Everyones Starting Points

[don chi]

Hey gang, I was just curious where everyone started out bending. It seems a lot of new guys here are starting out at 1/4" or better, is that common? I admire you guys who can or did start there as I'm stuck on the smaller stuff. A little bit of it is probably less than stellar technique but I do need to get stronger. Oh well, thanks for any input, it would be interesting to see some starting points.

[Joaorv]

I could bend the white adn the green off the bag. and i could close the N.1 once two days after i opened it, tryied it off the box and couldn't but did it the next day.

I had a decent deadlift and i never train with straps or gloves so my grip could have been a bit over the norm.

[John Beatty]

First thing I ever bent was a 1/4" x 6" grade 2. It took 20 min & was a braced bend. It was done while driving around town after picking up the very first load of FBBC bolts. Wraps were a pair of socks I had in the truck.

[FrankyBoy]

I couldn't bend a Yellow first time I encountered it.

That was using reverse style at head level using a tea towel only.

[Alawadhi]

the first nails i got was a white and a green. i could bend them both while using a tissue. then i discovered ironmind pad and the green was very easy. i ordered the yellow, blue and red (until now i didn't recieve it) . then i bought a bunch of 60D nails. and i bent them using ironmind pads. that's after my first bend by 3 weeks. but i have a black triangle grade 5 bolt and it's really hard to bend for me.

[antarath]

I bent the white and green the first time I tried em. Without pads even..

Then I struggled with the yellow for a looong time. happened to bend 3 blue nails in a row before I could bend a yellow

My best bend was a 5" bolt I bent yesterday. It's a little bit thicker than 1/4. Just as thick as the spring on the #3.

Stainless

[Scott Styles]

When I first started, I failed to bend a white. I went to the hardware store and got some 7" x 3/16" gutter spikes. Those were my first bend, easier than 3/16" hrs. The best I've ever done was a piece of 6"x1/4" FBBC Round stock. My technique improved a lot.

[Muscle Turtle]

My first bend was a 5 inch spiral nail from the hardware store and it was a struggel. Just like Beatty, my first set of wraps was a pair of socks! Oh wow was my mom ever mad that I put holes in my good socks!

I remember sitting in chemistry class with my bag of nails and everyone wanted me to bend one for the class. Wrapped up a yellow and blew into it, took about 3 minutes to get done.

Oh memories...

[EricMilfeld]

I came up short when I tried the blue nail. I could, however, bend 1/4" HRS when I first started.

[unseenbeat]

I came up short when I tried the blue nail. I could, however, bend 1/4" HRS when I first started.

Bent yellow, could bend a blue within the first two weeks. Haven't gotten much farther than that though, as of late.

[Wes]

I could do a blue pretty ez the first time I tried. Once I got technique down, the 5.5'' grade 5 wasn't that hard either. It seems bending is more about pain tolerance than strength. Once I realized my fingers weren't going to break, I could put a lot more power into it.

[smp76]

Failed on a 40d nail for weeks. Then failed on a Blue nail. I am a true late bloomer.

-Sean

[Niels]

Last weekend I had a barbecue at my house and to my surprise two friends of mine could both bend a IM blue nail without any training (they don´t even go to a gym) and the girl of one my friends (18 years old 55 kg bodyweight) bend a IM white and a IM green. They never tried bending before I just showed them the technique and they did it.

When I first startet I couldn´t bend a IM yellow my PR at the moment is a 6" grade 5 bolt.

[Wayne]

first thing i tried was a yellow, double overhand at around waiste level, i didn't know what i was doing and failed bad. then a while later we tried some 3/16'' square. i went to a 5'' bar right away and in the process learned double underhand and went back and killed a yellow. still wasn't that serious about bending untill i really learned how to bend double overhand then the gains just rolled in. 5'' blues came natural in about a week or 2 then g5's not long after. i think my fourth ever g5 bend was a 5.5 incher and then my 5th was a 5 incher.

[Tim71]

Well, when I started on this board earlier this year I was mainly into long bending but after reading this board I tried a few short pieces with only a wash cloth. As I recall I tried an aluminum gutter spike first and that was pretty easy, then maybe a pole barn nail and did that and then a grade 2 threaded bolt all to start. I then quit doing short bending until I picked up some leather which was a week or so ago.

I started this time with some timber ties (60d) and 1/4 inch hot rolled and did those. A week later I've done grade 2 unthreaded bolts (which are alot tougher than the threaded in my opinion), 2 timber ties at once and I've done 10 60d nails in a row braced. I think I can do the 1/4 cold rolled underhanded when I get to try it and maybe the 60ds underhanded too. Hang in there. My goal was to be able to bend a 60 penny nail by the end of the summer and it took me a week to reach that. Now I've upped my goal to a grade 5 unbraced by summers end and maybe a grade 8 by years end or even a grade 9.

Keep in mind that by the nature of this board, alot of these guys are probably already pretty stout to begin with and in all likelihood don't repressent the average crowd. If you pass a 1/4 cr bar around the office I personally think it's going to leave the way it came in.

Tim

[Soilworker]

I started with ¼" HRS and Grade 2 bolts at 6" long. My very first bend ever was a piece of FBBC 3/16" at 6", no pads. I started reverse style.

[oso]

I just started, and am able to bend the white and green easily, but can't even kink the yellow. (DO)

Edited July 2, 2006 by oso

[toe2toe]

Couldn't even bend a green the first time but two months later I can get a 5.5" g5.

[FatBoy]

When I started I was able to bend a yellow using both DO and DU. Now my best bends are a

1/4x6" grade 8 using DO, and a 60d nail using DU.

[burner]

I still can't move anything worth bragging about.........but in the beginning, the yellow was ridiculously hard.....then I discovered DO and frankyboy

Edited July 3, 2006 by burner

[Justin Reagan]

Nothing worth bragging about?

Yeah right...

All one need to do is look at your tagline!

Justin Reagan

[don chi]

Thanks for the input gents. Looks like I just have to put in some hard work and I'll join the rest of you soon.

[mmainlands]

My first bend was a slight bend in an 80 penny, first full bend was an IM yellow, took about 3 weeks.

[acorn]

my first day I got down to 3/16 sq x5", but could only put a little kink in the yellow. By then end of the first week I had done the yellow, blue and a 60D nail. Haven't progressed any further yet doing KTA right now.

Aaron

[kerbjr]

Got the IM blue first itme out DU, took about 5 min of intense suffering. My first ever bend was Pole barn nails, instantly hooked.....BK