# First day on the autotaper!



## prjwebb (Aug 2, 2014)

First run on the 'zook today. Went a hell of a lot better than expected. Frame and boarding isn't great so I had all ready done all the flats and butts and pre-filling with fast set as there was a lot of filling out to do. 
As a result, the first go with the taper was on angles. I didn't sleep well last night!!

Thankfully no jams and everything went fairly smooth. A bit too much drag out of 3ways at times and some bad judgement when cutting but getting the hang of it. Rolling in and glazing with the 3" angle head worked well. No rips today (unlike with banjo yesterday). 
I did find it was a bit messy when glazing. A lot of mud on the corners that was dripping off the angle head as it glazed. Is that normal? I'm used to keeping everything so clean... It was really bad initially but after thickening the mud a little it was a bit better. 

I set aside a good chunk of the day to get the feel of the taper today thinking it'd be massively slow first go I'd probably spend a lot of time unjamming and peeling off half dry tapes, but after less than an hour the ground floor angles were all done and upstairs wasn't prefilled so had to clean out...
Cleaning took longer... Looking forward to giving it another run upstairs on Monday though!

Oh and also had my first go on a homax banjo yesterday in a little WC. Messy piece of junk and even fully open there wasn't enough mud after rolling to glaze.


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

When you get your mud mixed right and the angle head running properly there should be almost no mess. Congrats on a successful first go.:thumbup:


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## Magic (Feb 20, 2014)

You will get the feel of how far to go into the 3 way after a few more houses. 
With glazing its also a finesse thing. I learnsd going last foot up then down. Now i just go down mostly. 
If you ease up a bit on the glazer for the last couple feet you can end with no mud on the floor. Or very littlex:whistling2: 
Dont forget to cut down a sponge for the other end of the tube. Pull it out and re wet it before you start each day. It will keep it moist in there and prevent the cable from going out all the way.


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## prjwebb (Aug 2, 2014)

Thanks for the tips guys. 2bucks threads have been a massive help. Wouldn't have had a chance without those!
Might be giving it another run tomorrow, hopefully I'll see some improvement. 

Do you guys just WD40/Silicone etc or go proper oil on chains also?


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## Magic (Feb 20, 2014)

WD-40 is what ive used for the last 20+ yrs.


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## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

Some manufacturers say that wd40 contains a solvent that has an adverse affect on the rubber and plastic parts. So for that reason I use silicone spray. Olive oil or cooking oil is another option, but it can set up a bit in the cold. 
Don't forget 2Bucks transmission oil trick. If it will be sitting for a while, up end it in a small bucket of tranny oil.:thumbsup:


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## Magic (Feb 20, 2014)

I know the manufacturers say to not use wd but it works great. A few squirts before use and its good for the day. I figure by the time wd does damage it will need a rebuild regardless of what lube I use. Id use silicone lube if it worked as good and didnt stink.


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## nodnarb (Apr 25, 2014)

Magic said:


> I know the manufacturers say to not use wd but it works great. A few squirts before use and its good for the day. I figure by the time wd does damage it will need a rebuild regardless of what lube I use. Id use silicone lube if it worked as good and didnt stink.


Ive had wd eat through rubber several times. Granted it wasnt on a zook, it still happened. Not all the way through just sorta made it pourous and weaker.

Just something to consider, I dont care what lubricant anyone uses. But if it hits rubber id advise against WD.


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## forestbhoy (Jun 16, 2013)

Never had no trouble with wd in 30 years.if it is a bit too runny and you gain an half an hour overall and you take another 5 mins to scrape out, ok in my book imho...


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## prjwebb (Aug 2, 2014)

Gave it another go today. Slightly thicker mud and a bit lighter on the roller on the first pass and used the 3.5" head to glaze instead of the 3". Things were much cleaner. 
Cutting is getting a little better but still needs a lot of work to get accurate every time. 
Washing out was easier with a decent hose and nozzle too.


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