Bare Handed Bending

[timiacobucci]

I don't want this to sound like a macho thing or whatnot, but who can bend a 60d or above with bare hands?

Is there a point where your hands are tough enough that you can do this without hurting them? I know it can be done, but can it be done without some serious bruising?

It just seems kind of lame if you try and show someone an example of bending that has no real idea about it and you find something good to bend but then you have to try and find some kind of padding for it.

For example, you find something like a bolt or nail that looks tough to most people and say I can bend this. They go ya so can I with pliers, do you mean you can do it bare handed? And the answer is yes because you aren't using any mechanical leverage, but at the same time no because you can't just grab it with your hands actually bare without hurting yourself.

It just seems much more impressive in a superficial way to me to just be able to grab something like a 60d out of a box, U it and hand it to somebody, no setup, no wrap, just bend.

[Cannon]

The only person I know for sure is Gazza. There are threads about it here if you do a search.

Otherwise, maybe John Brookfield is another? I'm sure that there are strongman types going way back, but I can't name them.

[dimmers]

Yep, Gazza has done several vids on youtube of bare handed bending (of 8mm stainless steel i believe).

[Tim71]

Gazza is the only one I've known of for sure but I immagine Brookfield could do a 60d with his style. In a pinch I did a pretty tough 60d with just a really worn out washcloth that you could practically see through and to be honest that hurt.

Anymore I try to keep a set of small pads in every vehicle for these little requests.

Tim

[kerbjr]

I used to do timber ties barehanded a lot, and have done some of the easier 60D's barehanded, I am actually considering doing one tomorrow at a show but not sure I am in the mood for that much pain....I bend DU when doing this BTW....I agree that it looks cool, but not sure how smart it is... The Holle Bros are also doing some stuff barehanded or so Ive read, seems like they were doing 60's as well.......Brett

[gazza]

It just seems much more impressive in a superficial way to me to just be able to grab something like a 60d out of a box, U it and hand it to somebody, no setup, no wrap, just bend.

This should now be a piece of piss for most sein as the Reverse and Du style are only 40degrees hell it aint no longer a complete bend so those lacking a crush dont need to worry?

Alot say stainless is soft an easy its only the last 1/4inch on the crush thats hard so it should be dead easy now right DU or Reverse to 40/45degrees without the crush so lets see it

Back to your post it will be a very impressive feat if done completely DO style or as Ben and his merry men say FOLDING style lets see it then its only a fold afterall?

There are lots capable of it DU or Reverse style,the Holles,Big Steve,Pat,Greg etc.

[timiacobucci]

Gazza, is your bare hand video still up I can't find it? How do your hands feel the next day? Are they hurt or is the pain just while you are doing it. I mean it hurts even using wraps at first, but you can certainly do that later with training and not be injured by it.

[matthcarl]

I tried bending the 3/16"x7" FBBC stock bare handed. I can do it just by rotating the wrists without digging the ends into my palms. Is that how you guys tackle harder stuff, or do you fold it the regular way and ignore the pain?

[CoC#3]

I kinked a 60d bare handed using the reverse style. Also managed the crush down from around 90 degrees to under 2'' bare handed. I couldn't get from that slight kink to the 90 degree point without using a thin cloth though. Mobster crushed down a blue barehanded from just past 90 degrees to the finish, i saw this on Saturday. I'm interested in improving at bare handed bending, and having played around with some easy steel i think reverse is probably the best style to use for it. I'd like to bend a 60d bare handed from start to finish this year.

[dimmers]

I believe the crush down bare handed on any steel isn't done on the very ends of the bar as the pressure would just cause the steel to puncture your skin. I think you have to have the ends of the bar sticking out from your hands a bit so that you're actually crushing down on the bar itself and not the very ends of the bar.

This would make the bend of a certain length bar even more difficult because you're making the bar shorter by bending in this fashion.

I'm pretty sure this is how Gazza has described some of his bare handed bends, but only he can confirm it i suppose, but i seem to remember him saying about this in another thread.

All the above, along with dedication, conditioning and training the hands over many months/years to a point where they are capable of bare handed bending is what needs to be done i guess, so be careful when training for this as injury can occur easily enough bending with wraps let along bending without them!

[CoC#3]

Yes. When i bare handed crushed down the yellow today (did it because of this thread) i had the ends of bar sticking out so i was applying force to the bar, and not the ends as you described. I don't think i could do a bar shorter than 6'' like this.