re felting a shed roof

[The Medway Handyman]

Yup. The fire brigade carry blankets to wrap you in :-)

[John Rumm]

Having now done a few roofs with torch on, I don't think I would go back glue... as a process it is so much quicker and easier, and the results much more like a hot tar and felt solution. Some of the 4mm SBS rubberised felts are also seriously tough - much better quality than traditional felt.

The process is safe enough it you take obvious precautions when close existing parts of buildings. Most of the time you are just heating the back of the roll of felt, with a little flame over spill onto the roof to prewarm it and drive off any moisture. Even with a timber roof, if you catch it enough to burn, it will extinguish as you place the felt on it.

I usually have some water handy and a damp cloth/towel just in case of fire or burn (you don't want to get hot rubberised tar on your skin!). Good leather gloves are a must, and a metal trowel are handy for holding and heating tricky bits.

[Dave]

Not having been able to look at the lee ward side today to see how the original was done, I suspect that it was just overlapped to the down side and left a bit longer than the batten that held it in place. Would this do the job, considering the weather is so cold? Or I could leave it long, hope the wind left it that way and roll it in spring.

Dave

[BigWallop]

Try bending the felt cold to see how much radius it will allow. Leave that much over and bend it round to get a drip form. In the warmer weather you can tidy it up a bit more. Even in these cold conditions, the felt should bend through quite a tight radius without cracking.

[Tim Lamb]

In message , BigWallop writes

I have a B&D hot air paint stripper which has little effect on paint but works wonders on bending plastics and unfreezing pipes.

Try bending an offcut and see how it goes.

Wait till she is out and borrow the hair drier:-)

regards

[Dave]

To answer both of you.

Yes, that went through my mind as I have to buy far more felt than I will use.

Paint stripper gets hotter than that. Any idea how much heat felt can take? I wont be doing the job till next year anyway, I'm not well enough to be outside all the time it will take.

Dave

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Dave writes

Very much depends on the felt you are using. As others have said, some are designed to have the contact side *melted* by contact with a large direct flame from a torch.

Simply bending should not need much more than warm. You will have to experiment. Working off the ground, applying heat to a narrow but long strip really needs a hand portable heat source. I have not tried but a plumbers soldering torch with a diffuse flame, kept moving, might do.

regards

[John Rumm]

If you want to make a "drip" easily, they normally suggest a strip of hardboard or 3mm ply - nail through it, through some felt (underside facing out) into the side of the roof, then lift the felt up and over it so that it defines a nice neat edge.

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Where I is the ply/hardboard

[Dave]

OK thanks for that, but as I have said earlier, I will not be doing the job until I can keep warm and not cough while I am doing it.

Dave

[Dave]

I'll re read that when I am feeling a bit better. My chest is getting me down again. This has been going on for over 14 months now, hence the lack of the drill grinding guide.

Dave