How much strenght needed to bend a 10 inch nail?

[CougTek]

I have a new hobby : bending nails. So far, I haven't been able to induce the slightess curve in a 10 inches nail I'm practicing on. I know I can apply beyond 400 pounds of pressure with my hands, but I suspect that it's far from being enough. I can feel a mecanical stress in the nail when I'm trying to curve it, but not enough to bend it.

Anyone knows of a way to calculate how much pressure I'll need to apply in order to bend it? It has proven to be a lot harder to bend this nail than it has been to break a forearm.

I wish I could do it the way this kid does it.

 

[timwhit]

Get some aluminum nails, those should be easier to bend.

 

[Fushigi]

The kid uses slight of hand & optical illusions in the video. For the early "straight" nails getting bent, the nail is already bent but he shows it "flat" to the camera so you can't see the bend. For the bent nails getting straightened there are 2 nails involved: the bent nail that stays bent (hidden by his hand) and a partial nail that is angled upward to show the bend.

 

[Howell]

I have a new hobby : bending nails. So far, I haven't been able to induce the slightess curve in a 10 inches nail I'm practicing on. I know I can apply beyond 400 pounds of pressure with my hands, but I suspect that it's far from being enough. I can feel a mecanical stress in the nail when I'm trying to curve it, but not enough to bend it.

Anyone knows of a way to calculate how much pressure I'll need to apply in order to bend it? It has proven to be a lot harder to bend this nail than it has been to break a forearm.

I wish I could do it the way this kid does it.

You probably are already flexing the nail just not permanently.
Yield strength will tell you how much force would be required to induce a permanent bend (ie, plastic deformation). What are the nails made of?

 

[CougTek]

It must be made of steel. It's been in a garage for years and it doesn't show any rust so it isn't pure iron.

Aluminum nails wouldn't bend, they would break.

 

[timwhit]

Aluminum nails wouldn't bend, they would break.

I've bent plenty of aluminum nails trying to put up wood paneling.

 

[CougTek]

I've always thought Aluminum has a too low flexibility to be bent when it is in a form with any significant tickness.

 

[LunarMist]

Why do you need to bend nails? No nail gun?

 

[timwhit]

I've always thought Aluminum has a too low flexibility to be bent when it is in a form with any significant tickness.

The nails I am referring to are fairly short and thin. Not really something you could use for your new hobby.

 

[CougTek]

Why do you need to bend nails? No nail gun?

It is not a need. It is a hobby. A display of physical strenght. My neighboor is a former local strongman, but he was never able to bend that nail with his hands. He challenged me to do it. I usually don't disappoint.

 

[LunarMist]

Be sure that your tetanus vaccination is current.

 

[Howell]

It must be made of steel. It's been in a garage for years and it doesn't show any rust so it isn't pure iron.

Aluminum nails wouldn't bend, they would break.

Does it look galvanized?

Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensile_strength