# FINGERN' ER WITH fingers?



## welderthatpaints (Apr 8, 2011)

<P>Hey guys.. I havent got around to posting pics and videos of my own work. Typicaly for those of you who post running tools or more specificaly 6'',8'',10'',and not to say the least 12'' knifes, I see most of yall fingern the blade. Some times 1 pointer or index all the way up to just barely holding the knife handle with a thumb. I understand every one basicly gets their own feel of a knife, but I learned early on to make a fist holding the handle, with about half as much squeeze as my hand could uncunt lol. To get to my question is it me or is that a bad habit. The first few days of getting acquainted with the knifes I learned real quick not to stick them fingers out there on the blade. After the first couple of days of fingering that blade, I simply felt as some one beat me with a sledge hammer. All this chaotic pain driven from my finger...</P>
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<P>I love this site..  </P>


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

YA get use to It.
Endure the pain! That's what I do.


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## chris (Apr 13, 2011)

try thinning down tour mud, sounds like youre using it straight outta da box. Hold the knife like a ping pong paddle


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

OR!....You can all use a trowel! Problem solved :yes:


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## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

PrecisionTaping said:


> OR!....You can all use a trowel! Problem solved :yes:


I know some one on here fingers there trowel.:yes: They even did a video to show why fisting your trowel is bad.


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

gazman said:


> I know some one on here fingers there trowel.:yes: They even did a video to show why fisting your trowel is bad.


All this fingering & fisting! I thought this was an all ages website :laughing:


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## chris (Apr 13, 2011)

PrecisionTaping said:


> OR!....You can all use a trowel! Problem solved :yes:


 Around here trowels are used for texture only, and a few old school guys still push them around


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## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

Keep it clean PT.


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## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

chris said:


> Around here trowels are used for texture only, and a few old school guys still push them around


To my way of thinking if you use both there should be less RSI. :yes:


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## chris (Apr 13, 2011)

gazman said:


> To my way of thinking if you use both there should be less RSI. :yes:


 RSI?? Help me out here


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## chris (Apr 13, 2011)

gazman said:


> To my way of thinking if you use both there should be less RSI. :yes:


 What is RSI??


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## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

Repetitive strain injury,

http://www.rsi.org.au/what-is-rsi.html


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## welderthatpaints (Apr 8, 2011)

moore said:


> YA get use to It.
> Endure the pain! That's what I do.


Lol I dont need it. I have very little soreness hand vs fingers..



chris said:


> try thinning down tour mud, sounds like youre using it straight outta da box. Hold the knife like a ping pong paddle


I thin my mud lol.. im not talking about mashing the knife with a finger, just simply having one back there causing strain 



chris said:


> Around here trowels are used for texture only, and a few old school guys still push them around


YA I only know of one crew that still uses a trowel, unless there doing a "hand texture" 



gazman said:


> Repetitive strain injury,
> 
> http://www.rsi.org.au/what-is-rsi.html


Thats kinda what i was getting at with all this fingering nonsence lol


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## TonyM (Aug 4, 2008)

Hold your trowel or blades as you feel comfortable, as long as the joints are even. All that bollocks about not fisting a trowel and holding it with your fingertips is ridiculous.


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## P.A. ROCKER (Jul 15, 2011)

It really comes down to what part of the coating process I'm doing as to how I hold the knife. Hand position, angle, pitch, pressure,grip all play a role in what gets left behind.


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

It honestly blows my mind how other than us few Canadian boys, hardly anyone uses a trowel!? I don't understand!
The only reason I had a taping knife before was to wipe behind my box.
That's it!
And since I've discovered DWT I don't even do that anymore! Thanks to 2buck and the boys who educated me on double boxing joints.
So now it's pretty well just for scraping floors. :yes:


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## SlimPickins (Aug 10, 2010)

PrecisionTaping said:


> It honestly blows my mind how other than us few Canadian boys, hardly anyone uses a trowel!? I don't understand!
> The only reason I had a taping knife before was to wipe behind my box.
> That's it!
> And since I've discovered DWT I don't even do that anymore! Thanks to 2buck and the boys who educated me on double boxing joints.
> So now it's pretty well just for scraping floors. :yes:


I use H&T. Knives are for wiping tape, and coating where I can't get my trowel comfortably (zip-strip, etc)


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

SlimPickins said:


> I use H&T. Knives are for wiping tape, and coating where I can't get my trowel comfortably (zip-strip, etc)


Ya, I just use a 6" for wiping. 
I might try and 8"....But I love my Kraft Stainless Steel knife...And they don't make 8's....Grrr....


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## P.A. ROCKER (Jul 15, 2011)

PrecisionTaping said:


> Ya, I just use a 6" for wiping.
> I might try and 8"....But I love my Kraft Stainless Steel knife...And they don't make 8's....Grrr....


Use an 8" to wipe tape behind a zook. I only use carbon blades, stainless wear too quick. And I use trowels for beads.


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

P.A. ROCKER said:


> Use an 8" to wipe tape behind a zook. I only use carbon blades, stainless wear too quick. And I use trowels for beads.


Even though I have a zook I'm still running allot with my little banjo 
I love that thing! lol


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## korby_17 (Jan 7, 2011)

When I train new guys it is always with the two fingers on top of the knife. With me as you get better do what is comfortable. When wiping edges of a butt of bead can use just your wrist to twist the knife but I always teach with the two fingers. 

Talking about fingers haha. I use my fingers to finger fill bull nose bead (the 90) and to ''finger'' the pump when cleaning it. Stick your finger in the opening to create pressure. So these fingers can do a lot.


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## Stopper (Nov 5, 2011)

PrecisionTaping said:


> It honestly blows my mind how other than us few Canadian boys, hardly anyone uses a trowel!? I don't understand!
> The only reason I had a taping knife before was to wipe behind my box.
> That's it!
> And since I've discovered DWT I don't even do that anymore! Thanks to 2buck and the boys who educated me on double boxing joints.
> So now it's pretty well just for scraping floors. :yes:


I use a trowel, and before getting auto-taping tools the trowel with a 100mm (4inch) broadknife was what I used most of the time, I always laughed at guys using a trowel and a big 6 inch knife, very cumbersome looking, then there were the ones who used Hawks :blink: and usually very runny mud and hollow joints...

.. back on topic though my left index finger has thickened over the years and is visibly larger than my right from fingering my knife.
Thought the joint was collapsing a month or so ago but its come right again lately.


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## gam026 (Aug 14, 2011)

PrecisionTaping said:


> Even though I have a zook I'm still running allot with my little banjo
> I love that thing! lol


yup i love it to. If u don't get finished what u want in a day, just throw it in a bucket of water. 

Oops. fftopic:


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## PrecisionTaping (Feb 2, 2012)

gam026 said:


> yup i love it to. If u don't get finished what u want in a day, just throw it in a bucket of water.
> 
> Oops. fftopic:


Exactly! Let's go for lunch, toss it in water. It's just so simple to use.
Literally nothing can go wrong with it.


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

TonyM said:


> Hold your trowel or blades as you feel comfortable, as long as the joints are even. All that bollocks about not fisting a trowel and holding it with your fingertips is ridiculous.


Tis not


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## Stopper (Nov 5, 2011)

2buckcanuck said:


> Tis not


Thats because you push ya trowel along, I pull mine, I tend to knuckle it from underneath the handle if i need more stability


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## DLSdrywall (May 22, 2012)

i use both knives and trowels, i wipe tape with my 8" knife, i do beads with 10" knife to load, 6" second coat, and 12" finish. I trowel all butt joints. I trowel stair cases, and high parts. I use whatevers faster, and cleaner for me.


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