: Hi Ian

: Just an observation looking at your photo. It is easier to remove
: the staples without harming the wood if you staple something
: between them and the timber as you drive them.

: Nylon strapping (2 inch lengths) for instance works a charm. It can
: be gripped by pliers and pulled, pulling the staple with it.

: Etienne

Good idea Etienne. By nylon strapping do you mean nylon webbing, or nylon zap straps, the ratchet straps used to tie wire bundles etc.? If nylon webbing was used, a person might use one piece for an entire section of staples, i.e. for example all the staples on one side of the hull on a particular form station. When removing staples, one could just grab one end of the webbing and rip all the staples out like a zipper, or if that didn't work, one could wind the webbing around a dowel and pry them out one by one by rotating the dowel. Has anyone tried this? It would prevent cleaning glue squeezeout under the webbing, but perhaps that could be done before driving the staple. All theory of course, as I am still waiting for my plans...