Patent ID: 8707529

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving into a scale breaking apparatus a continuous length of sheet metal having opposite first and second surfaces across the length of the sheet metal passing through the scale breaking apparatus; positioning a first set of rollers of the scale breaking apparatus to engage against the first surface of the sheet metal; positioning a second set of rollers of the scale breaking apparatus to engage against the second surface of the sheet metal; positioning the first and second sets of rollers with clearance relative to each other to enable the length of the sheet metal passing through the scale breaking apparatus to conform to an outer surface of at least one of the first and second sets of rollers as the length of the sheet metal passes between the first and second sets of rollers under a tensile force; and operating a recoiler to subject the length of the sheet metal passing between the first and second sets of rollers of the scale breaking apparatus to the tensile force and to form a wrap angle in at least a portion of the length of the sheet metal sufficient to break scale from the length of the sheet metal while coiling the length of the sheet metal with the recoiler; wherein the tensile force applied to the length of the sheet metal by the recoiler in the scale breaking apparatus is in a range from about 20,000 pounds to about 100,000 pounds.