While removing a bannister and newel post, I encountered a number of finish nails. In trying to remove them, they were very difficult to remove and most of them broke while attempting to remove them.
Any suggestions as to how to remove finishing nails that were placed with a nail gun?
Thanks, Jerry
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Replies
What are the finishing nails nailed in to? Why do you want to remove them, to dismantle the railing or for something else?
Yer post leaves as many questions as answers....are you attempting to remove the nails from pieces you intend to re-use?
If I`m even close to picturing your intentions...try pulling them through the rear (underside) of the wood with a pair of end-nippers.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
Good luck Jerry, all they will want to do is snap off. If you can score them under the surface (good way to knick a chisel) and bend them carefully back and forth they will break off below the surface. Otherwise, you can bend them back and forth, at which point they will snap off slightly raised then you bury them with a nailset.
The trouble is, some nails have a glue on them, (Senco) and others have a barbed edge which makes all but the most inexpensive nails almost impossible to remove.
Usually I use a pair of long handled end nippers to pull them on through the backside ... that leaves the fill and paint on the finish side undisturbed. If they do not want to pull through, I will use a thin cut-off blade in my 4 1/2" grinder to cut them off flush (on the backside of course). I hope this helps.
Just yesterday I was working on some stairs and needed to remove some 16ga finish nails that were used in attaching some trim. Could not get on the back side to pull thru so.........1/8" piece of masonite as a shield, vise-grip pliers....all done in about 10 minutes - five nails per riser, twenty two risers total.
Best Regards
heat them up witha 40w soldering iron, then use nippers or side cutters or vise grips to coax em out.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.