What is a slate ripper?

A slate ripper is the slater’s tool used to pull out the nails that hold a slate on the roof. Because most of a slate is hidden under the slates above it, you cannot reach the nail heads — the ripper works blind, beneath the covering.

What the tool looks like

The ripper has a flat, thin steel blade roughly 30 to 50 centimetres long and 4 to 5 centimetres wide. Its long edges carry notches angled backwards. At one end the blade is offset at a right angle and runs into a shaft ending in a handle, so you can pull hard towards yourself without the tool slipping out of your hand.

How to use it

1. Slide the blade under the broken slate, along the line where the nail sits. You find it by feel; on most coverings the nails are a fixed distance in from the edge.
2. Hook the nail into one of the notches.
3. Pull towards you with a short, firm jerk. The notch shears or draws the nail.
4. If the nail holds, strike the offset section of the shaft with a hammer. The shock achieves more than sustained pulling and spares the surrounding slates.

Why you need one

Replacing a broken slate without a ripper means loosening the slates above as well — and then you break more than you repair. Once the nails are out, the broken piece comes free and the new slate goes in. Nailing is no longer possible, because the nail position sits under the slate above. The new slate is therefore held with a copper or stainless steel repair hook (a tingle), slipped over the slate below and bent up over the new one.

Practical tips

• Keep the notches sharp. A blunt blade slips off the nail and then breaks the neighbouring slates.
• Use copper or stainless steel for the repair hook. A galvanised tingle rusts through within a few years and the slate slides out.
• Work from a scaffold or roof ladder, never with your weight on the covering: slate is brittle and slate roofs are steep.
• Take a slate with you before ordering; size, thickness and the laying method together decide whether the new one will fit.

Related terms

• Slate roof
• Roof slate
• Slater’s hammer
• Roof plane
• Repair hook

Want to know more about building terms? Visit our knowledge base at fredsdiyplans.com.