Remove boards nailed with a nail gun

[62_an]

I want to remove battens 22x95 in the ceiling that are nailed to the joists and crosspieces above with a nail gun. The nails are about 70x3mm and are grooved and also have barbs that look like thinner wires that seem to be soldered or welded to the nail itself.

I first tried to expose the nail heads in the batten with a chisel and then used a crowbar. The nail broke right under the head. The next attempt was to split off the entire board so that the nails were exposed, then I tried both a crowbar and pincers, most of the nails broke off, I only got a couple out of about 10. I also bought a nail puller from Bahco, "type 36" which just slipped on the nails. It was admittedly crooked in the jaws so they only met on half the jaw width, but I find it hard to believe that a perfect one would work much better, since the nails seem to be so hard and brittle.

I need to remove a number of battens with a total of quite a few nails. How do you do it?

Grateful for input!

/L-O

 

[Leif i Skåne]

Pry off the board with a thin crowbar, pinch or bend off the nail and then drive it in completely.

 

[62_an]

Break off the board with a thin crowbar, pinch or bend off the nail and then drive it in completely.

Do you mean that it's not possible at all to remove the nails, or is it a more convenient solution to cut and drive them in? I will need to drill some new holes for electrical conduits and there aren't many alternative places to drill if the nails were to remain, so I would therefore ideally like to remove the nails completely if possible.

 

[62_an]

No one knows if it's possible to remove hardened machine nails?

 

[heimlaga]

Those nails are probably not hardened. They sound like regular resin-coated coil nails. The two soldered or glued wires just below the head are remnants of the wire that held them together in a roll. The guckt resin melts when the nail is driven in, and it bites into the wood. Hammer hard on the nail head a few times before you start tearing anything down. When the nail is driven in a few millimeters, the resin releases its grip, and then you can pry off the boards with a crowbar as usual, and the nails usually come with them.

 

[62_an]

Those nails are probably not hardened. They sound like ordinary resin-coated coil nails. The two soldered or glued wires a bit below the head are remnants of the wire that held them together in a coil. The gooey resin melts when the nail is driven in and then it grips the wood.
Hit hard with a hammer on the nail head a few times before you start tearing anything down. When the nail is driven in a millimeter, the resin releases its grip, and then you can pry the boards off with a crowbar as usual, and the nails usually come along.

Thanks for the tip, will try it!