now im removing celotex

[redpowerd]

trying to get some insulation down out of an old barn. years ago we let the amish in and they just sawed it down, cutting on each side of the truss, id like to get it down in one peice. it is nailed with plastic washers instead of steel. ive tried spreading the weight of the crowbar with different sizes of boards without luck, just pushes right in.
thanks
jon

[isawlogs]

Maybe you could rig yourself a sliding hammer , like the type that is used on auto body work to pull out dents....might take a little weld and an old hammer head with the claws still intact but just might be what you would need......

[GareyD]

Yep, I did the sliding hammer thang, only I welded a pair of vice grips on...pulls damaged roll pins, cotter keys, etc.

One of the handiest things in my shop!!

[isawlogs]

I didn't think about the visegrip but that would even work better  ;) ;)   thanks I'm going to modify my modification  ;D ;D
  

[sjh]

One time we took a tin roof off. We used a large pair of horse hoof trimmers. It sniped the nail heads right off.

[DanG]

DanG it, SJH!  Ya stole my secret answer. :D :D :D  I was gonna wait till all them fancy gizmos didn't work, then tell'em how ta do it.  Ackshully, that ain't tha truth. I thought about the nippers, but was just too lazy ta post it. :-[ :-/ :D :D :D

[etat]

I use either a flat bar (sometimes called a wonder bar)  or a small prise bar that"s just a little bit heaver but has a curved flat end on one end like a flat bar and a different angle on the other end to snatch em out.  Sit it against the head of the nail, pop it with a hammer, and snatch the nail out. For nails that's holding wood together and the head is real tight or dug in to the wood I use a hammer and a cat's claw  to dig in under the nail head and pull it out.

Any of these should be available at a good hardware store or lumber store.  

[redpowerd]

thanks DanG, test my patience ;D
i thought about hoof trimmers but i hate to use a tool for something its not intended for :
actually they have a bit of metal chipped off, witch turns hoof trimming into hoof tearing, so ill give them a try tomorro, ifn that dont work, suppose ill weld some roundstock to the knob on vicegrips, slide a lead pipe on, then weld a stop to the roundstock. sounds like a lot of work for just this little tool, but i picture myself using it often anyway

ckate, im wondering what you intend to pry against?

thanks folks, did i mention im a cheap yankee farmer?

[isawlogs]

  Redpowerd
I would not weld onto the visegrip  I would get me a grade 8 bolt that the same size as the adjuster in the vicegrip and build the contraption from there and then  screw it into the vicegrip.....
  Oh and by the way I have nooo problem with using a tool fur something it was not ment to be used fur, as long as it does what I want it to do and it gets me out of trouble ... ;D ;D
  Did I mention that I was raised on a farm  : ;D ;)

[etat]

All nails i've ever seen in tin roofs was where it was nailed through the laths.  Hang the nail head with the flat bar and hit it with the hammer.  This'll losen it some.  Twist the bar sideways so the heel of it rests on the flat part of the tin with the lath underneath.  Push down and pull the nail.  Leaves minimal damage to the tin if yer trying to save it.  

For celetox  with a plastic washer I'd hang that washer with the flat bar and pop it with a hammer.pulling on the flat bar at the same time.  IIt would either snatch the washer off the head of the nail or pull the whole thing all at once.  Either would do with Celetex..  Pop the celetox and it ought come right through that nail head leaving a small hole more or less in the celexox.  Then after you had the celotex down you could easily pull the nails with the bar or a hammer.  Easy as pie.

[isawlogs]

  Ck.... A lot of things are easy in my mind to.... ;D ;D ;D

[Furby]

Them plastic cap ones are ring shanked nails, they DON'T pop out!
Used 3" ones in my 2" foam sheathing, every once in a while one would bend just after sticking in the wood and would have to be pulled back out. Still have one just above the back door that's sticking out about 1/2", but just won't come out. Thinking I may hook a strap to it and use the hoe.  ;D Course I may take the addition with it. :


Take a pair of snips or a knife and just split those caps. Then push the celotex off like CK said, only a few small holes.

[Faron]

redpowed, Weld a nut on the end of one handle of those nippers and thread that slide hammer into it.  It will work better than a pair of vicegrips. You can take the slide hammer off and still use the nippers.  I just made one, and borrowed another to remove 50 squares of metal roofing from my sawmill building.  We also had two pairs of vicegrips with a slide hammer, but had more trouble getting hold of the nail heads with them.  Before we got done, a fellow asked to borrow them as soon as we got finished to remove the roof from his collapsed turkey house.

[ellmoe]

Man, you guys really like to work! I found a way to take tin off my buildings this summer with "narey" a tool. Heck, I didn't even have to get on the roof. The fact is, I had it removed, for no charge,  while I was sitting home...in the dark...with candles...and  an AM radio...snacking on cold canned food and warm pepsi. Can you guess "My" method?
   P.S. It works real well, but it's not very selective! ;D
 Mark

[WH_Conley]

I would guess that it would involve a lot of huffing and puffing.

[redpowerd]

elmoe, God is not on my payroll.

Oh and by the way I have nooo problem with using a tool fur something it was not ment to be used fur, as long as it does what I want it to do and it gets me out of trouble ...  

yea that was a joke.

furby i know what your saying about those nails, the thing is, i need to pull them out completly, the barn is used for excess hay storage, and we stack past the trusses. someone allways takes a truss or two to the head, and with nails...

the amish method is head banging friendly, they leave a nice 2x2" truss pillow. im bringing a few handsaws just in case. i see it being VERY messy.

oh, too late, allready got the vicegrips welded up.

thanks for  the brainstorming guys!

[Furby]

It's a TON easier to pull the nail out AFTER the celotex is out of the way. If the head is still there, just use a good size pry bar, 24" on up if it will fit. If the heads are gone, I use a pair of channel locks. Get a good grip right up close to the wood and rock the channel locks along the curved part of the head of the locks. May have to get a second gip to pull the nail out all the way, the nail will be in a loop when it's out.
Easier yet is to put a metal blade in a saws all and just cut them off flush. Nice and fast! ;)