tool for prying old grout out?

[peter]

I find that the easiest way to remove old grout from my countertop is to force a thin metal blade under the grout at an angle, and then pry upwards. At the widest grout line, this tool could be a small cheap screwdriver. At the narrowest grout line (the grout lines are not constant width), the screwdriver won't fit. I tried using a tool from a lock-pick set. It works except this tool is not strong enough for this purpose, so it starts to bend. Here's a photo of the tool:

(first tool on the left, next to the pouch)

Can anyone think of similar tool that would fit into 1/32 grout line and is strong? The commercial grout blade sold at home depot are way too thick to even fit into the grout lines. For this reason, I also cannot use dremel tool.

[Art]

A pro recommended to me using a utility knife.

[AJScott]

(snip)

Have you looked for the tiny little stick-type diamond bit set for the Dremel? Comes in a 20-pc set (made both by Dremel and the big box store brands), and there are some incredibly tiny/thin cylinder and tapered point bits that would almost certainly work in that grout line.

AJS

[FeelFree]

Are you sure that the HD grout saw won't work? Remove the tungsten carbide part, reassemble, and I think you'll find that it's less than

1/32". I used about three blades (throwing away the tungsten part) on my bathroom recently. Those, utility blade knives, and cotter pin extractors (see your automotive supply store) are IMO the tools of choice. Dremel tools are just too vicious.

FeelFree

To say anything you want.

[Richard J Kinch]

Snap a hack saw blade. Can be ground to finer shapes.