Salvaging corrugated tin

[harwill]

Anybody know of an easy way to remove lead-headed nails from corrugated iron (tin) without damaging or flattening the corrugations? I've got this building that was constructed against an outside wall of corrugated iron that I need to remove and reuse. Looks like most nails are through the ridge with a few in the valleys. I seem to recall having seen a nail puller that looked like a slide hammer with pincer jaws and wondered if that might work (and what it's called).
Any ideas?

 

[Kubota 2350]

Anybody know of an easy way to remove lead-headed nails from corrugated iron (tin) without damaging or flattening the corrugations? I've got this building that was constructed against an outside wall of corrugated iron that I need to remove and reuse. Looks like most nails are through the ridge with a few in the valleys. I seem to recall having seen a nail puller that looked like a slide hammer with pincer jaws and wondered if that might work (and what it's called).
Any ideas?

The slide hammer type work very well, there called nail pullers.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Can you get behind the tin at all with a Sawzall and cut the nails?

 

[forgeblast]

whats the difference in melting point of the tin and lead nails. might be fun to melt them out.

 

[20 20]

whats the difference in melting point of the tin and lead nails. might be fun to melt them out.

and burn down the building all at the same time

 

[Treemonkey1000]

and burn down the building all at the same time

Well as long as the fire department can keep the tin from getting too hot and warping...

 

[1stkubota]

I just reroofed my parents house that had lead head nails. the lead actually encompasses a smaller steel head, and the nails that were used had grips on the shank. i used a pry bar, wasn't to worried about the condition of the tin. dad may use it for the siding of other projects. i would try the sliding nail pullers as well, i didn't know about them at the or i would have.

 

[srs]

The slide hammer type work very well, there called nail pullers.

Like the above remark when I had my Morton building installed I noticed on their work truck they had a slide hammer with a pair of vice grips welded to the bottom of it. They would lock the vice grips onto the head of the nail then pull the slide to pull out the nail. This is a slow process but the metal never was damaged. Plus the nails were ring shank and had a very strong hold.

 

[harwill]

Got some good ideas here! I like the vise grips on the slide hammer; Got me thinking along those lines. Unfortunately, getting behind the tin and sawing the nails would be almost impossible on this deal. Melting the lead out is tempting, but maybe it would be easier to knock it off the nail head. I did find a couple of those antique nail pullers on e-bay - it looks like the jaws swing free in the picture. Wonder about adapting a pair of end nippers to a slide hammer so that pulling tightens the grip... Just thinking out loud...

Who said "Necessity is a Mother"?

 

[Jimmy Joe]

When I worked for a mink rancher tearing aluminum off old sheds we used a big pincher to cut off the heads with good results. Damaged very little tin, was a little hard on the hands got a few blisters. I think those nails might have been aluminum though.