SUMMIT TWP — When life gets hard, some people crack. But Ed Claypoole chooses to bend. This county blacksmith has spent the last six years learning to tame by hand the metal that he shapes for a living.

Claypoole, who bends steel to craft locks, gates, tooling and weightlifting equipment by trade, also does inspirational strongman demonstrations in which he bends steel objects by hand.

"I read somewhere that if you don't like who you are, change what you do," explained Claypoole, who said he once viewed himself as a quitter.

"I decided to set some goals for myself physically and mentally and I forced myself to achieve them," he added.

At 5 foot, 8 inches tall, the 165 pound Claypoole was inspired by "The Mighty Atom," a book about a strongman of 5 feet, 4 inches who could perform amazing feats of strength.

"I decided if he can do it and he is not all big and brawn, perhaps if I trained hard enough I too could accomplish these mighty feats," said Claypoole, who was no stranger to lifting weights.

"I swing hammers and do much of my work the old-fashioned way, which increases strength in the parts of your body that are required to bend spikes and such," he explained.

He began trying to bend a 60-penny spike. "I tried that probably 50 to 70 times before I was successful at it. It took over a year and a half to be able to finally accomplish it," he said. "But I never gave up. I pressed on until I made what was seemingly impossible, possible."And that is pretty much the basis of the message Claypoole conveys during his demonstrations at schools, youth groups and prisons."I do the demonstrations to encourage people that they can achieve great things if they try hard, set goals and don't give up," he said."Life wasn't easy for me. If there was a way to get into trouble, I would find it or it would find me," he explained. "I got sucked up into running with the wild crowd into motorcycles and fast living."Claypoole said when he began to train, people were fascinated by his methods and his results. "Weightlifters would come into the shop where I worked on their equipment and they would see me doing strength training or trying a bend."People seemed to be fascinated by it and I thought, 'Well maybe I should take the experience to people.' I've always enjoyed being around people and had a calling for giving something back, so this is how I chose to do my part," he added.

Last year, Mary Jean Montag from St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Cabot came across Claypoole during an exhibition for children."The things he did were amazing and the kids were glued to him," said Montag. "I decided to see if he could come to our after-school club and perform for our kids."Claypoole did perform at the club with children ages 5 through fifth grade."He was fantastic and definitely was a positive influence on the kids," she said. "He was very open in telling the kids that his strength came from the Lord and that God made it possible for him to accomplish all that he does."The response to Claypoole is usually amazement."It is the big tough guys that seem to be most amazed. I'll give them a spike or a rod to bend and ask them to try it and verify the material is not a trick."They will try their hardest and not be able to bend it, and then I will take it back and bend it with them standing right there," Claypoole said. "They just can't believe it is real."During his programs, Claypoole has performed a bend bridged across two chairs with someone standing on his chest and rolled a frying pan small enough to fit into a watch band. He also bends spikes and steel bars and horseshoes.But Claypoole said it doesn't matter how much weight a person can press: It matters which muscles are the strongest. It is the more intricate muscles, not just brawn and biceps, that enable you to bend steel — and strong hands are a key.

Erich Orris, Claypoole's nephew and an apprentice at his blacksmith shop, has seen the feats of strength up close."I personally feel that pound for pound he may be one of the great strongmen in our nation," Orris said."He is also an innovator in the sense of his constant developments and alterations of equipment for the advancement of his strongman passion," he added, noting he thinks Claypoole's success has more to do with brains than muscle."One of the primary reasons he is successful as a bender is his intelligence, and his physical aptitude for strength. As a blacksmith, I believe he is successful because of the simple fact that he does not give up on a problem," he said.Orris also notes Claypoole's success with people is because he can share his life experience with others."My Uncle Ed is successful at this because of the failures, the hardships, and the insecurities of his life."Let's face it, we all have a great deal of failures in our lives, but his ability to relate to those in poor circumstances has developed from his past hardships," Orris said.