copper nails and roves removal

[Andy]

I'm about to replace some of the copper nails and roves which fasten the planking of my clinker built Yachting World Dayboat. What methods do people use to remove the existing rove? I've heard so far that a grinder can do it (but will heat the wood and burn it), and at the other end of the scale some people drill the rove. Any other suggestions?

[PAR]

The safest way to remove roves, screws and clenches is to drill the head from the outside. If a screw, then use a bolt extractor and remove the screw, if a rove or clench, drill the head off. Work carefully as the idea is to keep the fastener holes intact (you already have enough work to do right) step up in size if necessary and remove the heads (only the head). Using an awl or similarly sized punch, push the shank of the fastener through the planking into the inside of the boat where you can grab it with a pliers and yank it out.

If you use a grinder, you'll do all sorts of damage (I don't care how neat you work or how careful you will try to be) to the surrounding wood and of course, burn the fastener hole, making it useless for a similar sized fastener. This is the recommended method. I removed and replaced several thousand (maybe more) screws, roves and clenches last year, with very few difficulties. One boat had 3500 fasteners, I dicked up less then 10 of them on removal. Use sharp bits, you'll break a few (they're small suckers) while you learn how much pressure to give the drill. Let the bit do the work and all that other crap you read in the power drill instruction manual. Stop paying attention to the "experts" that told you to use a grinder, they ain't.

[gonzo]

I'm with PAR. Grinders usually burn the wood. Also, you should drive the nails in. If you grind the riveted part in the inside and drive them out, the planking will splinter.

[Andy]

thanks for the advice guys - its just what i need! When you said "if a rove or clench, drill the head off", did you mean always drill the head of the nail itself, rather than the rove? The boat is nailed in the customary fashion with the roves on the inside of the hull. So I should drill off the head of the nail on the outside of the hull, then push the nail through, with the rove still attached, to the inside? Just wanting clarification before I set to my lovely boat!

many thanks again,

Andy

[PAR]

The head will be on the outside, be that a rove or clench. Both are actually nails, but the rove has a washer on its end and is preened over where a clench is just backed over with an iron so the point makes a "U" turn into the wood's surface. You can't accurately drill the rove without the bit making matters worse, you just can't find the true center of the rove on the preened over side. Screws will provide similar frustration. A small percentage will come out with a driver, but most will strip out it's grip on the driver and need to be drilled. A bolt extractor on a screw is a very sure way of removal with little damage.

[safewalrus]

As the old colonial fogies said Andy, beware the 'grinder'. Grinders are good on pure steelwork, for anything else best leave it in the box (plus of course if it slips it goes through flesh and bone with consumate ease, and that, as the saying goes, will ruin your day!)

[bentuppen]

Hiya,

A complete beginner here who's come upon a rotten wooden boat to learn boatcraft on. I've just damaged the gunwale by trying to remove rooves and nails with grinder then hammering through with another nail.

So to try drilling out the head from the other side, are there any special drillbits good enough to cope with the copper or would a sharp wood drill bit do the job? I take it you drill back far enough that you're just under the surface to prevent your awl re-clenching the nail and making yourself a new head that you then can't pull through.

Also, to tap them through, am I looking for a 'punch awl'? I'll go ask at the hardware shop if I've got the right ideas?

Thanks again
Ben

[gonzo]

The roves are going to be bound in the wood. There is no real easy way. Buy good quality metal bits. The gold looking ones tend to bind less on copper.