drywall cornerbead crimper toll
mjcwoodworks
| Posted in Tools for Home Building on
Watched a drywall contractor a few years back using a cornerbead crimping tool. I didn’t have time to talk to him about it. I was wondering if anyone out there could give me some feedback (good/bad) about such tools. A good one and where to get it. Thanks ahead of time.
“Gentle to the touch, exquisite to contemplate, tractable in creative hands, stronger by weight than iron, wood is, as William Penn had said,”a substance with a soul.'”
Eric Sloane
Edited 8/4/2008 5:39 pm ET by mjcwoodworks
Replies
I use one for my infrequent drywall work.
Even if you add a few nails to the bead here and there - it is very handy to use the crimper to quickly and easily set the bead square and flush on the corner.
I've seen them at Home Depot and they are identical in form and function to the one I have.
Usually run about $40-55 new.
Julian
Works great for the most part. Not good for commercial work though. If the corner gets hit hard enough the corner bead will tear off.
View Image
Found this on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=corner+bead+crimper&x=23&y=11
"It is what it is."
Thats all thats used for commercial work in these parts. At least in the high rises we work in.ML
The 1 1/8" crimper is for 1 1/8" bead. I use 1 1/4" expanded metal mesh bead, and a 1 1/4" crimper. Crimp the bead in a few spots, check it for straight and for proper mud fill on both sides, then finish crimping.Forget the spray adhesive, and use hot mud (e.g. Durabond 90) for at least the first coat. Spend a little extra time squishing it through the mesh to adhere to the paper beneath. Don't try to be smooth at first. I actually work at right angles to the bead for a few heavy strokes, wipe down my mess, then put on a smooth coat. It's the most bombproof way of putting on bead. I've repaired where a heavy cart smashed the bead in about 1/2", but the bead didn't pull free.Sheet metal bead with a few 1/4" holes punched in it just doesn't get bonded to the drywall the same. Once you see the long crack at the 1 1/4" line, you might as well tear it off. And put on some mesh bead.AitchKay
I wasn't saying they don't. I was on a hospital job and a school where they both speced that they be screwed to the studs. I guess carts and such would rip them off. I figured if the cart hit the wall hard enough to rip the bead off then it would still severely damage the one that was screwed on and would have to be replaced anyway. Friggin' archys!
"It is what it is."
Agreed. See a lot attached with 3M spray adhesive and staples too. But thats mostly fro reveals and low walls. ML
I use mine whenever I set corner bead. I also like to use 3M spray adhesive to help hold the corner bead on, especially with metal studs.
With wood studs, I'll nail the corner bead after I use the setting tool. Crimping the corner bead on seems to help line everything up.
Thanks everyone.....I guess my real problem is that the customer insisted on 5/8 drywall and after shiming and spacing out some of the repairs ..... I don't think a screw will grab any wood in some of the spots that the cornerbead will cover."Gentle to the touch, exquisite to contemplate, tractable in creative hands, stronger by weight than iron, wood is, as William Penn had said,"a substance with a soul.'"Eric Sloane
I don't think its the case anymore but there used to be narrow bead and what was used mostly commercial. The crimper didn't work on that cheap bead, not wide enough.
Make sure you're not finding that narrow line.
Another alternative is spray adhesive and plastic bead or one of the "paper" type/no coat.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
If you have any doubts about catching the framing with a fastener, definitely use spray adhesive. Be sure to spray both the corner bead, and the sheetrock.
I know of corner bead I put up over 10 years ago that's still in place, with no cracks, using spray adhesive only.
You might want to visit a drywall supply house and look at some tape-on corner bead. Some carry widths up to 2". One brand that comes to mind is "No-Coat" (there are others). HD has some tape on but it's standard width.Sometimes we double up drywall to make up for plaster that was demoed and the tape on corner bead is the ticket.You can also use original StraightFlex availabe at HD.good luckJim
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.- Fyodor Dostoyevski
I guess my real problem is that the customer insisted on 5/8 drywall and after shiming and spacing out some of the repairs ..... I don't think a screw will grab any wood in some of the spots that the cornerbead will cover.
I'd use mud-on cornerbead, with the paper edges. Works great, its the only kind I use now anyway. If you get enough mud under it, its a lot stronger because you have a solid corner, whereas with the nail on its only got empty space behind the corner.View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product†– Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Crimpers generally come in two sizes 1 1/4" and 1 1/8" . Get the 1/8th as these hold the bead better. Any good drywall supplier will have these tools and they run about $75 for a good one. Three things to remember. 1. there are 4 bolts that hold the thing together and allow it to crimp when you hit it with a mallet. The nuts will work loose so check them before use. 2. use the rubber mallet that comes with the tool. The urge to use a heavier hammer (a dead blow for instance) will leave you with a broken shaft inside the crimper. 3. when using the crimper it requires two hits to install the bead. Hold the crimper over the bead hit the back of the crimper (above your hand but below the plunger) this sets the bead square to the corner next hit the crimper sharply and squarely on the plunger. You can tell by the sound if a person knows how to use a crimper it is a very distinctive double tap. Nothing beats a crimper for production work and you can usually get straighter corners from your less skilled help as opposed to them using screws or nails.
You're so right about the nuts.
I finally replaced them all with the nylon insert lock nuts, so I wouldn't have to scrounge for the nuts every time I used the crimper.
+1 with replacing the nuts with nylocks. Been there done that.