How To Break in a Trowel | Tips and Tricks |
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- What is breaking in a trowel, and what it is not, how it can be down.
#plastering #refina #nela #plaster #howto
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First thing I do with a new trowel, is scrape the corners on a paving stone to round them off, my dad showed me how to do this, he was a very good plasterer, was in the trade all his life.
Absolutely bang on.. The days of one trowel all the way through needed a broke in trowel.... But not so much now... At the mo i put on with a brand new nela carbon, speedskim, sponge, speedskim then finish with an ox flex... Not bothered about the nela breaking in as it puts it on really flat compared to my old marshalltown...
Thanks for the comment. Much appreciated feedback.
At over 70 I’ve had to do a lot of small remedial plastering repairs often because plasterers, understandably, don’t want jobs of a few a square metres or perhaps just one ceiling, wall etc. living in the middle of nowhere means there are fewer plasterers about and getting someone to travel from a distance isn’t easy when they have plenty of work “on their doorstep.” I eventually progressed to doing ceilings and whole rooms, again, out necessity.
I’ve been constantly frustrated by how long it takes me compared to a plasterer and even more so because I can never achieve real flatness.
Watching your videos has taught me instantly what I have been doing wrong or not doing at all. Enormous thanks for the enormous help, but today I discovered unheard of things like breaking in and sharpening trowels!!!! From an engineering background I would never have thought that a plasterers troll should have been anything less than as close to perfectly flat as possible. I tossed a stainless steel trowel away years ago because it felt much less satisfactory to use than carbon steel ones. I have regularly rubbed a fine flat topping file with its length parallel to the long edge of the trowel, just three or four passes to flatten it when it has got microscopic nicks in it.
But bent from end to end and side to side is not something I understand.
Could you please say how much these bends are. On a new preworn trowel would it be thousands if an inch or greater?
Thanks for fascinating videos, clear speech, no distracting background music and just good sense
Hi Andy, you don’t need to measure the bend. It comes from use, applying pressure when trowelling up over time. If you look lengthways down the blade it looks like a banana. Perhaps not that bad, but an obvious bend. By this time your trowel will also be razor sharp. This helps it glide over the plaster easier as well. Getting rid of the judders you experience with a new flat trowel. Sometimes a trowel can bend the wrong way, if you drop it etc, then it’s no good, it will dig in and leave lines, and you will be unable to get a decent finish, so look down the blade for a slight banana shaped bend and your all good.
Also if you get nicks in your trowel, get a sharpening stone, wet it, and rub it over the nicked area, as though you are slicing the stone with the trowel. This takes out the nicks best in my experience
Stainless steel are way harder to break in than carbon steel trowels too. A stainless can take months of daily use to get right, but will last 15 years, whereas a carbon can be broke in within days by a professional, but takes more care and looking after, what with regular rusting etc. carbon easier overall though
Last of all Andy, you engineers are amazing at what you achieve with those big brains of yours, but plastering is more about watching what happens, mixed with a huge sense of feel while you do it. Don’t analyse it like engineers would. It’s a different game, it’s more an art and skill based, than mathematical
@@MrPistolpete1234 thank you very much for taking the time to reply. Fascinating stuff.
Regards
Very well explained. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Nice rendering in the background. I have Nela's - nice trowels.
what grade of wet and dry would you recommend for trying to work a trowel in ?
Very good video 👌👌
I bought a nela carbon steel and it’s leaving major lines I thought it was bent but watching this video it might just be because it’s new what do u think
Please could you do a video, how to plasterboard a landing/staircase, as there is none out there, Dot and Dab possible, best way to cut the shape of the boards etc....
Traditional floor screeding is another great way to break trowels in 👍
Great tip!
Cool nice talk 👍
great channel alex keep up the good work mate 👍👍👌
atb simon
Retired Concrete Finisher get some Plastering to I round the corners off on a block play the trial on a flat surface put a dime underneath the first and second rivet and give between the first and second river and the handle the shank give me a little tap with a hammer and it'll raise the nose and then go on a hard Edge and scrub and it'll be broken by the end of the day I've worn down 4-inch trials Stihl shank right down the fan and trials
Mt permashape and tyzack trowels ready to go brand new from the box. I’ve got broken in mt xtra lite carbon and nela carbon. Always handy to have numerous rendering jobs for breaking in a trowel but it’s not absolutely necessary in my opinion.
Could I practice my trowel techniques by just gliding my trowel across a wall (without any plaster) trying to keep my trowel angle consistent, or will it damage my trowel?
It won’t do it any harm. Most trowels are pretty robust. 👍
How are you getting on with the Refina superflex 3? I couldn’t get on with it. Didn’t think to try it on render…
Sneaky you noticed that in there. We have only just bought it. We are just breaking it in as we speak before we give the review. 🤫
So far it’s had about 7 hours had use on render and about an hour on skimming today. Not there yet.
@@AlexMorleyPlastering I’ve got the Refina superflex 3, nela mediflex and the mt flex. Can’t get used to any of them but thought I’d try them out because my elbow and shoulder is starting to play up the past 12 months and I thought they’d take some of the strain off. Back and knees not doing too well either 😩
@@joedainton2189 tennis elbow it sounds innocuous don’t it but if u get it it’s really debilitating as as work is concerned u won’t b able to hold a cup of tea let alone trowel up a wall u should start strapping up ur elbow now every day before starting work with sport straps (prevention is better than cure) I’ve had it now for about 4 years can’t get rid of it and wished ide strapped me elbow early when the the symptoms (which ur starting to show) first started
Hi Alex,was just wondering what your opinion is of the Marshalltown Permashape trowels?
Honestly……..overpriced I’m afraid. Without a doubt MT is one of the best names in the plastering industry but they don’t hold the Monopoly on flexible trowels. Stick to Refina/Nela and Ox as a last resort. (Hate the handle)
Thanks, great videos 👍
I have recently just passed a college course and have purchased said trowel and when I look down the length it does banana , is that correct or have I bought a defect
We don't get all the makes of high quality trowels, found in the UK, in the country where I live. One thing I was wondering is do all these trowels come with a slight bend on the edges. The trowel I have is completely flat, which seems to create suction at times. Thanks
Hi Grant thanks for your message. You mind if I ask which country you are in. As MT is pretty international.
Nela and Refina are a bit smaller, but they do ship around the world.
If you can get hold of
Marshalltown, Nela, Refina, Tyzack, Curry, Ragni, OX. All are very good brands.
Regards how flat they are. A lot of them do come like that. The more you use them, the more they generate a curve.
@@AlexMorleyPlastering Thanks for the reply. I am in South Africa, so could maybe get it shipped from the UK but I don't see any local suppliers. Thanks for the reply about the curve, was just something I was wondering about. It seems to make things a bit more difficult having a super flat trowel. Enjoying your channel, some really good content.
Hi Alex, I bought a Nela chrome steel 13” trowel about a week ago. While trying to break it in its starting to take the shape like a drywall curved trowel. Any idea why?
Chrome or carbon?
As in bending the wrong way?
nooice
Best place to find an old used carbon trowel ? Apprentice is having a nightmare with his new one and I don’t have a spare setter 🤣
eBay or Facebook are the best places. eBay has so many worn in trowels.
Bit harsh on B&Q