Guest danreeves Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 How does the steel used in say, galvanized nails compare to steel in carriage bolts. Lets say you have some bolts, 3/8 thick and some nails of equivalent size, is there going to be an equivalency on how hard they are to bend? reason i'm asking is, i tried some 3/8 carriage bolts, about 6" long, bent it without too much strain. Just wondering how close thats getting me to bending the big nails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Metals vary too much to give a clear answer here. Look at the Grade 5 (was that it?) bolt that Tom was working on. It was one of his hardest bends ever. He can routinely band 60 penny nails with ease. He could probably bend most bolts with the same dimensions as well. (Shrug) You never know, Michael Falkov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terminator Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Quick grip is right. There is way too much variation, even among 60d nails. Nails are generally much harder than non-graded bolts though. They have to survive repeated blows with a hammer and minimize bending. Carriage bolts are notoriously soft. I've got some hardened 60's that are harder (at least the initial bend) than the Ironmind Red. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest woody36 Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Dan, a 3/8s carriage is great! how long you been bending? and what else have you bent?if you don't mind me asking. Regards Woody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danreeves Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 The 3/8 bolt was the first thing I've ever tried to bend. Have been doing hammer levering for about a year, can get one solid lever out of a 12lb sledge and i'm shot after that. Been doing the grippers for about a year and a half now, but haven't trained them hard in about six months. Can get 8 to 10 reps on the #1COC cold, and still stuck at a little under an 1/8" on the #2. Goal for the year is to get 10 solid reps on the #2 out of each hand and pinch grip two 35's by Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryduty Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Dan, nice work with the 3/8" bolt! Try bending some 6" nails. You'll probably want to get different kinds because, like Quick Grip said, you'll find that the metals vary. Do you know what Grade the 3/8" bolt was that you bent? I've noticed that the Grade 5 bolts that I've bent seem to have multiple "sticking" points (making them more challenging than 60d nails which only seem to have one or two). Can you describe the technique that you used to bend the bolt? Train smart! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest baldy Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Strongman, what length / thickness grade 5's have you bent? I have bent various 60d nails from local hardware stores, and when I saw Tom Black's bend of the grade 5 I wanted to try one. Every joint in my hands popped (some popped twice I think) and I had to cut the head off the bolt and roll it on the ground to see if I even took it out of "true". It was, but maybe only by a degree. You guys that bend those grade 5's really are at another level. Terminator, how are you doing with the IronMind red? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terminator Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Sorry for not responding earlier. I haven't taken too many attempts at the Red lately, I'm focusing on finding and improving the weak points that limit my bending. My best attempt in strict form has been about a half inch bend. Anybody who plays with that beast knows that you can seriously hurt yourself with it. I have been working with some super hardened 60d's and am making steady progress. I will not be so bold as to predict when I will bend the Red but rest assured I will bend it. If I get the initial bend to 40 degrees, I will own it, the final crush is my strong point. I'll keep you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Black Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 I'm glad to see that there is a good understanding now on the gripboard between the different types of steel, especially considering the difference between graded and non-graded bolts. As far as I know the carriage bolts are un-graded and "soft." Even so, a 3/8"x6" carriage bolt bend is good. I would say the most (maybe all) 60-pennies are harder than carriage bolts. A grade 5 bolt is tempered and really in a whole different category than any 60-penny which is basically the same dimension. Also, because the steel is made to a standard they are probably more consistent in strength from one brand to another (although I'm not absolutely sure of this, I've only bent one brand). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terminator Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Tom, I agree with all of your comments, although I recently came across some 60d nails that might change your opinion. I'd like to compare them to grade 5 bolts of similar dimension. What dimension grade 5 bolt did you bend? (if you don't mind refreshing my memory). Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Black Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Terminator, Grade 5 bolts are 6"x1/4" (exactly, they do not vary like the nails). I was going to comment about the 60d nails that you had that were very hard, but left it out of my post. What brand is this nail? I don't see why any manufacturer would make a tempered 60d nail, they seem strong enough even with common steel. I'd be curious if you could test it (see my articles for my testing technique). The grade 5 bolt was 365, the highest 60d nails I seem to remember being 340. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terminator Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Tom, I don't know the brand, but I will attempt to test according to your method. I'll get back to you in a couple days. I suspect this will rate well over 400lbs. Initial bend feels worse than the Red Nail!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest baldy Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Terminator, thanks for the reply. 1/2" strict is a *really* good bend from what I understand of the red (I've never felt one). Since Tom Black said that the red was at least 20lbs harder than a grade 5 bolt by his testing method, I have no business trying one for a long time. I think that your form work can only help you in the long run for the red. Congratulations on your progress. Tom, when I last bought carriage bolts at a hardware store they were marked "grade 2" and had no marking lines on the head of the bolt. Also, they bent much easier than lag bolts because they are threaded for their entire length. I found 1/4" diameter grade 5's in 5 or 6 inch length and bought 3 of both. It will be a long time before I need any more. Tom, good to see you posting again. Hope all is well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danreeves Posted January 12, 2002 Share Posted January 12, 2002 Thanks for all the info on the difference between bolts and nails. I think the one I did was of the soft steel variety. Now I know what to look for and what to work up to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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