Pulling Ring Nails Out of Top of the Ribs.

[ppine]

I am working on a OT Guide 18 that is from 1951. I have run lots of rivers in it and have a few cracked ribs. Some are broken, a lot more have hairline cracks. I am confused about how to pull the nails on the top of the ribs without breaking the inwale.

The other thing is pulling tacks on ribs that need to be saved to replace planking.
What do you like for tack pullers.?
Thanks.

 

[Michael Grace]

Your 1951 OT may not even have ring nails. It may have regular straight-shanked nails, and at some point they switched from nails to long staples. In any case, if you're removing ribs (the only reason I can think of why you'd want to remove the nails), then just break the rib away from the nails - laterally - with a chisel, and then lever out the nails. This should not damage the inwale. As for the planking tacks, either grind down the clinched tips, or dig into the rib around them and nip the clinched tips off. Then the heads of the tacks can just be pushed out of the planking after the rib is removed. Alternatively, get one of the small, cheap, L-shaped tack pullers form the home center or hardware store, grind the end a little thinner than it comes, and then carefully get under the tack heads. Lever the head in different directions as you pull it out and you can feel the preferred direction for easiest extraction with minimal damage. The planking may have some indentions around the old tack location, but if you're careful it shouldn't affect the canoe going forward. But if you want to, you could probably wet and then steam out most of those indentions with a hot iron.

Hope this helps - Michael

 

[NickD]

When removing ribs, I use needle nose pliers and pull the nail straight out by the head while rotating it somewhat. Since the rib is being removed, it is sacrificial to the process. The inwale should be fine unless it has its own issues...

For the planking, I use a tack puller from the hardware store and carefully extract the tack. You can usually figure out early on for each tack which way it will pull due to the direction it is clinched. I’ve noticed sometimes that if the original builder was consistent, many of the tacks are clinched in the same direction depending how they performed their work and where the tacks are on the hull. Like Michael says, water can help remove any potential indentations.

 

[ppine]

Thanks to Michael and Nick.
At some point I want to replace the inwale and save all the ribs.
Replacing planking requires pulling tacks and saving the ribs also.

 

[Michael Grace]

I'm confused. The first post suggests that you want to replace ribs and save the rails, but post #4 says "replace the inwale and save all the ribs."

As for pulling tacks to replace planking, just feel for that sweet spot where the tack rolls right out, and you shouldn't notice any issues on the inside surface of the rib.

Two types of tack pullers are shown in the attached image. The one on the right I almost never use on canoes. I prefer the one on the left, with the long end of the "L" gound down thinner. I use that end to get under the tack head, levering it up just a little. Then I put the short end under the tack head and lever just a little in various directions until the tack rolls out easily. Like Nick said, you'll often find that many if not all tacks at least in a given area of the hull will roll out in the same direction. The back-and-forth and the "finding the sweet spot" make it sound like this is a slow, tedious process, but it gets quick with a little practice.

 

[Andre Cloutier]

If you want to pull a ring nail, which can be impossible if really tight and the heads will deform and pop off, these are the best. A very handy tool. https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools/pry-bars/41814-cats-paws

 

[ppine]

thanks a lot. Sorry for the confusion.
I am replacing some planking and putting the boat back together.
I will replace the inwales at some future date.

 

[MGC]

If you are replacing planking but leaving cracked or broken ribs in place have you considered doing backside repairs on the ribs? A backside repair can save some damaged ribs and it's a pretty easy job, pull some planking, open up a pocket in the back of the rib, glue a piece into the pocket, bled it in and replace the planking....
Replacing the inside rails is not normal maintenance...are they damaged, broken, cracked? If they are you really should be addressing these problems sooner rather than later.

The tool Andre mentioned is the one I use...I have massaged the tips to thin the profile so that they slip under the tack heads without damaging the planking. I rest a putty knife blade under the tool when I pry on the tack, the knife spreads the prying force and eliminates damage to the adjacent planking.
For the rail nails I use a I like to use hoof nippers...they grip the nail close to the wood and the rounded shape of the tool works well to extract the nail without doing damage to the wood. They have nice long handles that provide great leverage. I have several antique sets I use but they still make these:
https://www.horseloverz.com/horse-h...570&mr:iloc=&mr:store=&mr:filter=293946777986

 

[Andre Cloutier]

great minds i guess, though i have no horse tack. have used these forever, great tool made by channellock

 

[Andre Cloutier]

while we're at it, this thread would drift well into a "tools i cant live without" thread. had many motorcycle tools that were specialty, or custom modified.

 

[MGC]

On with the drift. I'm still wondering where some of the parts that rattled off of my Triumph's went. It was always an occasion to make it home with all the parts or without a gas covered foot.

 

[Andre Cloutier]

if it runs without them, they were spares.

 

[Miquel]

i agree with what Michael Grace said about pullers, i also had good luck using a thin flexible putty knife or other thin piece of metal slipped in to pry againt so you dont crush into the wood at all when prying the tack out, this also works well with a cats paw to minimize the damage from digging in to get a grip on the nail head- also a thin fine tooth hack saw blade can work well to simply cut the nail between the inwhale and the rib, you just have to use a knife or thin bar to pry them apart just enough so you dont mung up the piece youre trying to save when youre sawing.

 

[Dave Osborn]

To remove nails from the inwales and ribs that I want to save I use a glazers knife. It’s like a stiff putty knife. I use it to work between the inwale and rib and pry some separation between them. Once a little separation is achieved normally you can push the rib tip in and expose the nail head to get some purchase on it for pulling with a tack puller or small cats paw without much damage to the rib tip or inwale.

 

[mmmalmberg]

You can even use two putty knives with a screwdriver between to protect both pieces of wood. I did this when removing planking on my OTCA and it worked pretty well.

 

[ppine]

thanks.