Bob Engelhardt wrote:
... Today we discovered that some
ceilings have gotten wet and the nails rusted. The heads come off or
the tin tears before the nails pull out. !&%$#(!
....

Martin H. Eastburn wrote:
I'd grind off the nail head - take the tin off and with a Vice-grip
plier pull the nail out.

Ah - that's what I thought, too. I tried it today - too much collateral
damage, as they say, to the tin. Again the problem is with the nails
being slightly countersunk. That and working over your head while
standing on a step ladder.

It keep coming back to prying off from behind. As many alternatives
that I try, it's still the best: fastest,easiest, safest.

Thanks,
Bob