Guest omniexist Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 I would like to get it to nail bending. I need info on types of nails to start with. Also what things can i get from lowes to bend like nails, rods, and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnimalCage Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Omni, I recently visited Lowe's. Aisle 16 should have all the nails and fasteners. Midway up on the right should be a rack with steel and aluminum stock. I bought 3/16, 1/4, and 5/16" HRS in 36" lengths. (I won't even mention the CRS I bought). I couldn't even dent the 5/16". My best bend so far is an 8" piece of the 1/4". Next stop, 7 3/4"..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryduty Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 I don't know what your background is with bending metal, omniexist, but my local Lowes Hardware stores sell 7 inch aluminum gutter spikes which can be used for warm ups (if you're a beginner) and 6" spiral 60d nails (if you're not). Other 6 in. nails include pole barn (or timber) nails and galvinized common 60d nails. You can also find 1/4", 5/16, and 3/8" carriage bolts to bend. Some pole barn (timber) nails bend and others just snap in two. You might want to just get a few to test before buying a bunch if you don't like the nails that snap in two. Lowes also sells 3 ft. lengths of brass (tougher than aluminum but easier than steel) that you can cut and bend. Omniexist, what are your short, medium and long range goals? You might want to get a few different 1/4" rods (aluminum, brass, and steel), cut a 7" piece off each and see what you can U-shape. If you can U-shape all of these easily, you can always go back and get 5/16" and repeat this. Once you can U-shape the 7" x 5/16" CRS (Cold rolled steel), you should consider getting Ironmind's "Bag of Nails". What technique do you use when you bend? Train smart! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersqueeze Posted March 11, 2002 Share Posted March 11, 2002 Omni - Listen to Strongman, he knows his stuff! He got me through a long period of stagnation and on to 6 inches of CRS. Look at the techniques on his web page and try them all. One will probably work better than the others for you. -Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest omniexist Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 Thanks for all the info. Strongman, I am new to bending. Heck befor today ive only tryed to bend a 7 inch aluminum gutter spike. It bent easy and made me want to bend more stuff. Today i bent a 9 inch pice of 1/4 inch (HRS) bar. As far as technique i guess i use the Slim the Hammer Man style (nice web page by the way). I dont really have any goals, so i guess bendind a 7 inch pice of 5/16 (CRS) would be cool. Any advice would be a great help. By the way whats the difference between (HRS) and (CRS)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryduty Posted March 12, 2002 Share Posted March 12, 2002 Thanks for the praise, Mike and omniexist, but it's easy to show a technique, the tough part is with you to apply it to your training and improving your bending! My training partner has been busy calculating the bending pressure needed to U-shape different kinds of nails, spikes, and various lengths of rods/bars. He's agreed to let me post his data on my web site. I should have it done, soon. Normally, Cold Rolled Steel (CRS or "drawn" as it is sometimes called) is tougher to bend than Hot Rolled Steel (HRS). But recently, I came across a CRS bar that was actually (a little) easier than a HRS rod. I suspect that the CRS was really just a mislabled HRS rod! My training partner tested the two and the results were HRS 6"x1/4" = 225 lbs. and the CRS 6"x1/4" = 220 lbs. Here's a small sample of the table that I'm building: 7"x1/4" Aluminum gutter spike (Brand 1) = 105 lbs. 7"x1/4" Aluminum gutter spike (Brand 2) = 125 lbs. 7"x1/4" Brass = 155 lbs. 7"x5x16" Aluminum = 160 7"x5/16" HRS = 240 lbs. 7"x5/16" Brass = 300 lbs. 7"x5/16" CRS = 18 degree bend at 371 lbs. Train smart! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersqueeze Posted March 13, 2002 Share Posted March 13, 2002 Hey Strongman, have you or your training partner ever tried bending any of the square stock (square in cross section)? I have not but was wondering how much harder 1/4 inch square is (compated to 1/4 inch round). The cross sectional area is about 27% greater for square. I wonder if it is 27% harder to bend? Should be. -Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cap Posted March 13, 2002 Share Posted March 13, 2002 I dont have a lowes near me. Does home depot carry steel aluminum, or brass stock?? The three foot brass might be fun to do some weak-ass scrolling work ala brookfield... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryduty Posted March 13, 2002 Share Posted March 13, 2002 Mike, I don't recall having bent any of the square stock - but I do remember my training partner saying that with square stock, you can bend along ther plane of the flat side or to increase the challenge your could bend perpendicular to the flat plane. The next time I go to the hardware store, I'll pick some up and try it. Cap, in my area, both Lowes and Home Depot carry the steel rods. Actually, there's a Sears hardware store that I like best because of their wider selection. Train smart! 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.