Replies

1. 
   sdr25 | Mar 31, 2003 04:45pm | #1

   Use a good calking gun, toss the $1.95 special.

    

   Cut the end of the tube on an angle and don't cut it too big. Applying too much material is what gets most folks in trouble.

    

    Either push or pull the gun on an angle at a steady pace with steady pressure on the trigger.

    

   And biggest secret is... Practice.

    

    

    

   Scott R.
1. 
   JMartindal1 | Mar 31, 2003 10:43pm | #7

   Cut the end of the tube on an angle and don't cut it too big

   I cut mine straight...have a fit when someone cuts my tubes at an angle. Guess it is all what u get used to. But I do tend to cut them small, go back more than once for recoat.

   As for brands, I like OSI best resists mildew, paintable, indoor & out.

1. 
   sdr25 | Apr 01, 2003 05:10pm | #17

   Jim I more like you. Depending on what I'm calking and how much room I have to maneuver the gun, many times a straight cut works best.

   For somebody that doesn't have the pratice of laying down a good bead an angle cut is the best method.

    

   As for tooling my goal is to lay a bead that doesn't need it.

    

   Dick, I bought my calking guns at a local lumber supplier. The cheap ones are typically the notched ratchet type where you need to rotate the plunger rod to release pressure. I find it difficult to do a decent job with these styles.

    Scott R.

2. 
   goldhiller | Mar 31, 2003 04:55pm | #2

   All I can do is tell you what I do. Can't show you from here.

   Cut the tip at as close to 45° as you can at a point far enough back that the opening suits your needs. Make sure the cut is very clean and free of any errant plastic burrs. I then hold the gun at an approx. 60° to the surface. Both of these angles are important as is the size of the bead you allow to flow out.

   If you're doing an inside corner (which is usually the case), make sure the tube is rotated in your caulk gun so that the tip is nestled nicely and that the dispensing of the caulk is even on both sides of the joint as it emerges.

   Now it's time to start squeezing and moving. Keep the two coordinated. This will vary from one caulk to another and with temperature. I'm a "puller". In other words, the longest part of the cut tip actually does the shaping. Some folks are "pushers". I've read articles with recommendations both ways.

   Your results will immediately tell you if you're doing something wrong. Slight adjustments to angle, feed rate and tip rotation can make all the difference. After a bit of practice, it all becomes second nature. Do it right and you won't be reaching for it with a finger because there's nothing you could possibly improve upon.

   I use a gun with a thumb release that allows me to shut down the flow instantly.

   Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
1. 
   NormKerr | Mar 31, 2003 07:25pm | #3

   Advice for novices:

   use soapy water on your finger

   Don't be shy about using enough soapy water (in other words, keep your finger real wet and slippery - as soon as you start to feel the caulk 'grabbing' and sticking to your skin stop, clean off your finger with a clean paper towel, re-wet your now clean finger and proceed).

   The technique of putting down the caulk in one-step, perfect beads is pretty hard for folks to master when they aren't doing it all the time. Soapy water can make all the rest of us look pretty good!

   My mistake was always that I did not use enough soapy water and keep my finger religiously clean.

   Also, you will often find that less caulk is enough (putting down too much just makes more messy caulk to wipe up with your finger).

   Also, make sure to use foam backer rod to fill any deep gaps (caulk can only do so much).

   Also, don't try and get a long lasting water-tight seal around a tub if there is no gap for caulk to even get in to (leave a small space, like 1/16", for the caulk to go into and help 'key' it in place, don't just run the tub surround right down onto the top of the tub).

   Norm

2. 
   Dick38 | Mar 31, 2003 07:28pm | #4

   Hi GOLDHILLER and Scott,

   Thanks for the quick response, Ive looked for a goog caulking gun, where did you

   get yours?

   Thanks, Dick

1. 
   DaveRicheson | Mar 31, 2003 08:14pm | #5

   Butyl caulk can be tooled with the soapy water and a spong brush or a small synthetic bristhle paint brush. Do not use your finger! The caulk will stick and drag even on a wet soap finger. A foam applicator will carry a lot more soapy water than your finger. Do not over tool the joint. A good even bead applied as others have mentioned will even out with one or two strokes of the brush. Much more than that and you start dragging the caulk out.

   On silicone caulks use lacquer thinner, acetone, or MEK solvents on your finger to tool the joint.

   I have never used soapy water on latex caulk, but since it was mentioned I will give it a try. Soap contains surfactants and wetting agents, so I am a little leary of anything that is compatable with latex, that might wash it out or affect its cure.

   Dave

2. 
   goldhiller | Mar 31, 2003 08:15pm | #6

   Well , I guess I'm uncouth cause I use the cheapies with the thumb release, but they work just fine for me. $5.00 or under.

   If I'm pushing heavier caulks like polys in cooler/cold weather, I have an insulated box equipped with a hair dryer on a thermostat(set at about 90F) and keep the tubes in there, rotating them as necessary when the one I'm working with becomes too stiff to use. In cold weather, I cover the tube in the gun with a couple of old socks to prolong the working period.

   Oh yeah.........forgot to mention. If you get one of those guns with the tip cutter on it..........my advice is don't use it to cut the tip. I've never been able to get it to cut a 45 and the cut won't likely be clean enough to ensure a good bead anyway. Use your sharp utility knife to cut the tip to that 45.

   Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.

   Edited 3/31/2003 1:19:29 PM ET by GOLDHILLER

1. 
   NickNukeEm | Mar 31, 2003 10:47pm | #8

   Sorry to highjack the thread, but this question is related.  Sort of.  Anyone use or recommend the air driven caulk guns, and if so, how do they work out?  Since I drag an air compressor to most job sites anyway, I figured an pneumatic gun might be worth keeping the compressor around a day or two longer than planned.  Any experiances with the air caulking guns?

1. 
   MikeSmith | Mar 31, 2003 11:41pm | #9

   nick... bought one of the english quart size about two years ago... another one of those tools i wonder how we lived without.. i'm pretty sure it paid for itself in about two jobs of gluing 3/4 subfloorMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

2. 
   jonblakemore | Apr 01, 2003 12:20am | #11

   Mike,

   How you figure?

   I don't think it takes that long to lay down a bead with a hand powered gun.  Am I missing something?Jon Blakemore

3. 
   JohnSprung | Apr 01, 2003 01:19am | #13

   The good ones are made in England, the company name is Williamson or Wilkinson, something like that.  I got one for about $15 at, of all places, HD.

   -- J.S.

3. 
   Qtrmeg | Apr 01, 2003 12:19am | #10

   Wanna give a clue what you are caulking? The details are endless...

4. 
   WorkshopJon | Apr 01, 2003 01:00am | #12

   Wouldn't how much tip you cut off the tube, at an angle or not, and what (if anything) you use as lubricant on your finger all be a function of what type of caulk you are using and what for? ie. interior/ exterior, etc, etc. When I caulked the cedar siding on my house, I used paintable acrylic latex caulk and laid down a relatively small bead (jpg #1) because it shrinks a lot. On the other hand, the contractor who built my garage caulked it with a very wide thick bead of polyurethane caulk (jpg #2). He practically cut half the tip off the tube. After one year there are no signs of shrinkage or cracking and it still remains quite flexible (almost spongelike). Certainly wouldn't try that with latex caulk.

   Jon

   
1. 
   92588 | Apr 02, 2003 03:05am | #19

   those are some pretty ugly caulk joints if you ask me. must be trying to hide a shoddy cut

1. 
   WorkshopJon | Apr 02, 2003 10:49pm | #20

   "those are some pretty ugly caulk joints if you ask me. must be trying to hide a shoddy cut"

   The cuts were actually pretty tight. Not sure of the reason they are so large. Certainly cost the contractor a lot more to do it that way, as the caulk was over $6.00 a tube, and I think he used about twenty tubes on the garage. Maybe that is the recommended way to lay down polyurethane caulk, beats me. What kind of a name is A92588?

   Jon

   Edited 4/2/2003 3:51:43 PM ET by WorkshopJon

1. 
   MrPita2 | Apr 03, 2003 07:49am | #21

   My guess would be he's "A 9 to 5 idiot?"  (if this is wrong, no offense, A92588)

   If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.

2. 
   92588 | Apr 29, 2003 04:59am | #34

   sorry it took so long to get back but they just let me out. 92 5/8s ....the length of what i might ask?

1. 
   WorkshopJon | Apr 29, 2003 05:38am | #35

   Either you are trying to say U are a stud(ly?) or you are serving time. Either way, glad I don't have small children...Or adolescent girls.

   Jon

   Edited 4/28/2003 10:42:04 PM ET by WorkshopJon

2. 
   ponytl | Apr 29, 2003 05:44am | #37

   Vulkem... man i swear by it... it does have to be warm to use and you better have a good gun... i use it to hold alum commerical storefronts into brick/block openings with no other fasteners... I've had cars drive thru the front of buildings and take the block out before the vulkem gave way...  one thing it seems a tube of vulkem goes further than any other caulk i've ever used... i use it with hardie planks also... works really well...

2. 
   darrel | Apr 29, 2003 05:44am | #36

   I have no idea where I read this tip, but just tried it out for the first time this weekend.

   Use an ice cube to tool the caulk. I brought out a tray of them and it made for a very quick, smooth line.

   Now...my caulk question...how in the hell do you get the half-used tubes to not completely gunk up after sitting for a few days?

2. 
   booch | Apr 03, 2003 04:28pm | #22

   That Vulkem is tough stuff to push out of a tube. I bought one at the HD and tried it for a small project. Man alive you need to be popeye to run the gun. It was like pushing mortar it was so dense. Possibly mine was a bad batch but it scared me off of that material.Jack of all trades and master of none - you got a problem with that?

1. 
   WorkshopJon | Apr 03, 2003 06:06pm | #23

   Never used the stuff myself yet, but still have a tube the builder gave me. I just gave it a squeeze and it feels like it has cured up in the tube (unopened, but 1 year old). So what you say probably is right. It probably has a short shelf life. I have had a few people tell me that it is the best caulk to use for wood siding [in our climate]. For what it costs, I would hope so. When you used it, how large a bead did you lay?

   Jon

1. 
   KenHill3 | Apr 03, 2003 06:43pm | #24

   I've done A LOT of caulking in my work, particularly for paint grade siding, most notably fiber cement. With the tip cut cleanly at approx. 45 deg. and run tightly against the joint, my goal ( as another poster said) is a bead no bigger than the tip right out of the gun with no 'fingering' or messing around to tool it- a waste of time (for siding, anyways). Again, a common mistake is to put out too much material. My choice is definitely polyurethane- OSI, Vulkem, and Sikaflex are the best IMHO. Man, you gotta have this stuff warm enough to squeeze it out the tube, though!

   Ken Hill

2. 
   booch | Apr 03, 2003 09:56pm | #25

   I was popping an artery just to get it out of the tube. As I remember HD had about 3 cases on sale at the time. Almost looked like a closeout. I used it for filling some ugly gaps at the roofline to the fascia behind the eaves trough. Short of ripping off the roof this was the only way to make the gap animal proof.

   I cut the nozzle at full bore about 1 inch from the metal endplate of the tube. it laid a 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch bead. Like I suggested above, my work was more putty to keep the metal roof edging proximal to the new wood fascia which hid behind the aluminum that covered the wood fascia. Not my proudest work, solid secure, effective, but ugly.Jack of all trades and master of none - you got a problem with that?

1. 
   KenHill3 | Apr 05, 2003 08:11am | #26

   I hate it when that happens!

   Ken Hill

2. 
   IMERC | Apr 05, 2003 09:25am | #27

   Booch I use Vulkem almost exclusively. Warm is best. The shelf life is 4 or 5 years. Makes it's own self sealing plug. Easy to reuse / reopen the tube.

   Long list of colors. Matches mortor. Texture and color. Paintable. Gorilla strength stickum. Streches like buble gum. Compresses like a sponge. Sticks to about anything except water and oil.

   Tools well with mineral spirits and a plastic spoon. Comes 30 tubes [10 oz] to a case. $103.00 wholesale.

   Freeze / thaw stable. Smooth or bumpy. Viscosities in liquid [pour] medium [GP] or DENSE [super thick].

   I use it for GP, chinking, construction adhesive, roof repair, gutters, flashing, vynal, control joints and forever joints. The stuff is almost bullet proof. After it cures nothing seems to bother it.

   Also available in several percentages of expansions. [After it's in it grows]

   10 oz, quart, 2gal, 5gal, 35gal and 55gal sizes available. Can be used with a bulk pressure tank, hose and gun. 10 to 15 psi. Chink A 4k' log house sometime.

   Bad tubes do show up. Mfg will replace them.

   Other wise the stuff is OK.

   Edited 4/5/2003 2:32:48 AM ET by IMERC

1. 
   booch | Apr 05, 2003 05:30pm | #28

   I guess I'll try it again. but this time I'll look for squeezable tubes. The last was like a rock.Jack of all trades and master of none - you got a problem with that?

2. 
   MisterT | Apr 05, 2003 05:42pm | #29

   There is a " catch 22" when it comes to caulk performance/appearance.

   Any given caulk joint will expand/flex as a % of  the joint width.

   So if you cut a joint to a 1/64" and use a caulk that will flex 50%, your caulk will fail if the joint moves more than 1/128".

   But if your a wood butcher and leave a 1/2" gap and put a half a tube in, it  will withstand up to 1/4" of movement without failing.

   And since the amount of movement a joint will experience is usually independent of craftsmanship,(any board will expand and contract the same regardless of who puts it up) the crappy looking joint will perform better than the meticulously crafted one.

   This is one of the many reasons carpenters lose thier minds!Mr T

   Do not try this at home!

   I am an Experienced Professional!

1. 
   IMERC | Apr 05, 2003 06:40pm | #30

   You are right....

   Of all the things I have ever lost, it's my mind I miss the most.

5. 
   Tyr | Apr 01, 2003 02:23am | #14

   How good does it have to look?  I also weld so find one skill helps the other.  I have never used soapy water.  Saliva.  Works great--sometimes tastes bad.  If real picky I have used masking tape on ether side of the joint, run the stuff with a cheap gun, lick my finger, smooth it out over the tape, wait long enough for it to skin over, pull off the tape and give it another shot with the finger.  Beautiful.  Tyr

1. 
   DougU | Apr 01, 2003 08:05am | #15

   Tyr

   I used to  weld but I never wet my finger to tool it down, I guess if your going to smooth it out a wet finger will keep you from getting burned though.

   I'll have to try that next time I weld.

   Doug

1. 
   Dick38 | Apr 01, 2003 04:22pm | #16

   Hi All,

   Thanks for all of the feedback on this subject, I used to weld too, It was as bad as my caulking job's. I just caulk for home repair, etc. Dont' do enough to get good at it.

   Thanks, Dick

1. 
   DaveHagood | Apr 01, 2003 05:14pm | #18

   You can also mark a line on the tip of the tube of caulk with

   a magic marker to act as a sight. Also, I usually apply ####border using two pieces of masking tape where I am going

   to caulk. You have to smooth the finished bead carefully

   or you will end up with a small ridge after you remove the

   masking tape.

2. 
   Tyr | Apr 06, 2003 09:17pm | #32

   Ho, ho.  Actually we had a guy in the welding shop that had a little trouble making the perfect welds I did.  The stuff we made was being painted anyway.  He would use caulk to "pretty things up" (the welds were strong enough--but ugly) and then paint. 

    We caught on and rode the guy for years.  In fact, if you are welding tubing, it will be outside, caulking isn't a bad idea.  There will always be a pin hole, tubing is formed with an oil inside and out, the sun heats up the almost 100% enclosed tube and the oil seeps out the pin hole and looks bad (like on a security door).  Caulking seals it up.

   We used MIG welders so called caulked joints SIG welds (S=Silicone).  Yeah, I know, silicone doesn't take paint--it was just a joke!     Tyr

1. 
   toast953 | Apr 07, 2003 08:20am | #33

   This one, I can't resist, to the poster, cut tube as outlined, an angle, then I square off  " cut" the the narrow end of tube, anywho, for me the deal is to go to your rag, sponge, or paper towel, often. It is not unusal for me to only run 6" to 12" then go to the paper towel. Also don't run out so much caulking, and don't ever get into the habit of running a rental's type caulk joint. Jim J

6. 
   andybuildz | Apr 05, 2003 06:55pm | #31

   When I cut my tube open I "always" cut it on a piece of wood to keep stray edges off that makes the bead ugly. I've seen a lot of newbie carpenters all hot shotted out and wanting to be "fast", cut the tube in the air. No way!

   Also as in that thread a ways back about favorite tools? My answer was the tool on the end of my arm.....my hands. A hit on my finger of spit {or saliva if you dont wanna sound like a .....me} has worked great for me for over 27 years.

   Aint all that complicated really.....as in anything else..."pay attention and practice"

   Be spit on

                Namaste

                              andy

    

   "Understanding yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth"

   Alan Watts

   
   http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM

1. 
   JohnSprung | Apr 30, 2003 02:40am | #38

   > My answer was the tool on the end of my arm.....my hands. A hit on my finger of spit ...

   Maybe for just a small amount of caulking, OK.  But an old glove with tape wrapped around the index finger if you're going to do enough to wear the skin off....  ;-)

   -- J.S.