by Tom Stortz | Aug 29, 2024 | Education
A slate roof is a gift from one generation to the next – a roof crafted with excellence I write this post as the President of the National Slate Association, whose mission is to promote the use of natural slate in North America. I am biased. Photo credit to...
by Tom Stortz | Feb 27, 2024 | Education
American Manufacturing and the Slate Industry Our Heavy Duty Slate Ripper was processed through our shop for the final time. This is multi-faceted as 1) Stortz Tools will be relocating shortly and 2) The factors to produce an American-made heavy duty slate ripper are...
by Jeff Stortz | Jan 30, 2024 | Education, Product Reviews
2023 marked another great year in metal roofing. According to the MRA’s annual market research study, the demand for metal roof residential re-roofing grew to 18%, continuing to make up ground on the asphalt roofing market. With this industry growth inevitably...
by Jeff Stortz | Sep 12, 2023 | Education
Snow retention systems should be installed on roof systems that will incur snowy winter weather. However, many people are unaware that snow guards are necessary until they incur damage to their gutter systems or injured below a fall. The information below outlines...
by Tom Stortz | Feb 22, 2023 | Education
A new report from experts in Europe who delve into the science behind roofing slate has been published. Testing Natural Slate as a Fire Resistant Material Another quality post by Victor Cardenes Fake Roofing Slates Highlights Roofing slates are metamorphic rocks used...
by Tom Stortz | Jan 6, 2023 | Education
The Problem: You shouldn’t need to replace your tin snips after every metal job THERE IS A BETTER WAY Below are the reasons why Bessey and Stubai Snips are going to outperform and outlast the “Box Store” snips, but it is up to the roofer to choose the path he...
by Jeff Stortz | Dec 9, 2022 | Education
What is a mechanical lock roof system? Mechanical lock roofs are standing seam roof systems that utilize concealed fasteners. The main identifier of a mechanical seam system is that the panel profiles are folded into one another as opposed to just overlapping. The...
by Tom Stortz | Nov 10, 2022 | Education
Rau 106 Eaves Seam Locker – Are you still making the eaves crimp with short, 3″, hand seamers? Give your forearms a rest and start locking your drip edge or rake with the tool that is created for the job. Plus you avoid crimp marks every 3 inches. This...
by Tom Stortz | Jun 27, 2022 | Education
Is it important to you that the natural slate industry not only survives, but thrives? The next few years will be a turning point of prosperity within the industry if we can work together to achieve common goals. First we must outline a few of the issues, understand...
by Tom Stortz | May 9, 2022 | Education
What To Expect Moving Forward If you’ve been making a living over the last two years in the construction industry, you know what to expect. Longer lead times, higher prices, and labor issues. When you shop with us, we do our best to keep the items you need in...
by Tom Stortz | Apr 20, 2022 | Education, Product Reviews
Roll Bending Tools The roll bending portable brake has many positive features that make it desirable. Owning and using these types of tools will separate the roofer from the craftsmen because the devil is in the details. Let’s look at 5 positive features of roll...
by Tom Stortz | Mar 15, 2022 | Education
We were curious to understand our customers better and you did not disappoint. We had over 80 responses to our questions and it helps us better understand who we supply. Let’s dive into some finer details of what was discovered. What type of roofer are you?...
by Tom Stortz | Jan 24, 2022 | Education
Written by Tim Underhill of Delta Slate Photo Credits by Joseph E. B. Elliott of Josephelliottphotography.com In 2002, Linda Hill, a business- woman/entrepreneur of Philadelphia, bought the Stelwagon Roofing Supply company. Established in 1853, this building and...
by Jeff Stortz | Jan 19, 2022 | Education, Uncategorized
Perfect Soldering Why? What? How? Long life tips have a ZINNLUX coating on their surface that enables them to be worked for 5-6 times that of a standard copper tip without “pitting” or losing shape. The special coating protects the copper core from...
by Jeff Stortz | Jan 10, 2022 | Education, History, Uncategorized
What Happened in 2022? The residential re-roofing sector for metal specifically rose from 12% to 15% in 2020. Homeowners are increasingly choosing to replace their old roofs (often asphalt shingle) with metal. Steel remains the most popular choice for metal roof...
by Jeff Stortz | Nov 23, 2021 | Education, Uncategorized
The Latest in Seaming Products Stortz Tools specializes in getting you the right seamer for your architectural (1″ or 1.5″) panels. Our store has a wide variety of seaming options from manufacturers around the globe. We can help you pick the seamer that...
by Jeff Stortz | Oct 29, 2021 | Education
In parts 3 & 4, Craig demonstrated how he installed the field panels that intersect with the valley and prepped them to fit the formed valley piece. Next is the actual double seaming that will make the ridge and valley watertight. There is alot of seaming to be...
by Jeff Stortz | Oct 5, 2021 | Education, Uncategorized
Alpine Snow Guards has introduced 2 new “hybrid” guards to their product offering. Complementing their popular products, the new guards aim to ease the disruptive supply chain that is the snow guard industry. If you are struggling to find your Berger...
by Jeff Stortz | Sep 28, 2021 | Education
In parts 1 & 2, Craig showed how to fabricated the valley piece from coil stock and connect the two pieces together at the cross-section. In parts 3 & 4, Craig shows how to prepare the intersecting field panels to seam into the valley. Notice how the panels...
by Jeff Stortz | Sep 16, 2021 | Education
With so many standing seam panel systems available today from various manufacturers, traditional standing seam folding techniques are often substituted for simpler, less skill-based installation methods. In the videos below, Craig Hardin (Hardin Construction)...
by Tom Stortz | Aug 26, 2021 | Education
Roofing is considered the 4th most dangerous job in the United States (Western States Roofing Contractors Association). No one wants to roof forever but when does a roofer decide they’ve worked long enough? When they can no longer climb a ladder? When their...
by Tom Stortz | Jan 19, 2021 | Education
Roofers who work with sheet metal require not only specialized skills and experience to be effective, but also specialized tools, in order to excel in their craft. In sheet metal roofing, this applies to tools like hammers and sheet metal benders, as well as heavy...
by Tom Stortz | Dec 21, 2020 | Education
Unless you have ever personally performed a soldering operation – which might be done for a variety of different purposes, might it be added – then you might have fallen prey to the erroneous belief that all soldering iron tips were created equal. This...
by Tom Stortz | Nov 30, 2020 | Education
Brick hammers, which are also sometimes known as mason’s or stonemason’s hammers, are only one of the many tools we sell here at John Stortz & Son. Like many of the tools we sell, they are tools that, though highly specialized, can really serve a huge range of...
by Tom Stortz | Nov 10, 2020 | Education
Stubai manufacturing is located in Fulpmes, Austria. The facilities boast the highest quality of forging, hardening, and machining processes. Their tools cover a variety of industries ranging from Roofing, Forestry, Woodworking, Climbing, Cutlery, Automotive and...
by Tom Stortz | Sep 8, 2020 | Education
When To Use a Power Seamer Power seaming mechanically locked panels is preferred on longer runs (20+ ft) when a uniform look is desired. Most seamers will seam the first and second stage in one pass which will reduce time of the project when compared to alternative...
by Tom Stortz | Jun 3, 2020 | Education
1. Why do some soldering tips wear out faster than others? Lead free solder (pure tin) will wear out your copper tips about twice as fast as 50/50 solder. Tin has a higher melting temperature than lead, so you need to use higher heat when soldering with lead free...
by Jeff Stortz | Feb 7, 2020 | Education
A video we shot of a metal roofing project by Hardin Construction attracted over 200,000 views. This clip shows how a roofer completes a double lock folded ridge in 26ga painted steel. The technique is seen in historical architecture and is not uncommon to last over...
by Tom Stortz | Aug 14, 2019 | Education
Soldering is Expensive New irons and tips replace worn out equipment. Bar solder needs are a constant expense. Once you buy a certain brand of iron, it makes sense to stick with it for economical sense. Learn why the Sievert line of irons may be worth your hard earned...
by Jeff Stortz | Jul 31, 2019 | Education
We Have Added Fixed & Expansion Cleats to our Product Line! Clips are an integral part to any roofing system. Incorrect clip selection, installation, or quantity can result in total roof failure. We offer fixed and expansion cleats for both 1″ &...
by Tom Stortz | Jun 26, 2019 | Education
Slate holds about a 1% foothold in the overall roofing material pie chart, maybe less. A simple goal would be to grow it to 2%. If natural slate is going to continue to be installed on exterior and interior projects, the industry is going to have to join together....
by Tom Stortz | May 17, 2019 | Education
Notching Panels Hemming Panels Notching the seams/ribs off is required when preparing standing seam panels for installation. Depending on the seam type and metal thickness, notching can be simple or rather difficult. After the panels are notched appropriately, the...
by Tom Stortz | May 6, 2019 | Education
Natural Slate vs Synthetic Slate The topic of this post addresses the appropriation of the term slate. Appropriation is the action of taking something for one’s own use, typically without the owner’s permission. The manufacturers of synthetic slate have...
by Tom Stortz | Mar 29, 2019 | Education
SOLDERING 101: Essentials for Roof Soldering ✅ Solder ✅ Forming Equipment ✅ Abrasives ✅ Flux & Flux Bottle + Brush ✅ Heat Source / Soldering Iron ✅ Sal-Ammoniac Bar & Cleaning Mixture ✅ Fire Safety Equipment Solder Solder is defined as a low melting alloy that...
by Tom Stortz | Feb 25, 2019 | Education
The type of metal you are working on has a lot to do with what finishing details you are able to perform. Copper and zinc, being softer materials, are able to form and maneuver easily. When working with 24 gauge painted steel, you are more limited. This series of...
by Tom Stortz | Feb 21, 2019 | Education
Slate Brackets – Qualcraft is the manufacturer of a slate roof bracket which is commonly used for staging a slate roof. The tongue portion hooks onto a roofing nail (at least a 16 penny nail, 3 1/2″) and then 2 more are then used to secure the bracket. A...
by Tom Stortz | Dec 12, 2018 | Education
How do different regions handle snow retention? For practical purposes we can divide the USA land mass into areas of high, medium and light snow precipitation (North to South). Each has its own way of dealing with snow. Northern USA – Heavy Snow Loads Up...
by Jeff Stortz | Nov 6, 2018 | Education
*note: Special thanks to Kevin Roselli (Metal Solutions LLC) for the photographs of the copper bell tower project in this post “Whatever good things we build, end up building us…” There is something fascinating about architectural copper work. The...
by Tom Stortz | Sep 25, 2018 | Education
This is an alternative to a ridge cap which is popular in the snap lock industry. Craig of Hardin Exteriors uses the double lock method to ensure water tightness and to maintain the double locked theme of the roof. There is also no worry of this ridge detail being at...
by Tom Stortz | Sep 24, 2018 | Education
A Slate Story An elder couple walked into Stortz Tools yesterday looking to buy slate tools to repair their 100 year old slate roof in Wilmington, Delaware. The man was physically fit, and the woman had an expensive camera hanging from her neck. We talked a bit about...
by Jeff Stortz | Aug 14, 2018 | Education
When you get to the rake edge of a roof and the roof is not perfectly square, there is a need to run a slightly tapered panel to connect to the rake trim. In this process, it is necessary to measure and cut the panel to the proper taper and then bend up a leg to...
by Tom Stortz | Jul 19, 2018 | Education
Every roof is a chance to express yourself. A chance to show that you care what the future looks like… A lot of the architectural metal roof installations we work with are built to last well through at least one generation. Hell, if done right, copper can...
by Tom Stortz | Jun 26, 2018 | Education
Stainless steel is great. It is corrosion resistant, incredibly durable, has no reaction issues being paired with other dissimilar metals. The problem is, it is a bitch to work with. Stainless is so durable that it is difficult to field form, or bend for on site...
by Tom Stortz | Apr 26, 2018 | Education
A little less than a year ago we wrote a post (great comments by the way) that explained how the natural slate market was being damaged by the manufacturers of “synthetic slate” marketing their rubberized, polymer, shingle as “slate”. This is a...
by Tom Stortz | Apr 17, 2018 | Education
Where We Are 2017 was a fantastic year for metal roofing! The metal market currently captures 14% of the entire roofing market in the United States and is trending in the right direction. In fact, the entire construction industry is booming. As reported by Metal...
by Tom Stortz | Feb 19, 2018 | Education
Written by Tim Underhill of Delta Slate Delta Slate Tim Underhill www.deltaslate.com Slating a Turret There are different methods of slating a turret. The following is a graduated slate roof with slate on the same course having the same width. But to start at...
by Tom Stortz | Jan 10, 2018 | Education
Which gas should I solder roof flashings with? Completely adequate and acceptable soldering of seams can be achieved using a variety of methods. Hand irons, propane fueled, or acetylene fueled irons are all fully capable of producing long lasting watertight results. ...
by Tom Stortz | Dec 7, 2017 | Education
Gasflow Through Your Soldering Iron Your soldering iron is not a complicated unit. Look at it as a gas vessel. Your regulator, you guessed it, regulates gas that travels through your hose and then up through your soldering iron. The “gas nozzle” is what...
