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...
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...
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...
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?...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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)...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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″ &...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
*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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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. ...
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...
Once your grandparents join your social network, it’s immediately “uncool”. Facebook has over 2 billion users and more people are using Instagram with regularity because it’s simpler. You take a picture, think of a caption, and post to...
All architectural metal roofers should have a working knowledge of shrinking and stretching panels. Being able to work on radius framing will increase your overall effectiveness as a roofer and the jobs you feel comfortable bidding. The method and tools described...
Karis Roofing is a 90 year old roofing company located here in Philadelphia. It’s fair to say that they have seen a thing or two (cue Farmer’s jingle). Here is a message written by Guy Karis shared in his Trade News about the outlook of Metal Roofing. The...
youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G2W2jGzvxg Soldering Step by Step Direction 1) Properly clean all surfaces of dirt, dust or residue that may be built up on the material being soldered. Using a wire brush is sometimes needed to strip any oxidized layers from...
Feature image submitted by Igor Akhmatov of IG Great Exteriors How do I choose the right hand seamer for standing seam metal roofing? Ask These Questions Q. What is my mechanically locked profile height and width? A: Your first stage hand seamer needs to be able to...
If you enjoy the process of dulling out your cheap snips, then trying to fix their alignment or sharpen them only to have to order a new pair before your job is finished, then stop reading this article now. THERE IS A BETTER WAY. Invest in yourself. Invest in your...
Standing seam projects require an understanding of how panels lock together. Snap-Lock panels are a more simplified means of standing seam and this post will focus on mechanically locked panels. We will take a closer look at a few ways to achieve a double lock...
Brand New Soldering Tips Available at Stortz Tools Masc Long Life Tips – The Masc Long life soldering tips provide an alternative for any iron that uses a “rodded” tip. It will fit in the Perkeo, Aero, Sievert ESK1-10, and Express 330 Soldering...
