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Bending Wraps
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Most short steel bending is done using a pair of flexible wraps that are rolled tightly around the bar. A range of materials and wrapping styles are used, depending on the goals of the individual. Each wrap is folded down to a 12” x 4” rectangle, then rolled around the bar as tightly as possible. The tighter the wrap is, the greater the amount of force is that can be applied from the hands to the bar.
Well seasoned cordura bending wraps.
Diameter of the wrapped bar ranges from half an inch to one and a half inches. The thicker the wrapping, the easier it will be to kink the bar. The thinner the wrapping, the easier it will be to crush the bar down. Characteristics of the wrapping material will impact the effort involved in a bend. The most common wraps are as follows:
- Shop Cloth: The traditional feat of bending a 60 penny nail was done using a simple shop cloth or rag. Readily available and cheap, shop cloths will serve to pad the hand from the nail. Durability is quite low, and the risk of a nail or piece of metal puncturing the wrap is high.
- Cordura: One step up from a shop cloth, cordura is the material used by Ironmind in their bending wraps. The material is puncture resistant and durable. It provides limited leverage advantages, but will protect the hands quite well. As the cordura is much tougher than a cloth, the pad will be stiff at first, making it difficult to wrap tightly around the steel. Cordura bending wraps will season over time. The process can be accelerated by covering the pads in chalk and crumpling them repeatedly.
- Leather: The toughest accepted bending material is leather. 12” by 4” lengths of thin leather are typically used. Good leather for bending will be durable, puncture resistant, and flexible. Wrapped tightly around a nail, leather can also serve to increase leverage gained on the bend.
