Tar Ladle - Small This small tar ladle is most commonly using during roof repairs. Simply add tar to the ladle, and heat the tar up within the ladle, before applying the tar to the part of the roof that requires repairing. The benefit of using a small tar ladle as opposed to a much larger cauldron or heater is that it can be used to heat up small amounts of tar that are required for very small repairs, saving time but also saving on costs as less heat will be required to heat the tar up to the correct temperature.