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+-- Thread: A couple of useful tips (/showthread.php?tid=7327765)
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A couple of useful tips - jteneyck - 02-08-2017
While installing the arched French doors I had to cut away some of the wall plaster in order to install the trim flush with the jambs. We did a pretty neat job but there was a gap of 1/8" or so and some chip out that had to be repaired. The plaster was not the smooth type, it has a pretty heavy texture, so using a drywall knife wouldn't work to apply the joint compound nor to smooth it out. I thought about putting the joint compound in a mason's bag and then it hit me - a caulking gun. So I found a caulking gun that was about half empty and had a water cleanup product in it. I reached into the tube with a pair of long needle nose pliers and pulled out the plug, then cleaned and washed out the tube. I drilled a hole through the center of the plug, then cut a small disk of 1/4" plywood just a little smaller than the plug and drilled a hole in the center of it. I threaded an 18" piece of heavy nylon cord through the plastic plug, then the plywood disk, and tied a couple of knots on the inside.
I added just a little water to my bucket of drywall compound and blended it well with a drill mixer, then used a small putty knife to load the caulking tube. I put the plywood and plastic plug in the back, coiled the string inside and put it into the caulking gun. It was just like squirting out caulking and worked perfectly for filling the gaps around the door with almost no mess. I smoothed it out with my finger where needed. One tube did the entire door, so I didn't have to reload it, but I had the ability to do so had it been necessary.
My other epiphany relates to the wax sticks you use for filling nail holes. I did two things this time that made for a much better and easier job. First, I couldn't find a color that matched very well to my project; no surprise there really. So I bought one stick that was lighter and one that was darker. I blended them together but putting pieces of the sticks into a large metal spoon and gently heated them from underneath with a propane torch on low heat. I stirred the mixture with a nail to mix them and adjust the color by adding more light or dark wax until drops I dabbed on my color sample matched to my satisfaction. When I had the right mixture I poured it from the spoon into the plastic blister pack the sticks came in to harden.
If you've ever used those wax sticks you know they are pretty hard. I've never been able to rub it into a nail hole as the directions suggest. On softer woods I've actually dented the wood trying to do so. So I took the stick I had made and put it in a coffee cup with water and heated it until the water was really hot, but not boiling. I let it sit for about 10 minutes and it was nice and soft, making it easy to take off dabs with a small flat bladed screw driver and use that to fill the holes. It stayed soft enough to do one side of my doors' trim, maybe 20 holes. When it got too firm I picked another gob of wax out of the cup of hot water and continued until I was done. A few minutes later I buffed off the excess wax with a blue shop paper towel and the holes were filled perfectly level and smooth.
John
RE: A couple of useful tips - cputnam - 02-08-2017
Wow! Thanks John.
RE: A couple of useful tips - gMike - 02-08-2017
Necessity is the mother of invention. Cool!
RE: A couple of useful tips - jteneyck - 02-09-2017
(02-08-2017, 10:54 PM)gMike Wrote: Necessity is the mother of invention. Cool!
Yes, which is why I am surprised I've never head anyone mention either idea before. I used the hot water approach again today on the putty. Priceless.
John
RE: A couple of useful tips - Stwood_ - 02-09-2017
Try the little jars of Dap filler next time. It's firm, but not runny nor hard.
RE: A couple of useful tips - mdhills - 02-10-2017
Does microwave on low work to soften wax?
and how long does it remain even?
(It often seems that putty will eventually end up less even -- either due to contraction of the putty, or movement of the wood)
Matt
RE: A couple of useful tips - Steve N - 02-10-2017
Great minds John. I've used one of these sets for years to do small gaps, and cracks in drywall, and plaster, especially tight fits around windows, and doors. With my rig I can wash it out, the bag is some form of canvas, and I've been using it forever, tips are sized, so in a sense size adjustable. If you lightly squeeze it the mud comes on slow, roll it and give it a firm grasp, and you can fill deep voids fast. I'd estimate it can push as much as a caulking gun. Nope I cannot ice your cake.
![[Image: 31H2LN%2BcTsL.jpg]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31H2LN%2BcTsL.jpg)
I must tell. I first saw this on HfH jobsite, and one of the drywall guys went around and did 4 to 6 hours of work in about 15 minutes. Anyone around Dayton who's done trades will remember the Hawk Brothers, they were the Schnizzle when it came to wall board both hanging and finishing.
RE: A couple of useful tips - fredhargis - 02-11-2017
Should work for other stuff (maybe) as well. I've long wondered (no more, we moved from that house) how I could inject some hydraulic cement into the gap between the water pipe coming in and the hole in the basement wall. But what was the purpose of the plywood, just to stiffen the plug?
RE: A couple of useful tips - Billbo - 02-11-2017
Good tips and good thinking!
RE: A couple of useful tips - jteneyck - 02-11-2017
(02-11-2017, 07:23 AM)fredhargis Wrote: Should work for other stuff (maybe) as well. I've long wondered (no more, we moved from that house) how I could inject some hydraulic cement into the gap between the water pipe coming in and the hole in the basement wall. But what was the purpose of the plywood, just to stiffen the plug?
Yes, I would think anything with a consistency similar to caulking could be used with the caulking tube approach. You're right, the plywood disk was to stiffen the plastic plug and to prevent the string from pulling through the hole I drilled through it.
John