What Are The Proper Hemming Tools For Metal Roofing?

By Author: Sam Stortz
Total Articles: 32
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When installing just about anything to your home, you would most likely want the ones that can last for a lifetime or even just outlive you would suffice.
Metal roofs are one of the most enduring things you can install on your home if you want something more practical than natural stone installations in terms of longevity and durability.
They are even better than other roof shingles, provided that they are installed properly, they can endure just about any type of weather, hot temperatures that other materials cannot, and also, they are pretty easy to install.
Although, just like any other material, installing metal roof panels means having to deal with the complexities of panel installations, such as the proper procedure for hemming, using proper hemming tools for metal roofing, and cutting the material.
Hemming Tool For Metal Roofing
The hemming tool provides you a swift and easy solution for hemming the ends of panels for insertion into trim and flashing. ...
... You can use a rubber mallet and some tin snips and a really consistent but brute force, to hem metal roof panels but this could take a while and can ultimately slow you down, not to mention this can be ultimately exhausting.
The hemming tool for metal roofing glides over the edge of the metal panel and gives you leverage to swiftly and easily bend the hem back under the metal panel’s edge. Hemming tools for metal roofing are sold in various widths based on the width of your metal panels.
Metal Shears For Metal Roofing
When working with unpainted basic aluminum panels, you can always use a circular saw with a metal-cutting blade installed in the saw to cut the metal down to whatever size you prefer. However, panels that are coated with a layer of paint or protective coating are not advised to be cut down using this tool. The reason being that the circular saw will incinerate the coating as it heats the metal during cutting. This incident would absolutely void the warranty associated with the panels which can be frustrating.
With this, using metal shears or electronic shears is most preferred to use when cutting material down to size.
Rubber Mallet
When bending the hem back under the edge of the metal panel, you might want to use the hemming tool. Although, you still can’t get the hem completely flush with the underside of the panel without adding more work to it since the handle of the hemming tool will impede the process.
You can always use a rubber mallet for selected small pieces. Still, the best option when working on large-scale quantities is a clamping tool also known as metal brakes. They are hand-held tools that allow you to crumple the edge of the hem and bend in the metal to flush it out.
To avoid damaging the paint coating on the metal panels, wrap the inside edges of the clamp with duct tape or anything soft to avoid damaging the paint coating on the metal panels.
Tin Snips
Tin snips are a great hemming tool for the metal roofing process, especially when clipping the edges for wrapping adjacent pieces and even small cuts. Although, using a pair of tin snips to cut down lengths of metal panels is not ideal because of the sheer amount of lengths required during a general roof installation. Using manual tools is preferred for edge cuts and trim work. Leave the same areas where you can use tin snips to mechanical shears for a faster and easier work process.
For more hemming tools and other roofing tools in general, you can also take a look at various tools available at stortz.com
For more information about snow guards for standing seam metal roofs and solder bar Please Visit : John Stortz & Son.