Nail puller pliers that is new to me.

reible

I recently had some brad nail that decided to stay in the base piece and pull through the trim piece. Nailers use a nail that is much softer then the ones you put in with a hammer and if you are not careful they brake off rather then pull out. Also some are headless or almost headless so tools that grab the head have nothing to grab. As I age doing a vertical pull has become more difficult so I use the twisting method which is another reason stuff doesn't go as well as expected.

So when I came across this tool and the price wasn't going to brake the bank I ordered it off Amazon. It was a little larger then I expected but added leverage might be useful at some point. It appears to be will made and works well for that I wanted it for. I have not tried to remove larger nails but then I have other tools for that. I do wish they had a 3/4 size model for sale but hey you can't have everything you want.

For reference the tool is on an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper.

SteveMaryland

From the picture, not sure how this tool operates, or where it grabs, except as a plier.

One of my all-time most useful tools is a Channel-Lock #357. They call it an "end-cutting plier". This tool will get under or pullout most any size nail or brad as long as there is anything it can grab on to, including headless nails. I use it with a steel plate under it to avoid marring surfaces when pulling.

CHANNEL LOCK # 357.JPG

reible

I shot a couple of pictures in case people are having trouble figuring out how this tool works. It uses the same principal as a standard hammer with the curved claw.

I have a tool similar to the one shown above and here is a shot of the two of them to reflect the differences:

This is the one I have problems with with softer nails. The tighter you grip the more likely you are to just snip the nail off. Maybe I just don't have the control I need but I don't see this improving anytime ever. The jaws have a sharp edge as seen here:

JPG

I have had good success with channel lock pliers. Very much similar to yer new one.

Hobbyman2

Using the right tool for the job makes a huge difference . having the right tool for the job ? ,,,, priceless .

RFGuy

JPG wrote I have had good success with channel lock pliers. Very much similar to yer new one.

Same here, but most of the time I start with my Lineman's pliers (Electrician tool). These work great on most any brad/finish nail. Larger nails are usually removed via hammer claw and difficult ones, like when the head is malformed or pops off are channel lock pliers. In the worst case, vise grips...

P.S. The head of Lineman's pliers are large enough to serve the same function of getting leverage by gripping the nail and pulling over to the side as the "nail puller" pliers shown above. Of course the cam type action of the "nail puller" pliers are more efficient, but just pointing out that if you already have Lineman's pliers in your tool chest they work very well for this IMHO.

JPG

Yep. No point in killing chickens with a steam shovel. :D

HopefulSSer

JPG wrote Yep. No point in killing chickens with a steam shovel. :D

Or as I've heard it "swatting a fly with a Buick"

reible

I'm a bit surprised at the negative feed back on this tool. I guess you are all way more skilled then I thought.

Anyway I'm doubling down and ordering another one, just put the order in and it should be arriving on March 10.

Ed

RFGuy

reible wrote I'm a bit surprised at the negative feed back on this tool. I guess you are all way more skilled then I thought.

Anyway I'm doubling down and ordering another one, just put the order in and it should be arriving on March 10.

Ed

Ed,

Sorry, I didn't think I gave negative feedback. I was just sharing how I remove nails with other tools. As I pointed out, I am sure the large cam head on the nail puller pliers you purchased should be much more efficient at removing nails. With my method using Lineman's pliers it does a similar function but is perhaps harder to remove the nail and/or requires more force for removal in comparison. There are A LOT of specialty hand tools on the market, so I just wanted to share other methods for removal in case someone who reads the post already has one of the tools I mentioned in their tool box. I am sure the nail puller pliers you purchased work effortlessly since it is a specialty hand tool and that is their function, i.e. to make a particular task much easier.

JPG

I did not intend for my post to be negative either.

Hobbyman2

most all tools of the trade have their pro's and cons and are designed for specific needs , depending on the situation a pair of diagonal cutters can also work very well . especially when the nail has broken off at or just bellow at the surface . not sure how those would work if the nail is broken off in that manner , if your intentions are to re-use the wood the trick {may} be in how not to destroy the surface any more than necessary ?

RFGuy

Hobbyman2 wrote most all tools of the trade have their pro's and cons and are designed for specific needs , depending on the situation a pair of diagonal cutters can also work very well . especially when the nail has broken off at or just bellow at the surface . not sure how those would work if the nail is broken off in that manner , if your intentions are to re-use the wood the trick {may} be in how not to destroy the surface any more than necessary ?

Yeah, I agree. That was the one benefit I was thinking of with the nail puller pliers that Ed posted on this thread. The wide cam should cause less wood damage than the tools I proposed. Of course, when I want to cause less damage I keep some stock of 1/4" thick red oak scraps in my shop that I use as a buffer to give more leverage to my Lineman's pliers as I lever the nail out of the wood.

john_001

I have an old one of the kind labeled "Gunpla" in Ed's picture. It is very handy, it doesn't damage the wood much and you can extract longer nails by taking a second or third grip on them. You do have to be careful not to squeeze too hard on little brads, but that's easy to get used to. My wife has commandeered it for her toolbox.

SteveMaryland

The OP's new tool does indeed improve on the claw hammer, by improving the grip on the nail. That radiused portion I would call a "rolling fulcrum" bearing, which minimizes surface damage.

That #357 Channel-Lock has thin and sharp pinchers which can cutoff the nailhead but with care this can be avoided. It is those thin pincher teeth which are better than pliers for getting under an almost-flush nailhead. And using a steel plate fulcrum completely eliminates bearing damage but you need a third hand to position it.

What I have learned from trim-restoration work, is to cut rather than pull old nails. Pry the trim off the wall, then cut the nail flush where it sticks out the back side. Then grind the nub really flush. This avoids all show-side surface damage. Pulling the nail will usually cause some kind of damage, and it is completely avoidable if you just leave the nail in.

edma194

I have fencing pliers that have a horn like the one in the pictures that helps lever out a nail, but it has a very broad end that doesn't grab small nails very well at all.

rpd

reible wrote
I do wish they had a 3/4 size model for sale but hey you can't have everything you want.

Ed

Lee Valley does have this one that is smaller. I believe this is on clearance .

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/pliers/70622-sidewinder-pliers?item=09A0376

sidewinder nail puller.jpg

john_001

One way to use the tool to extract nails when they're sticking out the other side (e.g., when you've removed trim that you want to reuse and it still has nails in it) is to tap it in from the back until the head protrudes, cut the head off, then pull it out the back.

JPG

With finishing nails. simply pull it through.

Hobbyman2

regardless of the procedure if you remove the nail you will be left with a hole to fill , if it is a piece of trim you could pull it through enough to sink the head and fill the hole and simply cut it off from the back or just cut it off from the back leaving the head flush with the face ?