Coin Bending

[capt. crushalot]

Eric,

Now that is putting your money where your mouth is.

Congratulation with your brave experiment.

[Sybersnott]

Try one in a pair of pliers or a vice, still damn tough to bend.  Tearing one?  Gimme a break.

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One evening when I was bored, I did this with various coins. Used two pliers as leverage and they were still tough to bend. Pennies are damn tough! I'd like to see someone TRY to bend a nickel with their bare hands!

[Martin]

I purchased some old British pennies that are roughly the size of a half dollar but thinner.  They are from the 1910's and 20's.  I would throw one in an envelope if one of the more "qualified" guys out there wanted to give one a real shot and see.  PM me.  Personally, I think THEY are doable (if you were strong as hell) but I think a new quarter would be as near as impossible as you can get.  Try one in a pair of pliers or a vice, still damn tough to bend.  Tearing one?  Gimme a break.

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I would be interested to know what the exact dimensions of those coins are as well as what material they are made of. I would really like to detemine the bending force required for coins of the original type.

In South Africa I attacked a few copper coins with a vice grip and pliers and even that way it's hellishly difficult.

If one was serious about this kind of thing I guess you could work out a graduated training program using aluminium discs and then on to metal of other types assuming of course one knows the original metals charateristics.

[Kye]

I was told by my niece that she had a friend in her class who could, at the age of nine, bend a quarter with one hand. I knew it was a slight of hand trick immediately and showed her with two pairs of pliers how much it took for a full grown man of my strength to bend a quarter. I asked to make that it took about 130 foot pounds of pressure to bend the quarter.

[wobbler]

Wow, old thread. If I were doing it, I'd drill a hole in the middle of the penny and slowly decrease the size of the hole.

First thought was notching the edges at 180* but it would be easier to cut your skin, and the sharp notches will make it weaker than the hole in the middle, and harder to get consistent progression.

Also be aware if you're using copper or zinc pennies, I think 1984 or so was the switch.

[acromegaman]

On 9/25/2017 at 5:50 PM, wobbler said:

Wow, old thread. If I were doing it, I'd drill a hole in the middle of the penny and slowly decrease the size of the hole.

First thought was notching the edges at 180* but it would be easier to cut your skin, and the sharp notches will make it weaker than the hole in the middle, and harder to get consistent progression.

Also be aware if you're using copper or zinc pennies, I think 1984 or so was the switch.

I think it was 1982 when the switch was made. Also, the hole in the middle trick worked and it was an excellent idea. Thanks for that. It was still freaking hard to bend this sucker with a 1/4" hole in it. 

[gripmaniac]

I remember this thread !!!!  We've had a few interesting discussions here over the years regarding coin bending.

The idea of drilling a hole in an older (copper) coin is something that could spark a bit of interest from a challenge perspective.

I've often wondered whether a wrap or just bare-handed would be a better way to train this. Thoughts?

 

[wobbler]

Damn, glad it worked out but that means now I'll have to try it soon.

No idea how to set it up in wraps.

If you do a few, let us know if copper or zinc is easier.

 

Edit: yeah, someone thats not me should start a list for copper/zinc and the hole size. 

Edited September 27, 2017 by wobbler

[richcottrell]

I knew this would come in handy someday:

 

[bencrush]

Instead of drilling holes in coins, you could find really thin metal washers and try those.  Plenty of different size holes to make them easier to harder.

[acromegaman]

8 hours ago, gripmaniac said:

I remember this thread !!!!  We've had a few interesting discussions here over the years regarding coin bending.

The idea of drilling a hole in an older (copper) coin is something that could spark a bit of interest from a challenge perspective.

I've often wondered whether a wrap or just bare-handed would be a better way to train this. Thoughts?

 

I am using the big wrap in the picture to start the bend and then the smaller one to finish. If you look up Chris Rider vending a penny on YouTube you'll see how I did it. 

[KapMan]

I dont think any of the coin benders, do it barehanded often if at all. 

[acromegaman]

9 hours ago, KapMan said:

I dont think any of the coin benders, do it barehanded often if at all. 

I have tried, but I cannot get a grip on the coin. I think smaller fingers would lend itself better to barehanded bending. Here is a zinc coin that I've bent today with a smaller .160" hole and less wraps. It didn't take no where near as long because I think I have a better understanding of the form and less care of the pain that is involved. LOL. I know it's not completely bent and I might be dumb enough to finish it a little bit later but being that this is the only second day that I have been doing this I feel like my hands are going to have a deep bruise in both Palms so I better stop and rest for a bit. I will post a video when I can get a full bend on one without a hole.

Edited September 27, 2017 by acromegaman