PLASTERING LIME!! our second day using new lime render. Also a quick head torch review. how to 

Ha, sofa sponge, yeah. 👍

@@mastersmurf74 That's a good idea as the sofa sponge is actually more like foam so I agree. 🙂

You know what, I think I may do a review of the Dewalts, heard a few storeys about them breaking down. Mine is a prototype , Dewalt gave it to me to test about a year before they went on sale. It is still going strong with original battery’s . The quality has gone right down hill with the version out now.

@@mastersmurf74 When mixing by 'drill' first came in, I always bought really expensive ones with the thought they would last longer. They rarely did so started buying cheaper ones. Some cheap ones lasted ages, some wore out in 3 months but that was still more cost effective back then and I'd always have a spare on the van as going back to hand whisking was against the law!. Of course, much different now with purpose built tools (you'd hope!).

The irony there would be that you can’t see but everyone else could. The only problem I find is if your forget to turn it off and look at your mate, they soon complain, other than that it’s great in the winter months if you have to move to different areas while plastering. Saves a lot of set up time putting lights about, and fits conveniently in your pocket.

@@mastersmurf74 Ah, but then we go back to the days of plastering by touch as previously discussed! Would have been great in some of the cupboards I got put in! Would come in to play in winter, when you've got to wash the mixer/wheel barrow/shovels, fill the water butts up for the next morning in case the hose freezes and cover the sand up to protect from frost out in the dark outside. Oh, I forgot- no one does that any more. That was site work back in the mean old days!! 😉

@@GeoffAnderson-l5d floating skills help you set better

@@mastersmurf74 Easy reply to this one. It absolutely does. Also highlights what you've done wrong when you have to set on it so you learn from that.

I’m gona bring up the sponge Geoff. 😀. It’s like bringing floating skills to the setting. Works in exactly the same way as a devil float, but without the devils. I thought the sponge float was a new concept, but a couple of years ago I was working for a firm and I met an old boy, plastering on his own. We were working on high end old hotels in need of renovation in Virginia waters, close to wentworth golf course. The walls were all over the place, old timbers everywhere, you know the sort of thing. I was using the sponge and a flexible trowel there. No straightening to be done, follow the contours. Well he told me, they used to tack old carpet to floats to create the same effect. !! I was surprised by that. Really nice old guy, big fella too. Lived on a canal boat. Stayed with the boss during the week and went back up north at the weekends. The boss guy, another old fella who was a right character. Multi millionaire driving a flat bed truck around with his dog. His house with 3 acres of land was like a builders yard. A-mist all the old building materials He had built a pub on the land with a proper full size snooker table in it. 😀

@@mastersmurf74 I'm going to have to mention my dad again! He had a variety of sponge floats in his old tool set. Different thickness's, sizes and sponge 'materials' (none with carpet though!) but all wooden handle/top .I have no idea what he used them for as by the time I started with him, it was all sand/cement/seraphite site work. He would have worked with lime putty though. We've talked here about rubbing things up the next day- I remember him telling me about rubbing lime up 3 weeks later! One thing that sticks out in my mind, mainly because I remember playing with it as a child, was a 'float' with what I can only describe as having rubber spikes. The 'spikes' were quite thick, fairly rigid but did flex. It can't have been used as a scratcher for a scratch coat as there where just too many 'spikes' and it wouldn't have been practical for that. Maybe it was for some sort of textured/dimpled finish on rendering? He started in the mid/late 50's and I know he used to form cove. Was a tool like that used for forming cove? He could have even just made it for himself for some sort of one-off job as we all end up with a variety of tools (cut down trowels, bead formers etc) over the years. I should have tried to look it up before writing this. I still have the tiny little, pointed shape, wooden float he made. Put a matchstick and a tiny bit of sheet as a mast and sail on it and it would look like an old sailing boat! I know what you mean about just following the shapes and 'olde' worlde' timbers and guess what?! Yes, I did sometimes use a sponge or small sponge float (sometimes a wet rubber glove, anything at all!!) to get a finish on those awkward to get at, rounded off shapes. I used to quite enjoy that type of work as it made a change from the 'normal' but I could never price it as it was just too fiddly. Just one wall on a really old house might have 20 small, all shaped areas to do and the wood would have to kept clean (as possible). If it was a private person, I'd explain that but I never had a problem as I'd been recommended in the first place and before anyone says, no, I never took the p*ss and stretched a job like that out for 6 months on a day rate. I just did what was sensibly possible each day to get the finish the person wanted! My tips for apprentices out there on this aspect. Sometimes, you may have to do something that isn't a straight, flat piece of plasterboard, at 600 mph. Also,you may have to invest in other tools such as a small tool. Write that down!! 🙂🙂

I too am a fan of Kirk Johnstone- watched hours of his stuff and can't help but admire just how hard he works. However, he's started to go off on a bit of a tangent with 'product placement', t-shirts, sad music playing while telling of doing jobs for free to help people out and life influencing. I understand why- he's explained it all and good for him for expanding ways to earn a living in this modern world. Also, he's (by his own admission), starting to pay the physical price for such hard work. Did you see his video of him doing a ceiling where he could hardly bend his knee to get on the hop-up? There's strong, stoic and fighting the good fight all all costs but there's also, er, no offence intended but daft! I've moved on to smurf but hope he doesn't go down the same route too much. He won't mind me saying that as he knows I like him here and won't see this anyway as he's blinded himself by looking straight in to his bright head torch! 🙂🙂

Cheers buddy, thanks for the big up! 👍

@@GeoffAnderson-l5d yeah totally understand why he has gone down that route and fair play to him he seems to be smashing it. He genuinely makes me laugh too as he is good to listen to and hear his stories, I also like this about masterssmurf because its not just boring talk, its more personal (meet his family, find a bit about his own interests too) and thats what keeps the content interesting. Its also refreshing to watch someone who isn’t afraid of showing time saving methods such as sponge floating and can take the flack. Loads of ways to skim a wall and sometimes you have to do whats necessary in whatever situation you’re in so I always find watching a diverse group of plasterers helps me in my own work ( im self employed, with my own company!)

@@willcheesman1988 I'm not going to mention the sponge!! It was that which made me comment to smurf in the first place and I was harsh! However, since then (if you look back through smurf's videos and want to do loads of reading) we have agreed on many things. I too like him for the same reasons you've stated and he took the flack very well. Some Superman plasterer made what I consider quite odd comments on the very large ceiling smurf did which sort of baffled me. As far as I'm concerned, Super Plasterer can fly off!! For me, of course I like to 'chat' to smurf but I genuinely hope young apprentices watch his videos and learn even the smallest of things from what they see or the comments made. Apprentices out there- Write that down!🙂🙂

Kirk is brilliant, Alex is good to but doesn’t post anymore. Blaine sometimes comes across as a bit of a snake oil salesman. And has been caught out lying pretending to show a complete beginner how to plaster