There is not one single tool that any given roofer needs to have before ascending the ladder. It all comes down to the medium that the roofer is working with and what the job at hand entails. However, for those that work with wood or stone shingles, such as slate, a shingle remover is one of the more important tools among them.
Specialized hammers, shears, benders and marking tools are all important for roofers, some of them for sheet metal and others for stone, but a shingle remover that is purpose built for performance is a boon for any roofer that specifically works with shingle roofs.
Some shingle tools are poorly specialized and some roofers may take to less-than-specialized opinions for prying up shingles for removal. However, when you want to preserve the underlying roofing material or the shingles themselves, a well-designed tool will go a long way.
Consider a tool like the Stortz Slate Ripper, that you can find online at Stortz.com, and while you’re shopping, don’t let the name fool you. This “slate ripper” is useful for far more than just removing and replacing slate shingles – although it is tops for that.
The Stortz Slate Ripper shingle remover features one piece forged construction and a thin, spring tempered blade that is durable, tough, and ideal for sliding underneath shingles and shakes. When used properly, this tool can be used to remove shingles and shakes without breaking or damaging adjoining pieces.
This tool is also simple to use and highly effective. It’s designed to be slid underneath a shingle or a shake; the spring-tempered blade has a divot that can be seated against the nail that secures the shingle. Once seated, the handle of the tool can be struck with a hammer to easily and cleanly remove the nail. The entire tool features simple construction and the reinforced handle is intended to stand up to a lifetime of hard use, although you can also get replacement handles and replaceable blades for some of their models.
The blade also has notches on the trailing edge of the blade that can be used to remove loose nails or pull them out once the nail has been unseated. The tool is ergonomic, features simple construction, and is rock solid. Like everything else available at John Stortz & Son, this tool is built with the intention of being a lifetime investment. There’s not much you can do to make a simple tool like this flinch, and it’s equally effective on wood shakes and shingles as it is on stone shingles.
It is also only one of the specialty tools that Stortz.com provides for its customers with respect to shingle and tile roofing. Their collection also contains a variety of other styles of shingle removal tools and slate rippers, along with many other specialized tools for both slate and sheet metal roofers.
Visit their website, Stortz.com, to learn more about what they provide and the specifics of their products. You can also get in touch with them at 888-847-3456.
