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Finger Hook Bending a Nail
And other advanced techniques
By Tom Black Life is not always easy, sometimes we have to make things harder for ourselves so we can adapt and become stronger. There are many types of nails out there, most 60-penny nails start at the 250-pound level to bend, but some have reported finding ones that bend around 180-200-pounds. I recently procured a 30-pound tub of these nails for "warm-ups" and maybe so I could bend sub-maximally every day for fun. Mine seem to be about 200-pounds to bend. (Apparently, I'm way underestimating my strength lately, having just tested one of these nails it took 230-pounds of weight on a loading pin to bend 1/4". Of course, just to make sure the particular nail tested wasn't the strongest in the batch I proceeded to bend it in the manner described below). After bending one of these nails early in the morning recently I was wondering if I could make the bend harder without cutting the nail shorter. I thought, maybe if I put less fingers on the nail that it would make it harder, so I removed both pinkies from the nail. I didn't bend it yet, but thought I still had good
purchase on the nail so I removed all but my index finger of my left hand from the nail. So basically, I had three fingers from my right hand and only 1 from my left. This seemed challenging enough (in fact, I wondered if it was even possible for me before I began the bend) so I cranked down on the nail and it slowly bent. On the crush down of the nail I tried also to only contact the nail with merely the index finger (or more accurately the base of the index finger). I felt that not only did the technique force me to grip very hard with the left index finger, but it forced the right hand to grip harder as well. This, I feel, will carry over to my full hand style of bending with harder steel. The photograph shows the initial hold of the nail. I found this to be a difficult picture to take, so I'll describe the position. First, the nail is wrapped in a red shop cloth. Note that the left index finger is hooked on the end of the nail, at the head. Next, see that the other three fingers of the left hand are folded into the palm and are not contacting the nail. My right finger, as always for me in my style, serves as the fulcrum for the bend, but because my pinky is not on the nail for my right hand (not visible) the nail is slightly off the center, making the bend a little harder still. I'll do a video eventually, but I'm quite busy now. It's hard to estimate how much harder this makes the nail bending "feel." I think it would also depend on a person's nail bending style. After corresponding with a few nail benders I think it might add as much as 50% to the difficulty. I like bending cheap stock, that's why I stay away from more expensive thick aluminum and brass. While money is not an issue, I don't like to be wasteful, probably due to my upbringing on a farm. Hence, making a cheap 60-penny nail feel like a stronger nail is beneficial.
Now, of course, any finger of the hand can be used to hook grip the nail, and they seem to get progressively harder to do (but the middle finger can be very strong). I also think it may be ultimately possible to bend a nail with only the two index fingers, and this could be considered a challenge for future ages- bend a nail which requires 260-pounds to bend with just the index fingers. Someone like Stanless Steele, who specializes in one finger lifts, may already be able to do this feat with some practice. I also think as a showman technique this would be useful. Basically, a volunteer from the audience will come up to bend a nail using their full hand. Then, to illustrate great strength, the performer could then bend the nail using only one finger of one hand and three from the rest, showing the audience before the bend that only one finger will be used. This would have a similar effect on the audience as a strongman lifting a heavy weight with one finger. Yet another technique This next technique is something that I have been able to do for awhile, but with the 200-pound nails I can do it much more readily. Basically, it is bending a nail completely behind the back. John Brookfield mentions this feat as being something that he has never heard of anyone doing besides himself. To be fair and accurate (which I always attempt with my writings) I do a combination type bend to finish the nail off. Basically, I can bend nearly everything I bend in front behind my back, but like many who have tried this feat, I cannot get the nail/bar through the "sticking point." I start the nail bend behind my back at waist height (not shown, but see my bend-a-thon article) and I discovered years ago that I could finish the nail off with the nail behind my neck. Still behind my back, but not quite the
same feat that Mr. Brookfield describes. Is it hard? Well, yes, very, and somewhat dangerous to have the tip so close to the back of the neck (Kids don't try this at home). So these easier nails are good for practicing this harder feat, and although I have done a 260-pound nail fully behind my back I need the practice with the easier ones to get fully proficient at this style. One bad thing about this style, at least for me, is that I always seem to tweak my left forearm on the stronger steel when I do this bend. And yes, one could "Tom Black hook-grip" a nail bent behind the back as well. The photograph shows both the final crush down position of the behind the back bend. Astute readers may notice that I have associated nail bending strengths with poundage's, and not with perceived values of toughness. The poundage's are too bend the nail/bar 1/4", measured from the end to a flat surface. It is the nomenclature I described in my March 2001 article Determining Nail bending Poundage's. Many people know of Ironmind's description of the blue bar as "medium-tough" and while I believe that this is a good description for the average steel bender, the thought comes too mind "tough to whom?" They are not medium-tough too me, in fact, I would describe them as "easy," hence, from now on I will state the poundage's or estimated poundage's based on my experience with bending known metals I and others have tested. So that's it for now, one totally new bending technique, and one technique revisited. As I said, these feats could actually be combined and someone could bend behind the back with the hook technique. With the hook technique the potential for a truly great feat of strength has been outlined (bending a 260-pound nail with only the index fingers of each hand).
Copyright June 2003 Number of times this page has been viewed since June 28, 2003:   
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