Vinyl Siding Tool

I came home last night to find a few sections of my vinyl siding had separated from their neighboring runs of siding. I hopped up an a ladder and quickly realized that I would need some type of tool to pull open the plastic lip on one section of siding so that it could clip it onto the siding below. I hypothesized that a tool existed for this purpose and a quick internet search confirm this suspicion.

A "Vinyl Siding Removal Tool" (which is really good at attaching siding, not sure why they don't just call it a "Vinyl Siding Tool") is about 6"-7" long and has a section that goes off at an angle (approx. 45 degrees) and has a hook at the end. This tool is used to "pull open" the plastic lip on the lower edge of your siding so that it can clip together with the siding below it.

It is fairly self explanatory how to use this tool when you are looking at your siding. It works best if you clip a section of siding together (starting at the end of a segment) and then slide your tool to the side, clipping the sections of siding together. My tool hung up a little bit (probably because it is thicker and less slick than a store bought steel tool- a little lube on the tool might help, but I didn't end up needing any).

I was desperate to create something with my printer that has actual utility. There is no doubt that a $7 store bought vinyl tool may work a little better, but this guy will get the job done.

This is not a print for everyone, however, if the recent nor'easters in the eastern U.S. have taken their toll on your siding, this may be just the thing for you. I hope someone finds a use for this design.

Print instructions

Category: Tools Print Settings

Printer: Anet A8

Rafts: Yes

Supports: No

Resolution: 0.3

Infill: 100%

Notes:

Print the object on its side, with a raft. The .stl should be oriented correctly as is. I recommend printing with 100% infill and I used 0.3 layer height as its a tool and I did not care about appearance.

Post-Printing

Pulled off the raft and I'm ready to go!

How I Designed This

I realized I needed a tool when attempting to reattach my siding. I imagined that it would be a thin metal tool with some type of hook. I did a quick internet search and found this "Vinyl Siding Removal Tool." Not wanting to go out to the hardware store, I created this model and printed my own tool. Got the job done in five minutes!