When to s*p*r*lex

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Back to the op, I have only purchased one recently and find it excellent for finishing, I take my time flattening and like to think walls couldn't be flatter, from there on two wipes with the flex, possibly a tad later than with mt has it immaculate, with zero water, just keep wiping the flex clean so the trowel is damp.
If you can achieve the same finish, easier, then you do it, no?
 
Back to the op, I have only purchased one recently and find it excellent for finishing, I take my time flattening and like to think walls couldn't be flatter, from there on two wipes with the flex, possibly a tad later than with mt has it immaculate, with zero water, just keep wiping the flex clean so the trowel is damp.
If you can achieve the same finish, easier, then you do it, no?

Sounds about right to me(y)
 
Plenty of plasterers out there think they are good and everyone is rough.... In the end it comes down to the the user's ability...
 
Trial and error......without the error.

Who dares wins.
I love all the new gadgets.
But I think I dont do myself any favours knocking out houses too quick.

££££ will stay down.
 
Had the Refina plastic trowels. I think they are crap you go up the bead leaves a nick in your trowel. Hasn't got enough meat to it. I hate all this changing the trowels to finish etc. if you put enough on by time you get back on it all its finishing nice anyway. Mt ftw for me at moment. Yet to try these Nela super flex because they are like getting water out of stone to get hold of ..
 
Had the Refina plastic trowels. I think they are crap you go up the bead leaves a nick in your trowel. Hasn't got enough meat to it. I hate all this changing the trowels to finish etc. if you put enough on by time you get back on it all its finishing nice anyway. Mt ftw for me at moment. Yet to try these Nela super flex because they are like getting water out of stone to get hold of ..

apparently... the plastic trowels don't get scuffed on beads.... @cassie

It is nice to go back to traditional methods every now and again :)
 
apparently... the plastic trowels don't get scuffed on beads.... @cassie

It is nice to go back to traditional methods every now and again :)

Well I seemed to get scuff I found you had to treat it like glass. Put the little sleeves back on every day. Also if you don't use a plastic hawk and scrape fat on the hawk it ruffs it up aswel. Just like to stick with the one trowel
 
Mm, when we skim ,we bang on 40/50 m a time,there can be bits missed not nescessarily by myself but as a team.the marshalltown trowel and a water brush flattens and fills any small imperfections ,the s*p*r*lex does not and will not, if you put a tiny dot of plaster on a wall the s*p*r*lex will ride over it and leave it like squashed chewing gum On a pavement ,of course we can all write perfection but the reality, bullshit is as big a part of the game as skill ..
Very true
 
I think I'm on the same page as Scottie here,I don't pick the sf up until the plaster is flat,it doesn't ride over any bumps if There are no bumps for it to ride over,all misses and imperfections are sorted prior to the sf being used,more often than not after I have finished with the mt I will start a gauge right away and when the plasters ready(usually about 15 mins after the mt) I will jump off that gauge and trowel with the sf from left to right or if it's the end of the day I'll clean up and put my tools away first it takes about 3 minutes to trowel 50ish metres this way.
 
In the ideal world of course, I only drive on the road when it's safe and there's no dangerous drivers,I do like the super flex but still believe that a standard trowel would do a better finish overall. Obviously people don't always agree which would be boring anyway,the level of zealots amuse me though,"willing to take on new ways etc" it's a trowel guys not a re invention of the wheel.
 
In the wrong hands any trowel becomes an offensive weapon.
Apologies for posting these pictures again but I think it highlights nicely its not the tools.
Pic1, 2 coats speedskimmed then s / flexed by me.
20140830_151633-1.jpg




Pic2, 2 coats speedskimmed then s / flexed by another gang.
(And that feels as rough as it looks).
20140830_151843-1.jpg
 
In the wrong hands any trowel becomes an offensive weapon.
Apologies for posting these pictures again but I think it highlights nicely its not the tools.
Pic1, 2 coats speedskimmed then s / flexed by me.
View attachment 5552



Pic2, 2 coats speedskimmed then s / flexed by another gang.
(And that feels as rough as it looks).
View attachment 5551
So taper edged boards, you scrimmed then filled the joints with finish before applying the two coats ,? Now, do you leave the first to pull in before seconding, looks good work
 
I fill all tapered edges, dub out round beads and linings scratch on, speedskim immediately, then lay in straight away, speedskim again leave a while then s*p*r*lex.
I have to leave time between coats unless it's a big hit ,I think if the first coat is pulled in enough for it to be trowellable then it's fine for second coat, obviously we all have different methods, I lay on a good first coat ,then about 1/3 to 1/2 of the first coat to lay it in, I hardly ever use a speedskim now,prefer to flatten with my MT ,I think lots of us would find it hard working with other plasterers,I do unless they do exactly as I do,
Pet hates include ,a very thin first coat ,then laying down with a hawk full over the full ceiling.some skim leaving the board visible in spots.
 
1st coat tyzack then flatten with s/flex. 2nd coat tyzack then close in, 1 St and 2nd trowel with s/flex works for me. So much easier in my opinion.
Cover with artex, jobs a good'un
Nice that other spreads still use tyzack too I've always preferred them over mt :)
 
I've been through some. Toe rivets mainly. How long ago did they start to decline? As I've got some from probably early 2000's and late 90's that are way better made. I know the 70's and 80's are better still. Anyone know when they started becoming the shoddy Chinese shite?
 
They're made by spear and Jackson now and the quality of them now is shocking. You can pick one up on eBay about £18 but do yourself a favour and get down the pub instead


Great trowels, not as strong as marshaltown but unless you abuse them they last. I've 3 of them now, been using them about 4 yrs, no problems. Only use my marshaltown now to clean out buckets etc. for £17 you can't go wrong
 
I bought a rifina this year and loved the finish it left,then bought a s*p*r*lex and prefer that because it's not as wide
Would never be without one now

Trouble is if it breaks (and it might!) then plasterers1stop is out of stock so a replacement is a pain. They should never have advertised the new trowels until february when the new bigger factory was up and running on full capacity.
 
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