# Automatic taping tool or not?



## cristiano (May 2, 2009)

Hi everyone, 
I'm thinking of buying a automatic taper but it looks complicated to operate. I work by myself and tape everything by hand(super taper and corner flusher), it looks to me that when you use the automatic taper you add one more step(automatic taper, corner roller and after that you have to go over with the angle head). I was wondering could use the automatic taper and after that use the corner flusher or do you really have to go through the 3 steps that I mentioned. How long do one needs before he gets the hang of the tool. Thanks.


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## silverstilts (Oct 15, 2008)

There are those among us that will say it is the only way to go ... they will take some getting use to and are not complicated maybe just a few minor headaches at times ... Flats butts are easy , angles can be a little more difficult at times for a beginner. I would compare to 2nd & 3rd coating with the boxes to hand finishing there is no comparison to speed and the quality will depend on your technique and abilities.. I wont lie there will be times you will want to take the bazooka and throw it out in front of a big bus , but with patience it will all work out.


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## JustMe (Apr 17, 2009)

cristiano said:


> Hi everyone,
> I'm thinking of buying a automatic taper but it looks complicated to operate. I work by myself and tape everything by hand(super taper and corner flusher), it looks to me that when you use the automatic taper you add one more step(automatic taper, corner roller and after that you have to go over with the angle head). I was wondering could use the automatic taper and after that use the corner flusher or do you really have to go through the 3 steps that I mentioned. How long do one needs before he gets the hang of the tool. Thanks.


If you use a roller, it should cut down on your time spent flushing. I would also think you should potentially create less problems to your tapes by doing it with a roller first, which can also save time by not having to fix things so much.


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## tapingfool (Mar 11, 2009)

I always use a bazooka and the rest of the tools, it's best to use a roller and glazer for corners, always remember to go a little wider each coat!! good luck.


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## Al Taper (Dec 16, 2007)

cristiano said:


> Hi everyone,
> I'm thinking of buying a automatic taper but it looks complicated to operate. I work by myself and tape everything by hand(super taper and corner flusher), it looks to me that when you use the automatic taper you add one more step(automatic taper, corner roller and after that you have to go over with the angle head). I was wondering could use the automatic taper and after that use the corner flusher or do you really have to go through the 3 steps that I mentioned. How long do one needs before he gets the hang of the tool. Thanks.


 
Call ames tools And they will give you a lesson on their tool rental. Iam like yourself a one show. Iam doing a job right now and have the ames tool. It sooo much faster. 

here the link:

http://www.amestools.com/


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## D's (Jan 15, 2009)

I also use the the super taper but I bought a tapetech bazooka on ebay recently for just under 400 bucks and I'm very happy with it. It's definitely faster and more ergonomic especially for ceiling corners as you don't need stilts. Learning curve was longer than other tools but by the end of the second day I stopped swearing at it. You still need to roll and flush same as for the super taper. No saving time there but bazooka puts way more mud behind the tape so it is possible after you roll to 1st coat the corner rather that just flushing.

The only downside is cleaning it and the pump so I only pull it out for bigger jobs (4 or more rooms), the rest of the time you can't beat the super taper for simplicity. If you're only doing 1-3 room renovations I'd stick to the super taper until you get into doing larger jobs.

Do you have direct flushers and an applicator tube? If not, that might be a better place to start.

D'S


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## tapingfool (Mar 11, 2009)

Al Taper said:


> Call ames tools And they will give you a lesson on their tool rental. Iam like yourself a one show. Iam doing a job right now and have the ames tool. It sooo much faster.
> 
> here the link:
> 
> http://www.amestools.com/


forget ames tools, I will give you a lesson..And I won't outsource my work to china like they do..:thumbup:


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## Bevelation (Dec 20, 2008)

^But you'll probably suck the guy into buying a 5.5" box.


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## scottbayo (Sep 14, 2010)

you guys are all dorks


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## scottbayo (Sep 14, 2010)

i know i'm a little late into the conversation but i thought you all should no !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha im mister drywall bla bla bla !!!!!!! spokes person for ames and **** dorks


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## cazna (Mar 28, 2010)

scottbayo said:


> i know i'm a little late into the conversation but i thought you all should no !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha im mister drywall bla bla bla !!!!!!! spokes person for ames and **** dorks


I can clearly see who the dork is, its you, piss off if your going to be a prick.


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## rebel20 (Jun 4, 2009)

:thumbup:


cazna said:


> I can clearly see who the dork is, its you, piss off if your going to be a prick.


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## suncoast drywaller (Sep 4, 2009)

:thumbup:


rebel20 said:


> :thumbup:


e02699f2-6ef1-42ee-b41f-67b48cd0d227
1.03.01


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## JustMe (Apr 17, 2009)

....


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## walltools (Sep 15, 2009)

cristiano said:


> Hi everyone,
> I'm thinking of buying a automatic taper but it looks complicated to operate. I work by myself and tape everything by hand(super taper and corner flusher), it looks to me that when you use the automatic taper you add one more step(automatic taper, corner roller and after that you have to go over with the angle head). I was wondering could use the automatic taper and after that use the corner flusher or do you really have to go through the 3 steps that I mentioned. How long do one needs before he gets the hang of the tool. Thanks.


The Automatic Taper isn't too complicated at all, at least when it's running well. We received a call from a drywaller in South Dakota the other day that could not get their automatic taper to fill (wasn't a brand we carried), but we were happy to walk them through the problem. Seemed that they couldn't get the clutch to engage/disengage. They told me that the gun was just a couple weeks old. They eventually got it working after 10 minutes or so. Cleaning your Taper after usage and keeping up on routine maintenance is essential. Try not to drop it and take good overall care of it and you should be able to eliminate most issues. Paper jams, cutting issues, leaking issues are all things that you will most likely deal with at some point. Automatic Taping Tools have wear parts that simply will need replacing over time. Complicated... not terribly, but definitely more complicated than a super taper or banjo.

Sounds like you are looking to increase your performance, but seem to think using an Automatic Taper (and the other tools - Corner Roller, Angle Head - and their processes) may slow you down? Most of the taper's I know run in pairs - one guy runs the automatic taper and the other follows behind wiping down and rolling angles. I've seen guys blaze like this. Of course, it's much faster this way than one guy using a super taper or banjo. Depending on the size of your job, and the larger it is, I think your speed with increase exponentially, whether you are a one man show or not. In certain cases, usually when the job is quite small, a guy might decide against using his automatic taper all togeher and opt to do it by hand.

But yes, you will want to use a Corner Roller to embed the tape tightly in the angles to eliminate air pockets. Flush it out with an Angle Head. It shouldn't take you too long to get the hang of it. The Automatic Taper has three wheels on the head (a tall one in the middle and two smaller ones on either side.) Run the taper so that two of these wheels are running against the wall when running flats - so hold it at an angle. If you have more questions feel free to give us a call. 

Most of the manufacturers provide operations manuals, or even dvds that can shed a lot of light on the operation of the tools as well. :thumbsup:


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## DSJOHN (Apr 5, 2010)

silverstilts said:


> There are those among us that will say it is the only way to go ... they will take some getting use to and are not complicated maybe just a few minor headaches at times ... Flats butts are easy , angles can be a little more difficult at times for a beginner. I would compare to 2nd & 3rd coating with the boxes to hand finishing there is no comparison to speed and the quality will depend on your technique and abilities.. I wont lie there will be times you will want to take the bazooka and throw it out in front of a big bus , but with patience it will all work out.


Well said


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## Capt-sheetrock (Dec 11, 2009)

DSJOHN said:


> Well said


 agreed, 

there are STILL times I want to throw it under the bus,,,LOL

BUT you can't beat it


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