Wraps/padding

[gazza]

I agree with Alawadhi. Get that Red Nail Young Man

Gazza feel free to compare yourself with anyone you want to. Just try not to down play what other people are bending because YOU don't agree with their wraps. They still deserve every ounce of respect and acknowledgement for their bends, regardless of your opinion. These people have accomplished something Great through Dedication, Sweat, Hardwork and Determination and should Not be down played at all. When they get to your level or at any time, anyone should be able to use whatever padding they think they need to accomplish their goal. It seems to me you are turning, no, you have turned into the person/persons you were upset about just a few months ago. This saddens me Hopefully this discussion will not create more pad-o-phobes.

THANKYOU MR.BOOYAH!

[JoeGrip]

This thread got lame in a hurry, just bend the steel people. When more people get to the koab level then they can all get together and have their own childish hissy fits about who's bend was better and who's tougher, right now its irrelevant.

Hey Gazza, I bet youll never bend the 1/2"x7", ever. There that should keep him occupied for at least a little while.

how would you like it bent DO,DU or REVERSE or a touch tougher BAREHANDED

lol, you have a lot of good years left so I bet you'll get all of the above.

[gazza]

I don't have a definitive solution to this argument, but I would like to share some of my own experiences and ideas on the subject.

When I first started bending several years ago I used the most readily accessible padding material I could find. This was strips of cotton hand towels. I would wrap the entire nail in one big piece of towel. I worked up to my first Red with this padding. Then on my second Red the nail's end broke through the cloth and punctured my palm. Around this time two things happened. Atleast one person asserted that I was gaining an unfair advantage by pulling on the towel ends. This seemed a baseless and frivolous accusatiion to me, and I quickly proved it to be so by bending as short as 5 3/4" Reds with Iron Mind pads. And for the record, a single piece of towel actually rips in the middle as you bend with it, thus you're not only applying force enough to bend the nail, but rip the towel as well. This points to the other thing that happened, and that is that I found a replacement for cotton towels in Iron Mind's cordura pads. But I chose to use just small sections of the Iron Mind pads placed under the big piece of towel to prevent any further puncture wounds. And it was with this setup that I certified on the Red, after which, someone contacted Dr. Strossen complaining that I was gaining an unfair padding advantage. I have a good idea who this person was, but I'm unclear as to why he thought I was gaining an unfair advantage. So. at Randy's request, I recertified using only the uncut Iron Mind pads. This bend felt even easier than the previous.

Shortly after all of this drama it became known to me that Teminator was using leather for his bends. I mistakenly assumed this to be thick, hard pieces of leather. Going on my wrong assumption, I questioned Pat as to whether leather was offering him some kind of leverage advantage. He took offense, and I can't say I blame him. I then publicly apologized on the board for my questioning. But still not clear as to what kind of leather he was using, I tried a Red with with some real stiff, thick leather. The Red felt ridiculously easy, but with my second Red using this new wonder material the nail busted clean through the brittle leather, injuring my middle finger. At this point I'm thinking "leather sucks"! So I continued on with using cordura and eventually thicker, longer pieces of ballistic nylon. Though I worked up to short Bastard bars with the nylon, I was acquiring nasty blisters in the process. Also, my forefingers looked like they had been hit by a hammer from the forces of the initial kink with so little padding for protection. This prompted me to start experimenting with other types of leather, which I used to cert on the Huge Bastard. I had finally found something that didn't routinely blister my hands, didn't puncture, and didn't smash my forefingers to a pulp. It took for me 1 1/4" of soft, supple leather to prevent enough of the pain to allow for a mamimal exertion of force. Keep in mind that this padding thickness will naturally vary from individual to individual. I happen to have relatively small hands for my 6'1" frame (7 3/4"), with a pretty small bone structure, and thin skin for a guy. But I do have a decent level of pain tolerance.

All of this leads up to some important questions, some of which Gazza is asking. But right here I need to be very clear about a few things. First of all, I believe Gazza has started this topic with very noble intentions. I also believe that each and every response made thus far has been made with those same noble intentions. The members of the Gripboard make me very proud. I haven't meet a dishonest guy one. Sometimes we bicker and butt heads, but everyone is very direct, real, and honest as far as I can tell. Let's keep this in mind and not take things personally! Despite everything, I've not a single grudge with anyone on this board. And believe me, I can't say as much about society at large. Okay, so here's what I'm thinking:

1) Padding should serve to protect the hands from injury, no more, no less. Padding should offer just enough protection from the forces of exertion that one can apply maximal effort to the bar, without the pain factor limiting one's ability to do so.

2) Padding thickness in excess of what provides sufficient protection from pain and injury that adds extra leverage is a step in the wrong direction. I'd hate to see bending go the way of powerlifting. A case can be made for the safety benefits of belts, for example, but the tight suits and shirts, well... Now if suits are allowed for my competitors I'll wear one, but we have the luxury at the moment, as benders, to make the rules just and reasonable, and insure that bends of today can be meaningfully compared with bends of decades to follow.

Now with this being said, there's still much room for debate and experimentation. I personally have not experimented with thicker leather. I do know that at some point the leather must get so thick that I can't really apply me best leverage, though. Imaging trying to duplicate your best hammer curl on a 3" bar, for example. But at the same time "excess" padding, whatever that may be, will add additional leverage by effectively "lengthening" the bar. And of course the stiffness of the leather is also a factor. So, I would propose that some of the top benders do just that and experiment with all thicknesses of leather. Note at what point in thickness pain no longer becomes a significant factor and if additional thickness beyond that point increases your bending ability. If it does, I think a case could be made for "excess". Now trying to legislate these findings into one cohesive set of rules would be the next challenge. It may very well be found that the rules as currently written already accomodate the would be findings. But some unbiased "research" is needed, in my opinion.

Let's keep a dialogue open on the subject. I've more I could say, but I have to return to my day job now. Anyone want to help us gather some data on the effects of various thicknesses of particular types of leather, with regards to pain level and leverage?

ERIC nicely worded and i thankyou for trying to be a middle spokesman in this but i think its to late now the damage has been done anyway i BEND better when i have an angry mob against me i draw power from that

[dimmers]

Good response Eric.

I have recently bought some suede from ebay that is about 1.5mm thick. Although this is about the same thickness as my first set of wraps it is no where near as rigid when rolled around a nail/bolt/bar. My first wraps were made from a welders apron, and the material was very rigid and difficult to roll at first. After time the cuttings from the welders apron became easier to roll but it did offer better leverage due to the rigid material.

My new wraps that have been cut from suede are very easy to roll around the nail/bolt/bar and end up looking the same in diameter as my old wraps, yet it definately makes the bend more difficult. But at the same time, there is no difference in pain due to the thickness of the padding.

I believe that this softer suede is what i will be using going forward, as it is very easy to wrap tightly around a bar but provides very little leverage when bending DO.

Please keep in mind that this is very good quality suede and has not punctured yet even after bending quite a bit of 1/4" square recently.

[boland magyar]

youdimmers....i think that is what i need

boland

[boland magyar]

gazza

i dont think there is a mob against you.

chill out and bend more steel......inspiration is what you give so be proud.

from one shodan to another

boland

[Alawadhi]

ERIC nicely worded and i thankyou for trying to be a middle spokesman in this but i think its to late now the damage has been done anyway i BEND better when i have an angry mob against me i draw power from that

Come one Gazza. Booyah didn't say ANYTHING AGAINST you. He was polite. You are taking things very seriously. You don't need to be angry just because some of us do not agree with you. All we want is to avoid pain. You like pain? Good for you. Some of us don't (I like pain ). And as Eric said we use pads to avoid pain not to gain leverage. Even the leverage from a THICK THICK pad are not that much of a help. And as many says, it's wont help you to get the bar to 2 inches. In addtion, you work manual labor (I think?) and you have TOUGH hands. Then what about the people that sit in a cool office all day long typing on a PC or university students (like me )? They can't bend hard stuff with small pads/IM pads. Let alone the barehand bending (unless if they train for it).

There is no damage done yet. It's an illusion to you. Again just because some of us dont agree with you doesn't mean they are against you or hate you.

[kerbjr]

I do this as a hobby and really dont care what padding is used as long as everyone is upfront and honest about what that are using. I have expeimented with padding on several occassions and here is what I found for myself. Thicker padding up to 2in makes the kink easier for me, I believe it adds leverage by effectively lengthening the bar look at it from a diagonal perspective....Anyhow after 2in I begin to see diminishing returns and this is probably due to losing force applied to the bar and my small hands being unable to grip the bar any longer. I have used thicker leather to progress on to tougher steel and it has been effective for me. I believe that it allowed me to work on explosiveness without worry of excessive pain. Anyhow I typically use 1 -1 1/2 in pads for the majority of my bends....And just for the record that steriod comment was way outta line..........And I still dont see an angry mob.....Keep on bending all...................Brett

[boland magyar]

where has the reply from bencrush gone ?????

has it been removed for a reason ? and why

boland

[gazza]

I agree with Alawadhi. Get that Red Nail Young Man

Gazza feel free to compare yourself with anyone you want to. Just try not to down play what other people are bending because YOU don't agree with their wraps. They still deserve every ounce of respect and acknowledgement for their bends, regardless of your opinion. These people have accomplished something Great through Dedication, Sweat, Hardwork and Determination and should Not be down played at all. When they get to your level or at any time, anyone should be able to use whatever padding they think they need to accomplish their goal. It seems to me you are turning, no, you have turned into the person/persons you were upset about just a few months ago. This saddens me Hopefully this discussion will not create more pad-o-phobes.

Booyah

So i take it compareing myself to others is a big no no in your book and i aint allowed to do that also if i have an opinion keep it to myself then is that what you are saying i was asked by ROB for my opinions i give an honest one and even said he would not like it but i am an honest man and say what i feel it seems that its only my opinion/s that get you all attracted like flies round a TURD i must be the TURD then A

Not once did i mention a single persons name shure i criticised a certain thickness of wrap/padding again would you be so up in arms if it was said by others or is it me

For the record i never said we had to adhere to a particular material or thickness and i did not mention about what people could use in training i only wanted to try and establish a set of standards going forward thats all and as i said before there have been a good few changes to the bending rules even lately with the 40-45degree implementation in the Reverse and DU style plus a 30secs max time limit set for that degree of bend to be reached i take it you are happy with that as i didnt see you or others getting all bent outa shape when these rules were made as i said maybe its me you have the beef with as not once have i downplayed your bends shure i have now vioced my honest opinion and thats all it is my honest opinion on what i think the standards of wraps/padding should be i think i earned my dues as a bender to be able to vioce an opinion and isnt this forum to talk/discuss topics on bending issues and is not wraps/padding part of bending.

Kerbjr

Another one jumping in at the deep end the steriod comment was used as an analagy which i think is true in a lot of cases ive seen it lots of people take the easy route i didnt mention any names and i didnt say that anyone was it was an analogy thats all and like others you jump in full steam and i thought i was the only one that did that Newbies come here etc and think cool just slap on some double wraps etc and away we go without even giving the sport/hobby a 2nd thought they then think if they cannot bend the same thing with half the wraps then its only down to pain or it a trick this is what i am trying to avoid plus in years to come will bending be the only grip event that has no set standards for part of its process.Pat and David came up with the guidlines for bending further modified by Eric we once used a single peice of material rules were set in place to move to 2 pieces dont you think its time to sort out the standards of that material now eg:- thickness.

People think its just a matter of hand toughness that does have a bareing and we could even expand on that with the persons hand so someone like Big Steve,Dave,Clay etc these men have big very thick hands so they all have a an advantage over the rest of us right cause they have thicker hands they should be penalised and only use half the wraps/padding others do that would be unfair would it not in my eyes its the same with wraps/padding why should somebody be given the same kudos for a bend useing in some cases double the wrapping/padding

Again i will say it -bar has been standardised you have LG bars and Fbbc bars,Grippers you have the Mash Monster and Ironmind certs,Pinch you have the Euro setup,bending we have the Fbbc lists/certs and Ironmind list/certs but no standardisation in the wraps/padding except on the ironmind certs.

Who was it that brought elastic bands and adhesive tape in to hold the wraps in place it certainly wasnt Pat i thought it was the hands that were meant to do this as afterall its supposed to be a test of grip to some extent yet again we all seem to be looking for the easy way forward ME INCLUDED yes i have used the elastic bands on numerous occassions so when was this implemented and why i can only think for us all to make the bend easier and fis that really the way forward to make the FEAT easier i think we are deludeing areselves

you say you dont see an angry mob fine so my comments have not upset you and you havent responded to my comments then why post a reply aimed specifically at me we are all free to read into things and interpret what we read but we can only do that if we have something infront of us to interpret example my topic so what a few/most of you are saying is keep my opinions to myself in future incase they offend you and others but its ok for things to be typed that i dont like but as long as i dont comment have an opinion on that thats fine thats ok i have got that now

Aliwadhi

I was polite myself i have not name called/dropped when mentioning the wraps infact BOOYAH made a very direct and to the piont reply twice in 2 of my threads something like "if it aint broke dont fix it!" Mikes opinion thats fine but atleast allow me mine as well without seeing me as the bad guy.

[John Beatty]

I'll referee a bit. I think most folks get a bit touchy if anyone says they think what they do is wrong. Proven over & over here & most other forums.

-Gazza- I don't agree with belittling others bends if they use thick pads. I think it does allow people to apply more force without the limiting pain factor, so it may indeed allow the newer guys to bend slightly tougher stocks because without the time & training toughened hands, pain is a limiting factor. You still have to have the strength to bend it. For you, with your hands at the level they are, a thicker pad may make it easier, but your bending strength is at a substantially higher level. You can go either way & still have the power.

-I can't bend crap with thick wraps. Mine are about 1/2" thick, I can't get my hands in place on a thick wrap, I've tried them & it's just not good for me. Thinner wraps hurt too much for me. I train maybe once or twice per month with bending, so my hands never toughen up that much.

For the guys that think it's wrong for Gazza to want to compare himself to others - It's understandable to want to do this, otherwise we wouldn't have records. The guys who came first don't get the credit they deserve in many ways, as they were the first. They didn't have the benefits of information as we do. That's why records go up & up. We learn from those that went before us & trying to emulate them or best them is honoring them. Nothing at all wrong with comparing yourself to a pioneer in your chosen sport. If this motivates Gazza, what's wrong with it? With what he's accomplished, he can do what he wants to motivate himself.

There's guys that are bending world class stuff with thick wraps, and guys that bend world class stuff with thin wraps. In strongman, I broke a world record wearing shorts & a sweatshirt, the prior record holder wore a DL suit. When he broke my record, he wore a suit again. Does it piss me off that he wore a suit? No, he got stronger. If you can lift 1100+lbs in the silver dollar DL, great! If you can bend an Edgin, great, regardless of wraps. I don't want it to go to PL type super equipment (which would be like adding pipe to the wrap), but a little leather is a little leather.

-these things always get out of control. Differing opinions are fine, but the personal attacks are detrimental to the overall good here of pushing limits & sharing information. Argue the point of different wraps if you like, but don't lessen the achievements of others.

Remmber what's really important - getting stronger.

[EricMilfeld]

where has the reply from bencrush gone ?????

has it been removed for a reason ? and why

boland

As a moderator, I'm not even sure where it has gone. I never did see it. It's not where deleted posts normally go.

Youdimmers and kerbjr have provided us with some valuable data. Kerb's saying that up to 2" thick a leverage advantage was gained, even with his small hands. Dimmers is saying that even with equal total diameter, a stiffer leather gave him a leverage advantage. He also stated that equal comfort was given by the two pads of differing stiffness. I'd like to know at what diameter ya'll think the pain factor became insignificant.

For the record, at this point I don't even know if I'll change the rules for the top 20 lists. It's important to stay objective and discuss this intelligently. I respect all of the bends and benders currently on all of the lists as being legitimate. The potential problem I see, for example, is for someone who can apply maximum force into a bend with 1" pads to then switch to 2" pads and bend a significantly more difficult bar. Besides the obvious problem with this, it would also give bigger handed guys a significant advantage by being able to effectively use much thicker pads than the rest of us. We'll never get it perfect, but I think an effort needs to be made to keep the playing field as level as reasonably possible.

[diesel]

In order to move are sport/hobby forward we...

in response to this, in order to move any sport forward, standardization needs to be adopted. standardized steel, standardized pads, and a standardized calibration. imo, there are way too many dependent variables out there.

however, i don't see this happening anytime soon. it's still a hobby for most, and not many want to take it seriously enough to have it considered anything more.

in that respect, it can be considered fair, for it still holds true that you can use whatever you want as long as you bend it under 2". however, you can be assured that as long as no clear-cut rules are established through an independent committee, the whining and griping on the boards is still going to continue.

[Booyah!!!]

All I know is it is right now, Fairest to all. Big handed people as well as small handed people. High pain tolerance, low pain tolerance. Everyone is different and should be able have the advantage of catching the guy in the lead. I know I will never catch the lead guy, but there are some majestic young bucks out there that will in time if they are not forced to use something that does not fit them. If they use what fits, the bends will continue to climb. And I agree No Limits

[Bob Lipinski]

I just trained today. My bigger pads seem to give a better leverage. My smaller pads were hurting my hands so I just went to the bigger ones.

My smaller ones are about 1 inch, and bigger are about 1.5.

[Bob Lipinski]

Just for the record, I was able to bend a bastard with thicker pads, and could not with the thinner ones.

One other thought-

When coming up with rules, we need something that we can uniformly implement. If only certain types, thicknesses, stiffness, or whatever is allowed, would it be possible to easily inspect wraps and say "yours are good, yours aren't?"

Another thing to keep in mind is the current standard. Are there really enough problems now to change things?

Gosh, one other thought-

At what point does the increase in wrap thickness decrease leverage because of trouble getting into the correct position for a good DO bend?

[EricMilfeld]

At what point does the increase in wrap thickness decrease leverage because of trouble getting into the correct position for a good DO bend?

Good question. For a broad shouldered individual who's flexible, super thick wraps on 7" bar would pose no problem. And with shorter bars, even smaller less flexible guys could take advantage of thicker wraps.

[dimmers]

I think there is a certain point when the thickness of the wrap hinders the bend. For me, that's at the point the wrap is difficult to get a good grip with, would vary from person to person i guess.

For me at the moment i have two types of bending workout. One for power and strength with thick wraps (at around 1.5" maybe more) where i can focus on really going for it with the bar, which i suppose is more an ISO workout as i always focus on steel i can't bend yet.

Then there's the more intense bending session where i focus on stock that i can bend or find difficult but doable, and i use my small wraps (under 1" when rolled) and some similar to what Gazza uses for his small wraps, i think the 5" in length suede wraps. These workouts are done to condition my hands, not really to test my strength, but more to test my mind which is another aspect of bending which i love!

Hopefully in time everything will come together and i will be able to move up to 5/16" steel which is where i'd like to be with small wraps.

I guess everyone has to walk their own path, but for me at the moment, if i can get a G5 bolt in those 5" wraps of mine then i would consider that just as great an achievement (for me i must stress) as getting a 5/16" round crs in big wraps. That's just the way i'm thinking at the moment please keep in mind.

cheers

[dimmers]

As i've recently aquired some decent quality suede for my wraps, i've noticed a difference in how the wraps perform compared to my old wraps from a welders apron. The new wraps when rolled around a steel bar, although having the exact same diameter of my old wraps, provide less leverage due to the rigidity of the material.

I think that if there ever was a standard brought in for the thickness of a wrap, or the diameter of a wrap when rolled around a bar, then something that could be done prior to perfoming a cert bend /or whatever, is to roll the wrap you are going to bend with (without the steel bar in it of course), then try to bend it in half.

With a very rigid material this would not be possible and would show that an unfair amount of leverage would be given during the bend. However, the less rigid material will fold in half (once rolled) fairly easily, proof that no advantage will be gained with the benders chosen wrap???

something i have tried today with my old vs new wraps.

[EricMilfeld]

As i've recently aquired some decent quality suede for my wraps, i've noticed a difference in how the wraps perform compared to my old wraps from a welders apron. The new wraps when rolled around a steel bar, although having the exact same diameter of my old wraps, provide less leverage due to the rigidity of the material.

I think that if there ever was a standard brought in for the thickness of a wrap, or the diameter of a wrap when rolled around a bar, then something that could be done prior to perfoming a cert bend /or whatever, is to roll the wrap you are going to bend with (without the steel bar in it of course), then try to bend it in half.

With a very rigid material this would not be possible and would show that an unfair amount of leverage would be given during the bend. However, the less rigid material will fold in half (once rolled) fairly easily, proof that no advantage will be gained with the benders chosen wrap???

something i have tried today with my old vs new wraps.

I was thinking the very same thing, but then the question would be how much force should be applied as you try to fold it in half.

[gazza]

John

In my eyes theres a big difference in what you mean by belittling others achievements i started a topic and was then asked for my opinion i did not mention any names but said what i thought about wrapping so i am then the bad guy seems weve been here before i think i am defending my corner but still keeping it quite civil at the moment plus i dont have the benefit of the messenger chat etc were others are going to talk about this then comeing back etc if anyones got anything to say just say it i respect the truth dont pull ya punches on my account a little name calling wont hurt me ive had it all my life as i said earlier we are all free to read into things and interprit that how we like thats just the different cultures etc i certainly dont think this topic/thread should get locked because a few peoples noses have been pushed outa joint some of the things said have got me miffed but im still here in the debate we all have the right to are opinions they may not be liked by either side but were all grown men

John

your company has started were ironmind left of and you saw a neish in the market and capitalised on it and you have now helped bring bending to the masses which is a great thing but were do you see it going i agree with you that your standards are much laxer than ironminds thats what alot of people like but do you see bending as just a hobby alot of people seem to take it as a hoobby but are more serious when it comes to other grip stuff for it to go forward it cannot always stay like that i see changes already since the rules were penned by pat and david who introduced double wraps who introduced elastic bands etc this would not be allowed in other grip diciplines you can only use LGC or FBBC v-bars and be recognised yet here we are letting the standards of bending get away from us right under are noses

[dimmers]

As i've recently aquired some decent quality suede for my wraps, i've noticed a difference in how the wraps perform compared to my old wraps from a welders apron. The new wraps when rolled around a steel bar, although having the exact same diameter of my old wraps, provide less leverage due to the rigidity of the material.

I think that if there ever was a standard brought in for the thickness of a wrap, or the diameter of a wrap when rolled around a bar, then something that could be done prior to perfoming a cert bend /or whatever, is to roll the wrap you are going to bend with (without the steel bar in it of course), then try to bend it in half.

With a very rigid material this would not be possible and would show that an unfair amount of leverage would be given during the bend. However, the less rigid material will fold in half (once rolled) fairly easily, proof that no advantage will be gained with the benders chosen wrap???

something i have tried today with my old vs new wraps.

I was thinking the very same thing, but then the question would be how much force should be applied as you try to fold it in half.

Yep, i thought about that as soon as i hit 'add reply'

The tests i've done today on my old vs new wraps clearly show that my new wraps can be folded in half very easily once folded, yet my old wraps require me to put a 'considerable' amount of force in to folding it in half. I had to use a crush down technique with two hands on my old wraps to get them to touch!! can you believe that???? I can just about get a #2 CoC but couldn't fold the old wraps in half with one hand whereas my new wrap could be folded in half using just my forefinger and thumb!

What an amazing difference don't you think?

[wscorpion]

As i've recently aquired some decent quality suede for my wraps, i've noticed a difference in how the wraps perform compared to my old wraps from a welders apron. The new wraps when rolled around a steel bar, although having the exact same diameter of my old wraps, provide less leverage due to the rigidity of the material.

I think that if there ever was a standard brought in for the thickness of a wrap, or the diameter of a wrap when rolled around a bar, then something that could be done prior to perfoming a cert bend /or whatever, is to roll the wrap you are going to bend with (without the steel bar in it of course), then try to bend it in half.

With a very rigid material this would not be possible and would show that an unfair amount of leverage would be given during the bend. However, the less rigid material will fold in half (once rolled) fairly easily, proof that no advantage will be gained with the benders chosen wrap???

something i have tried today with my old vs new wraps.

I was thinking the very same thing, but then the question would be how much force should be applied as you try to fold it in half.

Yep, i thought about that as soon as i hit 'add reply'

The tests i've done today on my old vs new wraps clearly show that my new wraps can be folded in half very easily once folded, yet my old wraps require me to put a 'considerable' amount of force in to folding it in half. I had to use a crush down technique with two hands on my old wraps to get them to touch!! can you believe that???? I can just about get a #2 CoC but couldn't fold the old wraps in half with one hand whereas my new wrap could be folded in half using just my forefinger and thumb!

What an amazing difference don't you think?

If you want to use this technique to test wraps, then it's also important how strong a wrap is wrapped. If you wrap it closely enough, it would be come much more solid and stronger then with looser wraps. Where does it end?

[dimmers]

As i've recently aquired some decent quality suede for my wraps, i've noticed a difference in how the wraps perform compared to my old wraps from a welders apron. The new wraps when rolled around a steel bar, although having the exact same diameter of my old wraps, provide less leverage due to the rigidity of the material.

I think that if there ever was a standard brought in for the thickness of a wrap, or the diameter of a wrap when rolled around a bar, then something that could be done prior to perfoming a cert bend /or whatever, is to roll the wrap you are going to bend with (without the steel bar in it of course), then try to bend it in half.

With a very rigid material this would not be possible and would show that an unfair amount of leverage would be given during the bend. However, the less rigid material will fold in half (once rolled) fairly easily, proof that no advantage will be gained with the benders chosen wrap???

something i have tried today with my old vs new wraps.

I was thinking the very same thing, but then the question would be how much force should be applied as you try to fold it in half.

Yep, i thought about that as soon as i hit 'add reply'

The tests i've done today on my old vs new wraps clearly show that my new wraps can be folded in half very easily once folded, yet my old wraps require me to put a 'considerable' amount of force in to folding it in half. I had to use a crush down technique with two hands on my old wraps to get them to touch!! can you believe that???? I can just about get a #2 CoC but couldn't fold the old wraps in half with one hand whereas my new wrap could be folded in half using just my forefinger and thumb!

What an amazing difference don't you think?

If you want to use this technique to test wraps, then it's also important how strong a wrap is wrapped. If you wrap it closely enough, it would be come much more solid and stronger then with looser wraps. Where does it end?

Wrap it around the bar you're going to bend, then take the bar out and fold it in half, simple

Edited May 7, 2007 by youdimmers

[wscorpion]

Wrap it around the bar you're going to bend, then take the bar out and fold it in half, simple

Good point!

But actually i can't imagine any normal wraps that couldn't be folded like this, then you would have to use some real solid material...

Glad to know that in almost any case my wraps would be accepted due to it's very weak nature. I was almost worried my best bend wouldn't be too impressive anymore.

Edited May 7, 2007 by White Scorpion