Some New Unbraced Prs Today

[timiacobucci]

I got a few new pr's today.

1/4" square hrs at 7" This was a total beast for me to kink, I have never even slightly kinked it before.

3/8" aluminum at 6"

1/4" stainless at 6"

5/16" hrs at 7" still laughs at me as I almost blackout from the prolonged isometric contraction without remembering to breathe.

I need some proper wraps this heavier stuff is cutting through my welding gloves pretty bad now. The 12" spike doesn't do much but that 1/4" square made a flat square cut right through the leather.

Is it normal to feel like your pointer finger might break on a max bend?

I hate stainless, well love/hate it I guess. The kink is the easiest part. Usually I can relax knowing I have conquered a bend after I get it kinked. But no, not with this crap. I push and push and it moves and I feel that sweet rush of accomplishment then I release and oops it springs right back where it was, I honestly think I heard a tiny steely laugh emanating from it as it moved back, buy maybe that was just the lack of oxygen again I need to remember to breathe.

I tried the 1/4" square at 6" after and got it stuck at 90 degrees. I am usually best at 6" so after I kink it I thought it was gone, but the crush down killed me. It might be because I tried it right after the stainless and my chest was wasted. I think I can get it when I'm fresh, as I've never got stuck after the kink on an unbraced bend.

Does the shape of the square make it harder to crush at shorter lengths?

Where does the 1/4" square fall compared to grade 5 and 5/16" in your experience?

[ox3782]

No your pointer finger should not feel as if they are going to break you need to adjust your form and grip and that problem will lessen dramaticly.I dont have any experience with real Hrs but I know the stuff at lowes from steelworks is not real hrs and is tough stough in comparison to real hrs.Good bending keep going and dont be afraid of changing your form study everything on here.

Brendan

[Tim71]

Exact on the money about the HRS. I agree about your pointer finger but at times mine has hurt pretty good but I still question my form at times. Maybe try a little more padding and the welding gloves are probably most of your problem if not all of it.

Sounds like you're making excellent progress. The 5/16 hot rolled will come. It's a tough bend starting out.

Keep em coming!

Tim

[wscorpion]

First of all nice work on the PR's!!

Second, the shorter HRS gets, the more tougher it gets compared to CRS for example.

Yesterday I've tried a 8mm square HRS on 6" which got stuck a approximately 90 degrees. If you take a look at it, it amost has a complete round shape.

I mean, there's only an inch or so on the ends which is still straight. This makes bending it further a lot harder since it's bending inside your wrapping as well.

With CRS you have a very sharp bend which allows for much shorter pieces of the same strength.

I've found that below 5.5" on 5/16 round HRS and below 6.5" on 5/16 square makes it much much harder then it should be.

So the thicker the metal gets, the more length you need to bend the thing without it bending in your grip.

Keep it up and I'm sure you will get the 5/16 HRS soon

[gazza]

Nice Prs mate congrats.

Glad you enjoyed the stainless keep working on this it will only make you a better bender.

Ditch the gloves they are liable to move around a little whilst you bend and are not allowed in certs or comps so you will have to get used to leather or ironmind pads so it may as well be sooner than later.

[timiacobucci]

Thanks allot for words of encouragment, it means allot coming from you guys. It seems hard to beleive that some of you guys started at the same place I am at now, talking about 6.5" 5/16 square and all, but it is very encouraging to read some of your old posts and realize it is true.

I know I need to get some good wraps, I work at night and sleep during the day so it is tough to get to a leather place befor they close. I guess I could order some online easy enough though. The gloves suck. They move around ALLOT, I can't wrap an elastic around them or anything and they are completely loose. I feel this should only help me when I actually get good wraps though. Not to mention I'd rather not completely trash my gloves.

It is also very encouraging to hear about the steelworks hrs. Although I have gotten 1/4" crs and didn't think it was really any harder than the hrs. I can get it easier at 5" than the hrs, which I thought was weird but makes sense now from what you are saying.

Do you think I could get a g5 now compared to the square stock? I would have to go get some, or should I just keep hitting the square for now.

The thought of stainless square makes me what to cry but I want to try it. Does Fbbc have that stock available?