the very tip. If you got a quick lesson on technique I think you could be a beast. Oh, it looked like it was only threaded on the very end, from the video. Anyway, I suggest getting some Ironmind pads (you can get them now at Cannon Powerworks) and getting some 60D nails or 1/4" and even 5/16" Cold Rolled Steel and start bending 7" and maybe 6" bars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autolupus Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Looks like M8 stud bar, easy to bend but snaps easy, what out! ...and most of the bend was braced bending. Nice start though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autolupus Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Here is my "virgin" bend haha. obviously you can tell I have no idea what i'm doing. this was posted on my friends youtube..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQAwFnLp43g Wow, that wasn't really threaded, just on the very tip. If you got a quick lesson on technique I think you could be a beast. The whole thing is threaded, as I said looks like M8 stud bar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buccos1 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 yeah thay piece was like two feet long and actually I rolled it into a loop and as I pulled it further it snapped thay 8" piece right off. I actually had the same thought. do you guys think if I got some galv 60p they would be easier or harder? what about bolts? Good stuff. Like the guys said, stay away from the threaded stuff. Way too unpredictable and it will snap on you fairly easy. There's no need to do anything at 8" length, unless you want to get an early start on the Gold. lol DO is probally the most accessible, and will give you great returns in minimal time, but I'd suggest working in at least reverse or DU, as it will make you a stronger DO bender, if that's the route you choose. As far as stock, buy a Benders Bag from FBBC or IM's Bag of Nails ... both have good stuff. Or build your own supply. I'd start out with 1/4 x 7/6" stock until your technique is on, then move up to 60ds and 1/4 x 6/7" grade 5 bolts. Some 60ds are really easy, but if you shop around, you can find some tough ones, that are similar to a grade 5 bolt. Practice with your wrapping technique. I've always focused on smaller/thinner wraps, and don't really recommend doubles, at least starting out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 cool thanks for the tips guys. cant I go to a home depot type store for the 1/4" bolts and 60d? and shhot for 6" runs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Ruby Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 (edited) cool thanks for the tips guys. cant I go to a home depot type store for the 1/4" bolts and 60d? and shhot for 6" runs? I believe less then 10cents a piece. A lot of guys buy rods also and cut them down to save money Consider getting a starter bag though http://www.fatbastardbarbellco.com/BENDERSBAG.html Its not that expensive plus they will throw in wraps for you and you can try out a lot of different lengths and types of steel. Some will probably feel really easy but you can use those to work technique and warm up but you will get some bars that will be hard like the bastard bars. Edited August 15, 2013 by Stephen Ruby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Scibelli Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 cool thanks for the tips guys. cant I go to a home depot type store for the 1/4" bolts and 60d? and shhot for 6" runs? Yeah Home Depot will have 60D nails, I got a whole bucket of 60D spiral nails (a little bit easier than regular 60D's). I've also found 6'' X 1/4'' grade 2 bolts there, which are good to practice with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 thanks guys. those bags look nice. will stop by hd tomorrow for a few things to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sharkey Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 (edited) cool thanks for the tips guys. cant I go to a home depot type store for the 1/4" bolts and 60d? and shhot for 6" runs? Yeah Home Depot will have 60D nails, I got a whole bucket of 60D spiral nails (a little bit easier than regular 60D's). I've also found 6'' X 1/4'' grade 2 bolts there, which are good to practice with. the spirals are nice to get the feel of reverse and DU. I barehanded one. otherwise I agree with Carl. focus on smaller wraps. IMP's will condition your hands. there's a good bit of pain tolerance involved in bending. taking the easier way out (bigger wraps) in the beginning won't help make you a better bender. longer stock is going to be more productive to improving your progress as opposed to shorter stock. good luck. Edited August 15, 2013 by Mike Sharkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 (edited) So I picked up some stuff to bend. For a little under 5 bucks I got 10 galv. 60d nails, 9 are spirels because thats all I seen there but the bin did have one random galv 60d straight nail too. I also got 2- 1/4"×6 zinc bolts, 1 galv bolt same size and 1 5/6"×6 zinc hex bolt. The 5/16 is threaded I could not find a non threaded one. They had one in 5 1/2" but that looked way beyond beginner. So will this stuff keep me busy? Where does it rate compared to that 8" piece I bent? Edited August 15, 2013 by king crusher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sharkey Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 (edited) First off, its really a misnomer to think that you can compare steel calibration of different length. A little bit you can, but not really. 6,7, and 8+ " are all very different and they behave differently during the bend. The other thing you need to consider is wraps. If you jump around in wraps, you will not get a feel for or understand the progressive difficulty of steel. Pick some wraps and stick with them for 90% of your work, and then we can talk about which piece of steel was harder. The 60D's will give you a good idea of where you are. If you got them from Home Depot, they are probably Grip Rite 60D's which are of decent difficulty. Depending on what your goals are, I would recommend buying some 0-1 Drill Rod and cutting it to 7" - which will be a far far more productive use of your time then bending 6" 0-1 is great for training because it is more consistent than other types of steel, it bends very cold, and it binds up and is difficult to crush. Personally I don't think bolts are that useful in actually getting stronger, especially with DO bending. You can purchase drill rod at toolanddie.com. Start with some J,K,L and M bars which will allow you to refine your technique and get stronger. Edited August 15, 2013 by Mike Sharkey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchapman Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 First off, its really a misnomer to think that you can compare steel calibration of different length. A little bit you can, but not really. 6,7, and 8+ " are all very different and they behave differently during the bend. The other thing you need to consider is wraps. If you jump around in wraps, you will not get a feel for or understand the progressive difficulty of steel. Pick some wraps and stick with them for 90% of your work, and then we can talk about which piece of steel was harder. The 60D's will give you a good idea of where you are. If you got them from Home Depot, they are probably Grip Rite 60D's which are of decent difficulty. Depending on what your goals are, I would recommend buying some 0-1 Drill Rod and cutting it to 7" - which will be a far far more productive use of your time then bending 6" 0-1 is great for training because it is more consistent than other types of steel, it bends very cold, and it binds up and is difficult to crush. Personally I don't think bolts are that useful in actually getting stronger, especially with DO bending. You can purchase drill rod at toolanddie.com. Start with some J,K,L and M bars which will allow you to refine your technique and get stronger. This is very good advice and will save you a ton of time and money if you follow it right away. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 Thanks for the help guys. Yeah I did get them at hd. I bent two more pieces...I posted about it in my log. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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