# flat box for a dummie



## guijarrero (Oct 17, 2011)

Hi! 
Can anyone tell me how does a flat box works? Is it a must to buy box + handle??
Why I'm asking?
I'm in Southest country in South America -Argentina, tango´s and soccer land- and is not only impossible to find drywall tools like banjos, flat boxes, but also really expensive (7x or 8x) and worst, highly possible to your shipping from amazon or some, to be stucked in any burocratic Custom step 

So.. I had the idea of asking a friend who live in USA to bring just the box  in his next trip to my country
(not the handle, that is messy to move in airports) and then try (if it were possible) to improvise a handle by my means

What I'm asking is (and excuse my ignorance :boat if the handle play any roll like bringing the mud or something. Think I never saw one (just pictures) and I'm really ignorant of how it works.
I hope you'll understand my question and easyly can answer it
Thank you!!:thumbup:


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

Cool, someone from south America, welcome aboard

Try youtube to see one in action

I would go for a 8 or 10" box though, personally with me, I would go with the 10" first.

The handle is important, it has a brake on it to lock the box and so on. It's a tool that would be hard to make.

They do sell a short handle around 18" long, maybe someone can find you that link, I would a least try to get the short handle.

So google up youtube, and watch some in action, and see what you think:thumbsup:


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## Checkers (Jun 25, 2010)

Get a 10", you can do a ten-ten and be fine for any finish.
Have your friend bring a rolling suitcase and screw a 34" Tape Tech fixed box handle onto the suitcase in place of the extend able handle, that should pass customs easily!


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

You will need a mud pump as well. Are you doing drywall as a regular job?Here is a video of a flat box working.


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## guijarrero (Oct 17, 2011)

Ey! friends! thank you very much for the data!

Thanks for recomendation of 10' box (I had arrived to same conclusion by browsing over there and your confirmation helps very much)

Mud pumps are easy to find, thanks!!

I thought short handle will be last solution but, wait!! then I found this!!
short but NO BRAKE!!









http://www.all-wall.com/New-Items/SuperFinish-Flat-Box-Handle.html
If boxes works with this...
I really thing I can home made it..
Please I prefer to hear expert finisher's opinions!! :whistling2:


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## Capt-sheetrock (Dec 11, 2009)

guijarrero;40451
Please I prefer to hear expert finisher's opinions!! :whistling2:[/QUOTE said:


> Dern, I guess that leaves me out
> ,,


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

whys it so hard to ship things into your country, your a democratic republic , same as the states.?????

If you can make that handle, your in the wrong trade

But if you can, go for it, but you will eventually want the long one


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## cazna (Mar 28, 2010)

Yes that handle works well with no brake, Becouse its short and you can lever it about to suit your self and you hands are closer to the box, You cant swing about a long handle the same way so they need a brake, You need a longer extenable braked handle so you can do ceiling seams from the floor and not off planks like you will have to with that short handle, Thats for seams that are easy reach, hallways etc and run sideways, not up and down.


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## guijarrero (Oct 17, 2011)

> whys it so hard to ship things into your country, your a democratic republic , same as the states.?????


My friend 2buck, do you remember _*Wile E. Coyote* and the *Road Runner? 

*_the Coyote dayly got his new hunting machines to ACME who brought them by mail service.. Well you have to understand that Coyote's way of life is a reflection of USA way of life, you have this goal, we don´t. Nonetheless 
we have our goals, we are a democratic and flexible country (we let Chilian, Bolivian, Paraguayan, Peruan to enter our country and give them documantation easyly, for example), but flexibility is exactly oposite to firm. And also its complement. We don't have a secure and extrictly organised mail service protocol, thats why package get lossed sometimes and usually you pay 4x 5x or more for things from USA. You cannot undestand how we live like this.. we cannot understand things from your country (see zeigeist ideas, not all is true.. but.. all we have failures Dont we?)

I have little resources now and prefer to ask my friend bring 2 boxes and improvise handles y buy 2 Homax banjos for U$S 150.-each one ( near 4x) from amazon intermediate and I'm done!! 
:thumbsup:thanks your help, dont upset, it was usefull


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## guijarrero (Oct 17, 2011)

Excuse me Senior member= expert
junior member=newbie or unexpert
Capt-sheetrock=expert sheetrock?
Isn't that?
Come on, post what you learned..
But.. good joke eh Captain?!


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## VANMAN (Jan 14, 2011)

guijarrero said:


> My friend 2buck, do you remember _*Wile E. Coyote* and the *Road Runner? *_
> 
> the Coyote dayly got his new hunting machines to ACME who brought them by mail service.. Well you have to understand that Coyote's way of life is a reflection of USA way of life, you have this goal, we don´t. Nonetheless
> we have our goals, we are a democratic and flexible country (we let Chilian, Bolivian, Paraguayan, Peruan to enter our country and give them documantation easyly, for example), but flexibility is exactly oposite to firm. And also its complement. We don't have a secure and extrictly organised mail service protocol, thats why package get lossed sometimes and usually you pay 4x 5x or more for things from USA. You cannot undestand how we live like this.. we cannot understand things from your country (see zeigeist ideas, not all is true.. but.. all we have failures Dont we?)
> ...


 Hi there lad:thumbsup:
So if u r sent a gift from overseas r u saying it will go missing in the post?


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## guijarrero (Oct 17, 2011)

Many times.. (probably not between europe and USA)
Or youll have to pay 3x 4x or more..
(think powerfull countries played their roll in this if you search for info)


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## VANMAN (Jan 14, 2011)

guijarrero said:


> Many times.. (probably not between europe and USA)
> Or youll have to pay 3x 4x or more..
> (think powerfull countries played their roll in this if you search for info)


Lad if it comes from scotland how does that work?
I sent a corner finisher 2 the usa for 6 british pounds as a gift and i do believe they received it!!:thumbsup:


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## Bazooka-Joe (Dec 31, 2010)

2buckcanuck said:


> Cool, someone from south America, welcome aboard
> 
> Try youtube to see one in action
> 
> ...



I tried that Nuck and then I wished I just double 12'd it, seen a guy years back only runs 12 and no other box, yep double....

to add you can electrical tape a 14 or so wiperknife to a pole and take a tad bit of the compound of the sides, gentey of coarse,

I feel for you the Esay as I had to support myself from a young age and had to suffer with out the Machines for a few years

Get the Columbia Handle I would say is the best on the block for not weighing anything, not cheap but worth it,


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## Bazooka-Joe (Dec 31, 2010)

sad thing is I have a Columbia 4 ft handle I don't use but to ship it there would be hectic,


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## Bazooka-Joe (Dec 31, 2010)

guijarrero said:


> Hi!
> Can anyone tell me how does a flat box works? Is it a must to buy box + handle??
> Why I'm asking?
> I'm in Southest country in South America -Argentina, tango´s and soccer land- and is not only impossible to find drywall tools like banjos, flat boxes, but also really expensive (7x or 8x) and worst, highly possible to your shipping from amazon or some, to be stucked in any burocratic Custom step
> ...


not dumb if ya just don't know


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## guijarrero (Oct 17, 2011)

> not dumb if ya just don't know
> __________________
> It's a beautiful day don't let it get away....


Your right twice
Its just to make a problem a bit funny

I think I have tried to explain my situation in other way here
http://www.drywalltalk.com/f9/can-you-mudd-almost-everything-72-handle-2580/

Another (really funny now:thumbup is this Arg commecial, just to... you know..





 strawbery flavoured condoms





 
thanks for anwers, very generous!!


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## Stopper (Nov 5, 2011)

guijarrero said:


> I really thing I can home made it..
> Please I prefer to hear expert finisher's opinions!! :whistling2:


Ya know, Thats exactly what I thought :thumbup:




























Crude I know but its works well 
I paid a fortune for a hydra reach handle and it was playing up, and as its hydraulic I was afraid I'd not be able to fix it myself if it broke on a job.
So I put this together as a back up.
I can't weld so had to bolt it together from off the shelf parts (well... the wood blocks were off the floor )


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

You get a A+ for ingenuity :thumbup:

I just hope one of your kids did not half to sacrifice their bicycle:whistling2:


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## cazna (Mar 28, 2010)

Thats awsome man, See what us kiwis can do, Not me though, I just work my ass off and go without whatever i have to and get the factory model or two or three.
Hats off to you you though fellow Kiwi, Clever thinking.


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## Stopper (Nov 5, 2011)

cazna said:


> Thats awsome man, See what us kiwis can do, Not me though, I just work my ass off and go without whatever i have to and get the factory model or two or three.
> Hats off to you you though fellow Kiwi, Clever thinking.


 I've got the older style hydra reach but I was worried about it breaking and leaving me unable to use my flat boxes. The new Hydra reach looks pretty cool, so expensive though for what they are.
Might have to bite the bullet and get another proper handle though, just in case. Clients might start to panic if they see me carrying that one on site


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## Kiwiman (Jun 14, 2008)

Now I know what they mean by "Thinking outside the box".....I thank you :whistling2:
Real Kiwi ingenuity in action :thumbsup: keep up the clever thinking.
For those that don't already know, Stopper = Taper in NZ


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## Mudstar (Feb 15, 2008)

crack out the milk bones....................


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## guijarrero (Oct 17, 2011)

> Originally posted by Stopper
> Crude I know but its works well
> I paid a fortune for a hydra reach handle and it was playing up, and as its hydraulic I was afraid I'd not be able to fix it myself if it broke on a job.
> So I put this together as a back up.
> I can't weld so had to bolt it together from off the shelf parts (well... the wood blocks were off the floor )


STOPPER 
What a good name for a brake maker!!:thumbup:
Thank you guy!!
Exelent pictures too!!!:thumbsup:



> Originally Posted by cazna
> Thats awsome man, See what us kiwis can do, Not me though, I just work my ass off and go without whatever i have to and get the factory model or two or three.
> Hats off to you you though fellow Kiwi, Clever thinking.


Are you sure you're not Argentinian???


(just joke as we don't have this tools here -masonry buildig tradition- we are apapted to look for "options" all the time)

thankyou!!!


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## cdwoodcox (Jan 3, 2011)

guijarrero said:


> Another (really funny now:thumbup is this Arg commecial, just to... you know..
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_hwMtG2xCs
> strawbery flavoured condoms


That's funny another 5 minutes and she would be blowing on the (gum).:thumbup:


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