SttB Guide to Horseshoe Bending
Ready to take your bending up a notch?
As strength feats go, a spot of horseshoe bending is downright impressive. Here's a brief look at what it is, and how to get started.
What exactly is horseshoe bending? Aren't horseshoes already bent?
If you're used to bending things like nails, bolts and assorted pieces of steel, you're used to the goal being to bring the ends closer together.
In horseshoe bending the goal varies, but it typically involves moving the ends further apart (straightening out the shoe, if you like). Here's a brief clip from Mike 'The Machine' Bruce to show you what I mean :
Essential Equipment : Wraps
As with the bending you're probably already used to, a good pair of wraps is a must.
For the basics of wrapping, check out Jedd's excellent article Advanced Nail Wrapping. If you're just after a good place to get them, try these :
- In the US, grab a pair of Cordura pads from Ironmind.
- In the UK, David Horne has suede wraps ready to go.
Learning What To Do
As with the bending you're probably already used to, a good pair of wraps is a must.
Whether you're just getting started or looking to refine your technique, a bit of instruction goes a long way.
Although there are plenty of great resources both on- and offline, by far the best has to be the Hammering Horseshoes DVD by Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson and 'The Beast in the East' Mike Rinderle. It's absolutely fantastic.
You can grab a copy right here :
Superb.
Final Thought on Horseshoe Bending
Bending - in any form - is one of the few strength-related activities that I perform at least once a day (and usually several). Once you try it, you'll understand why.
Incidentally, if you’d like to discuss any of the stuff above, come and join us on the Straight to the Bar Community over on Google+. Absolutely free.