Sno-gem Incorporated

Master Products, Inc.

George Smeja

Michael V Smeja

Troy William Livingston

A method of making a metal snow guard is disclosed. The snow guard has a solid layer of soldering material on its base to be heated and melted with application of heat to the upper side of the snow guard to solder the base to an underlying metal roof. The soldering material may be applied as spaced spots or projections providing a rough surface on the underside of the snow guard. The amount of solder and/or flux in the solid layer is limited so that the solder and/or flux does not flow outwardly from the snow guard and run down the metal roof thereby damaging or marring the metal roof surface. The snow guards may be formed of a few pieces of sheet metal. The projections of soldering material may be formed by forcing a paste of solder and flux through spaced holes in a plate or screen onto the base.

Metal snow guard

A multi-use tool device is provided with an actuator that is moveable to turn a tool relative to the tool device to change the angle of attack of the tool to the work or to change to a different work surface on the fool. Further, the tool device is releasably connected to the tool without the use of threaded fasteners or wrenches. An actuator on the tool is moved to release the tool and preferably to push the tool from the tool device so that the user need not touch a dirty or spent tool that may be coated with an adhesive, mastic or the like. Conversely, the tool may be attached by pushing the tool relative to the tool device. Also, the preferred tool is made in one piece with a connecting portion and a turning portion thereon. The illustrated tool has an upstanding post and angularly spaced teeth that cooperate with the tool device to allow the connected tool to be turned relative to the tool body. In the preferred method of use of the tool, a common actuator in the form of a push button is pushed with a light force to turn the tool relative to the tool device and is pushed with a greater force to eject the tool from the tool device. The preferred tool is made inexpensively and in one piece. The tool device is lightweight and made mostly of inexpensive plastic parts. The tool device may have a body shaped to fit a person's hand or have a handle projecting therefrom for gripping by the user or to receive an extension pole.

Multi-use tool device, tool therefor and method of using the same

A metal snow guard is provided with a solid layer of soldering material on its base to be heated and melted with application of heat to the upper side of the snow guard to solder the base to an underlying metal roof. The preferred soldering material comprises an interior layer of solder and an outer layer of flux. In one form, the soldering material is in the form of spaced spots or projections providing a rough surface on the underside of the snow guard with the projections melting and spreading laterally into uneven surfaces where the roof or the base of the snow guard is not flat. The amount of solder and/or flux in the solid layer is limited so that the solder and/or flux does not flow outwardly from the snow guard and run down the metal roof thereby damaging or marring the metal roof surface. The preferred snow guards are formed of sheet metal of relatively few pieces and which are folded and joined together in an inexpensive manner. Preferably, the projections of soldering material are formed by forcing a paste of solder and flux through spaced holes in a plate or screen onto the base and then applying heat to melt the past and form a crust of flux on the outside of the projections which are mainly then comprised of solder. The outer crust layer of flux should protect the inner solder from oxidizing.

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McHenry, IL, United States of America

George Smeja