# how to straighten a trowel



## bandito (Jun 24, 2008)

Hi,

My trowel of choice is Curry which I have been using for about a year now. My only complaint is that after two or three jobs using sheet rock or sheet rock/mud mixture the trowel begins to bow. With regular mud the bowing effect doesn't happen. Problem is that I have to keep buying trowels every few months and would rather attempt to straighten them instead. Is this possible to to?


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## rhardman (Jul 7, 2009)

bandito said:


> Hi,
> 
> My trowel of choice is Curry which I have been using for about a year now. My only complaint is that after two or three jobs using sheet rock or sheet rock/mud mixture the trowel begins to bow. With regular mud the bowing effect doesn't happen. Problem is that I have to keep buying trowels every few months and would rather attempt to straighten them instead. Is this possible to to?


 
Why not use knives that were intended for drywall?
It will take a few days to get used to them but in the long run, I think you'll like them better.

Call DeAnne at Advance-Equipment.com. She was offering samples a while back. Mention DrywallTalk.

Admittedly, that trowel you are using is nice for running metal.


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## SlimPickins (Aug 10, 2010)

bandito said:


> Hi,
> 
> My trowel of choice is Curry which I have been using for about a year now. My only complaint is that after two or three jobs using sheet rock or sheet rock/mud mixture the trowel begins to bow. With regular mud the bowing effect doesn't happen. Problem is that I have to keep buying trowels every few months and would rather attempt to straighten them instead. Is this possible to to?


How thick are you running your mud? I use a stiff 12" for first coat, when the mud is a bit thicker, and then for my looser skim I use a Marshalltown X-tra Lite (with the stay-flat blade). The blade is a little more flexy on the skim trowel, but with the loose mud it works great...and I've been using the same trowel since 1996.


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

rhardman said:


> Why not use knives that were intended for drywall?
> It will take a few days to get used to them but in the long run, I think you'll like them better.
> 
> Call DeAnne at Advance-Equipment.com. She was offering samples a while back. Mention DrywallTalk.
> ...


who said it was for knifes,thought it was they couldn't get the plaster guys to pick up on the drywall system,so the painters picked up on it,and they used knifes,and as the plaster guys entered the game,they brought along their tools.think I read that somewhere on here?????
to generalize ,knifes were for more detailed work and better at laying/wiping tape.while trowels were more for applying large amounts of material ,like plaster,stucco,cement etc.so instead of learning a hawk and trowel,it just made sense to "get a bigger knife"when larger amounts of mud were to be applied.
to me it's like arguing which is better ,front or rear wheel drive on a car/truck,a knife your pulling the mud(front wheel drive)while the trowel your pushing the mud (rear wheel drive),make sense ?
the draw back with the H&T is you have two new tools to learn at once,so there's a higher learning curve,the other draw back I see is there is a lot of guys who think they know how to use them but they don't,,,so....if you
#1have one hand position on the trowel,closed tight fist,you don't know what your doing,(there's many positions !!!)
#2do you get knuckle marks in any of you work????
#3can you use the wall like it's a HAWK !!!!!:yes:
#4do you have a lot of ripples or waves in your work
#5do you get more mud on the floor than the wall
#6your strokes should be FAST !!!not slow
have I stirred up a hornets nest here yet


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## Capt-sheetrock (Dec 11, 2009)

2buckcanuck said:


> who said it was for knifes,thought it was they couldn't get the plaster guys to pick up on the drywall system,so the painters picked up on it,and they used knifes,and as the plaster guys entered the game,they brought along their tools.think I read that somewhere on here?????
> to generalize ,knifes were for more detailed work and better at laying/wiping tape.while trowels were more for applying large amounts of material ,like plaster,stucco,cement etc.so instead of learning a hawk and trowel,it just made sense to "get a bigger knife"when larger amounts of mud were to be applied.
> to me it's like arguing which is better ,front or rear wheel drive on a car/truck,a knife your pulling the mud(front wheel drive)while the trowel your pushing the mud (rear wheel drive),make sense ?
> the draw back with the H&T is you have two new tools to learn at once,so there's a higher learning curve,the other draw back I see is there is a lot of guys who think they know how to use them but they don't,,,so....if you
> ...


Well said 2buck,,, So many arguments, so little time. I learned the H&T on stucco, therefore I hold the trowel handle "forward',,, the drywall guys round here, hold their handles"backwards", so If you walk on a job and grab a trowel "forward", you are atuomattically disnissed. However, like you hinted at, its all in handleing the trowel, sometimes you only have a cpl of fingers on it, and may end up with knuckles in the mud. I use an 8" trowel for beads and a 10" for flats(bed coat) hooked, some call it a bowed trowel, I call it a hooked trowel, and an 11" for skim. Some guys use a 20 or 22" trowel. It seems to me that there is a much bigger discrepancey for trowels than for knives.

As for how you can tell if someone knows how to use a trowel,, just stand back and wacth for abit,,, it becomes obvious.:thumbsup:


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## 1/2 irish (Nov 21, 2010)

*Use a Factory Bowed trowel...*

Not for nothing but instead of dealing w/ that problem of trying to staighten out your bent trowel, start using a Bowed Trowel. The amount of hand pressure will create your flatness of finishes. And always have a 6" knife on you, a knife and bowed trowel go hand and hand w/ the use of a hawk.


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## SlimPickins (Aug 10, 2010)

Capt-sheetrock said:


> As for how you can tell if someone knows how to use a trowel,, just stand back and wacth for abit,,, it becomes obvious.:thumbsup:


I can only go in one direction I've tried so many times to go in the other so I could be like a real plasterer, but I just don't have the control that I do with the other. I know, it probably means that I suck

I don't have any ripples though


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## Capt-sheetrock (Dec 11, 2009)

SlimPickins said:


> I can only go in one direction I've tried so many times to go in the other so I could be like a real plasterer, but I just don't have the control that I do with the other. I know, it probably means that I suck
> 
> I don't have any ripples though


 I feel your pain,,, after doing EIFS stucco, I am pretty fast with a trowel, but when I watch a plaster guy, I know I still suck !!


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## McDusty (Oct 12, 2009)

Curry trowels :thumbsup:, don't switch to using knives. that's not good advice. unless you like being slow, then that's great advice.


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## Bevelation (Dec 20, 2008)

I have four Curry stainless trowels, all about 4 years old now. I love them, and they are all I use. They've been used, abused, dropped onto concrete numerous times, and they have never failed me yet. I haven't experienced any bow or permanent bending to any of them, and I push pretty hard on them when I make my cuts. Are you using the stainless ones?


Okay, now that I re-read your original post, maybe I have some ideas for when you use hot mud.
1. Use a smaller Curry trowel. I'm assuming you use 5" wide trowels? Maybe try a 4x10 or 4x11.

2. Spread and shape your hot mud from the center of the trowel as much as possible. When you work with the trowel on the flat first, you won't have as much of a ridge to cut later. Maybe don't angle your trowel so sharply either.

3. Maybe thin down the hot mud a bit. It shouldn't have to be thicker than grits...at least I hope.


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## DSJOHN (Apr 5, 2010)

I was taught on a trowel[31yrs ago] much faster than knives..IMO... Like Mcdusty said --dont switch now. Use a curved trowel,,the pressure and angle does it all--one hint---when pulling a wall flat[horizontal] turn the bottom of the trowel slightly so its ahead of the top,thus less mud falling off the end. Dont try to finish as you put it on, put more on the flat than needed as fast as you can,than 2 or 3 quick passes will clean it up to perfection. Hope this helps


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## justadrywallguy (Sep 10, 2010)

bandito said:


> Hi,
> 
> My trowel of choice is Curry which I have been using for about a year now. My only complaint is that after two or three jobs using sheet rock or sheet rock/mud mixture the trowel begins to bow. With regular mud the bowing effect doesn't happen. Problem is that I have to keep buying trowels every few months and would rather attempt to straighten them instead. Is this possible to to?


I only use a trowel when plastering, but sometimes if I get build up on the rod the blade will bow in certain places. I just clean the rod an tap it with my margin trowel till it straitens back out. Dont happen to often. Guy that I cubbed under taught me that.


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## kirkgiordano (Apr 10, 2013)

*answer to, "How to straighten a trowel"*



bandito said:


> Hi,
> 
> My trowel of choice is Curry which I have been using for about a year now. My only complaint is that after two or three jobs using sheet rock or sheet rock/mud mixture the trowel begins to bow. With regular mud the bowing effect doesn't happen. Problem is that I have to keep buying trowels every few months and would rather attempt to straighten them instead. Is this possible to to?


yes it's possible and takes practice. I am sending a link to show you how as an explanation simply will not work. Hope this help anyone with this issue, of course I have fixed about 20, it take practice.
Kirk
http://youtu.be/Wkl9K62el4M


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## bandito (Jun 24, 2008)

I forgot all about this thread. Thanks for the reply. You can real see the difference between the before and after.


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