# H&T sizes?



## br549 (Jun 2, 2012)

I've always used a pan &knife but thanks to seeing a lot of you guys on here I want to pick up a hawk and trowel. What sizes are you guys using? The length of the trowels is pretty self explanitory, just wondering what widths would be better for different things. Would a 14" hawk be good for a 12" trowel, just a couple inches bigger? Sorry for the noob question, I am a H&T noob though


----------



## Mudshark (Feb 8, 2009)

13" or 14", I wouldnt go any smaller on the hawk. (just my opinion)


----------



## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

Mudshark said:


> 13" or 14", I wouldnt go any smaller on the hawk. (just my opinion)


What do you mean (just my opinion) you are right:yes:

14 inches is the standard, 10 to 11" for a trowell also


----------



## SlimPickins (Aug 10, 2010)

Make sure to get a 5" wide trowel....you'll find the 4" is way more difficult to get into corners with, and doesn't hold as much mud.


----------



## carpentaper (Feb 28, 2009)

my go to trowel is my 4.5" x 12" curry trowel. i have the most control with this one. if i am just coating regular joints i use this one to load and my 14.5"x4.5" for skimming. if i am doing lots of big floats i use my 16"X5" trowel to load and my 12" to skim. i like to skim large areas with a 12 because i suffer less fatigue on my hand and arm and i can feather edges better with a small trowel(more control). i like the big trowels for making big loads flatter and easier to sand. i think i will be getting a 20" soon. if i was only going to own one trowel it would probably be a 13"x5". not too big to skim and not too small to load.


----------



## mudslingr (Jul 18, 2010)

I've always used an 11½ x 4½. It's a great medium sized trowel. Not too big and not too small. The width is perfect and this trowel is good for anything especially if you don't like switching out trowels like me. I always do 3 coats on butts anyway so I have no use for anything longer.


----------



## carpentaper (Feb 28, 2009)

my lust for trowels comes from the type of jobs i do. i just like to fully load up a six foot by seven foot patch(doorway closed in for example) with a smaller trowel and then shape it with a few passes from the big trowel. minimal liftoffs and generally flatter. i typically only do two coats over tape no matter what the job. if it is really bad i will fill the lows with hotmud and then load this way. always comes out perfect after skim.

i learned this method working with another taper a year and a half ago. he used a 24" knife and he literally ran across the room with it on a big wall to wall patch. i thought he was crazy. big waste of time switching tools and such when i could just use one trowel. but his method slowly sunk in. what i didn't realize was that reno's and new construction are two different animals. you would never do that on a flat joint in NC. my work got a lot flatter after working with him.


----------



## Mudshark (Feb 8, 2009)

2buckcanuck said:


> What do you mean (just my opinion) you are right:yes:
> 
> 14 inches is the standard, 10 to 11" for a trowell also


I hear ya there 2buck and thanks, just that I often see those smaller hawks like 11" or 12" on shelves at Crappy Tire and some of the other retail stores. Dont know who uses the small ones but wouldnt recommend buying anything that small.


----------



## DLSdrywall (May 22, 2012)

For doing handwork and butt joints i use this 
http://www.all-wall.com/Categories/Trowels/Marshalltown-Permashape-Golden-Stainless.html

14X5"

and for flats i use this 

http://www.all-wall.com/Categories/Trowels/Marshalltown-Golden-Stainless-Trowel.html

11X4.5"


----------



## br549 (Jun 2, 2012)

SlimPickins said:


> Make sure to get a 5" wide trowel....you'll find the 4" is way more difficult to get into corners with, and doesn't hold as much mud.


I was wondering if a 4" wouldn't be big enough to get a good pile of mud onto, to swipe mud onto a butt only 3 times when coating (and not 6), good to know



carpentaper said:


> my go to trowel is my 4.5" x 12" curry trowel. i have the most control with this one. if i am just coating regular joints i use this one to load and my 14.5"x4.5" for skimming. if i am doing lots of big floats i use my 16"X5" trowel to load and my 12" to skim. i like to skim large areas with a 12 because i suffer less fatigue on my hand and arm and i can feather edges better with a small trowel(more control). i like the big trowels for making big loads flatter and easier to sand. i think i will be getting a 20" soon. if i was only going to own one trowel it would probably be a 13"x5". not too big to skim and not too small to load.


Fatigue is one of the reasons that I'm looking into dropping the bigger knives and running a trowel. My right hand, right at the base of my thumb doesn't feel all that great when I'm running a bigger knife sometimes. It bothers me the most when I'm cutting down edges when I put pressure all the way to one side of the knife. A trowel seems like it would take at least some pressure out of that area of my hand and use more of the forearm and wrist together.

I have a 13X5 in my cart right now, good suggestion! (or a good guess on my part)



mudslingr said:


> I've always used an 11½ x 4½. It's a great medium sized trowel. Not too big and not too small. The width is perfect and this trowel is good for anything especially if you don't like switching out trowels like me. I always do 3 coats on butts anyway so I have no use for anything longer.


I also have an 11 X 4 1/2 in my cart. I thought that might be a good first coating trowel, and for butts that I 3 coat, which is all the time lately. I think it's finally dawning on me that I'd rather spend the same half a minute skimming a butt for the third time than I'd instead spend sanding more on it. Since skimming is probably the easiest part of what we do and all... :yes:



DLSdrywall said:


> For doing handwork and butt joints i use this
> http://www.all-wall.com/Categories/Trowels/Marshalltown-Permashape-Golden-Stainless.html
> 
> 14X5"
> ...


Ha! Pretty darn close to what I may end up with here :whistling2:

http://www.walltools.com/marshalltown-13-x-5-permashape-flat-golden-stainless-w-durasoft-handle.html

http://www.walltools.com/marshallto...-flat-golden-stainless-w-durasoft-handle.html

And just because 

http://www.walltools.com/products/d...n-14-x-14-magnesium-hawk-durasoft-handle.html


----------



## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

Get yourself one of these Br549 http://www.marshalltown.com/productDetail.aspx?prodID=12123

:thumbup::thumbup::yes:


----------



## carpentaper (Feb 28, 2009)

2buck is our diehard curved trowel promoter. i've never gotten the hang of them myself.


----------



## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

Curved or bowed trowels are a very handy tool to have.:yes: 2Buck have you tried both? Or is just an Aussie thing.
I have both bowed and curved.


----------



## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

gazman said:


> Curved or bowed trowels are a very handy tool to have.:yes: 2Buck have you tried both? Or is just an Aussie thing.
> I have both bowed and curved.


Huh,,, both:blink:
Whats the purpose of the black handle one?

And quit showing off, put some shoes on, just b/c were going through winter up here.

It becomes my time of the month, when there's snow on the ground:whistling2:


----------



## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

The black handled one is for 2nd coat (Block coat is the term I see used on here) 
It is 39c here today and they are predicting 42c by Sunday:furious:.


----------



## Mudshark (Feb 8, 2009)

gazman said:


> It is 39c here today and they are predicting 42c by Sunday:furious:.


Goodness - that heat is hard to imagine right now


----------



## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

You blokes talk about -20c and the like. I cant imagine that, the coldest I can recall here is -7 on a real frosty morning and that was exceptional. -1 is a normal frosty winter morning, but if we get a frost we know we will have a sunny day.


----------



## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

gazman said:


> You blokes talk about -20c and the like. I cant imagine that, the coldest I can recall here is -7 on a real frosty morning and that was exceptional. -1 is a normal frosty winter morning, but if we get a frost we know we will have a sunny day.


Suppose to go down to - 26 to night for Moose boy, - 18 right now









Minus seven for me

But going up to 2 degrees next week, snow will start melting:thumbup:


----------



## br549 (Jun 2, 2012)

I did the conversion, it's -11.666 degrees C here. If that's a sign shouldn't it be hotter? :furious:


----------



## br549 (Jun 2, 2012)

Hey 2buck, you're a fan of the flex edge right? I use a 360 now for everything but angles and I'm getting a flex edge. Do you like the medium or fine foam pads for angles? I'd like to use medium but is it too rough and will it scratch up a finish coat? That would be.nice if the medium doesn't scratch things up, fine may take too long sanding but then again I've never used it... I'll probly get both to check em out, just wondering what works for anyone who's already been there.


----------



## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

br549 said:


> Hey 2buck, you're a fan of the flex edge right?  I use a 360 now for everything but angles and I'm getting a flex edge. Do you like the medium or fine foam pads for angles? I'd like to use medium but is it too rough and will it scratch up a finish coat? That would be.nice if the medium doesn't scratch things up, fine may take too long sanding but then again I've never used it... I'll probly get both to check em out, just wondering what works for anyone who's already been there.


You can use any foam back sandpaper on the flex edge sander, it will stay on once you apply pressure on the wall with sanding head.

sanding grits depend on type of muds used, AP vs topping mud for example, so we keep 120,150,and 180 at hand. Rule of thumb with angles, the painter is going to use a paint brush to cut in angles, it will leave lines,,,, so you can use a rougher grit:yes:

Use non foam back paper to rough sand with (100 grit) on standard pole sanding head. Use foam back on flex edge sander to only finish sand with:yes:


----------



## br549 (Jun 2, 2012)

2buckcanuck said:


> You can use any foam back sandpaper on the flex edge sander, it will stay on once you apply pressure on the wall with sanding head.
> 
> sanding grits depend on type of muds used, AP vs topping mud for example, so we keep 120,150,and 180 at hand. Rule of thumb with angles, the painter is going to use a paint brush to cut in angles, it will leave lines,,,, so you can use a rougher grit:yes:
> 
> Use non foam back paper to rough sand with (100 grit) on standard pole sanding head. Use foam back on flex edge sander to only finish sand with:yes:


I need to start buying this stuff on rolls like that! Nice:thumbsup:


----------



## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

'' Rule of thumb with angles, the painter is going to use a paint brush to cut in angles, it will leave lines,,,, so you can use a rougher grit:yes:''


I am so glad to hear someone say that!


----------



## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

2buckcanuck said:


> Huh,,, both:blink:
> Whats the purpose of the black handle one?
> 
> And quit showing off, put some shoes on, just b/c were going through winter up here.
> ...


 He never wears shoes:blink:.....With all the Chit they have crawling and slithering around down there I would probably sleep with my shoes on..:yes:


----------



## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

posted twice


----------



## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

moore said:


> He never wears shoes:blink:.....With all the Chit they have crawling and slithering around down there I would probably sleep with my shoes on..:yes:



I can run faster without shoes.


----------



## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

LOL!!!!:laughing:


----------



## cazna (Mar 28, 2010)

The flex edge is a great sander, One if not the best, I tend to use the fine foam pad, Corners, flats, its all good :thumbsup:


----------

