How do I get a smooth even finish around the bath. I used an applicator but it came out as a series of lumps. I attempted to smooth it out with my finger but it spread unevenly and too far. Any useful tips before I try it again will be greatly appreciated.
Fugenboy - it's not the only product or metod, but I have had some excellent results with mine.
I think you should say Fugenboy 'type' smoother, otherwise Cicero will have a hissy fit. Lidl do a nice cheap set - if you are prepared to wait 3 months for then to be in store again.
There are several Fugenboy 'type' applicators, but they all work on the same principle. The other types marketed by Unibond, Vitrex, Everbuild, Stanley et all work - or actually don't work - on a different principle.
;->
Well - I can only speak of the one I actually used - all the others might be crap for all I know!
I've used mine 3 times now and had no problems, a spray container of soapy water is essential to lubricate the sealant surface. I initially put too much sealant down but soon became used to just how much to apply and after that the job was a joy to do. Not something, a few years ago, I thought I would ever say.
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In the interests of accuracy:
In a thread about three months ago (August, 2010), in a discussion about smoothing silicone sealants, the Medway Handyman made this bold, silly and grossly inaccurate statement:
"Nothing works like a Fugenboy. Nothing."
He subsequently tried to remove that statement surreptitiously but I re- instated it for him, in the interests of accuracy.
I offered an alternative, better informed view:
"I think there's a tendency to go a bit overboard with praise for the 'Fugenboy'. A simple comparison with other similar tools suggest that the Fugenboy is grossly overpriced (£10.21p) and the current suggestion (Plumbworld - £22.56p / £13.97p) even more so. The Fugenboy consists of three small plastic tools with a total of twelve profiles; the Plumbworld version is also a three piece pack with a couple of additional profiles. On the other hand the Lidl version (Powerfix - £3.99p) has four pieces with a total of twenty one profiles. There appears to be no discernible difference in flexibility between the Fugenboy and Powerfix so the comparison suggests that the Powerfix is far better value than either of the others and very much cheaper. Paying £22.56p (reduced to £13.97) or £10.21p for three small bits of soft plastic is surely too much when the cheaper version works just as well."
The Medway Handyman tried to obscure the issue by insisting that the Lidl version is only available once a year and Emailed Lidl to try to prove his assertion; Lidl's reply to him proved that he was wrong.
The fact is that there are several nearly identical tools readily available from various vendors (including Lidl) at much better prices than the Fugenboy version, and there is no evidence to suggest that any of them work any differently or less well than the over-priced Fugenboy version, despite the Medway Handyman's misguided opinion to the contrary.
Additionally, there are several entirely different designs available from many different sources; the Medway Handyman stated that they don't work - others more competent would disagree with him.
The fact is that all these tools are based on the traditional 'licked- index-finger' method which works very well but it has been criticised on health and safety grounds. The risk is entirely eliminated by using the 'dipped-finger' method; the finger is dipped into a glass of water with a little added washing-up liquid to aid smoothing.
People who seek advice from this NG will often get several suggestions and they expect to be offered accurate advice; the Medway Handyman's advice was ill-considered and completely misleading since MANY things work like a Fugenboy. It is a simple tool to perform a simple task and there is a wide variety to choose from at greatly different prices. People can make an informed decision to buy (or not) based on the knowledge that performance is satisfactory whichever choice is made.
The Medway Handyman appears to have belatedly accepted that his original comment was nonsense - hence his present comments.
So, no 'hissy fits' from me - just plain, honest and accurate posting.
Cic.
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I'll step in before TMH and say that in terms of my reading of Usenet banter, that counts as a 'hissy fit'. There is a temptation to consider the length of Cicero's posting as just about qualifying for the Shakespeare statement "Methinks the lady doth protest too strongly".
Rob
Could the silicone be at fault - it shouldn't be lumpy. Perhaps it was old stock or it had started to skin over and you worked the skin into it.
Personally I fund the the Fugi (plumworld) version is superior. (I have both)
Having bought the plumbworld set I consider it money well spent. It does the job very well and very quickly.
Still each to his own, some folks are happy with a £25 B&D jigsaw.
The fugenboy is quite stiff translucent, and quite different from the Fugi for example. The material does seem to make a difference to the effectiveness.
[snip]
I won't claim greater or lesser competence, but do concur that the other designs are poor in comparison.
I don't find any form of finger smoothing at all acceptable. Perhaps I have malformed fingers, but I cannot persuade them to leave anything other than a concave bead shape. This has the disadvantage of leaving thin friable edges to the sealant that pull away more easily. The tool however will leave a neat 45 degree profile with no feathered edges. You also don't need release agents etc.
Twas a bit hissy to be fair ;-)
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Cicero saying something like:
Point of ordure.
My index finger is sometimes replace with my forefinger for coarser work and by my thumb if there's quite a gap to fill.
I have never used, nor ever will seek, ownership of a shitty piece of plastic to do what de good lawd has equipped me to do naturally.
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You made an informed decision based on knowledge of the available products and bought according to your specific needs which is what most people aim to do. You wouldn't have got much help from the Medway Handyman's assertion,
"Nothing works like a Fugenboy. Nothing.",
and nobody else could have gained anything worthwhile from it either.
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There is nothing in the Medway Handyman's post in *this thread* to suggest that he was motivated by a genuine desire to enable the OP to make the same kind of informed decision that you were able to make. He is forced to admit - very grudgingly - that his original advice was completely wrong because there are plenty of other products which work in exactly the same way.
He continues to denigrate all other types of silicone smoothers, even to the extent of naming four specific brands (Unibond, Vitrex, Everbuild, Stanley) and throwing in an 'etc' to make sure he's got the lot. He states that they
'...actually don't work'.
Anybody who persists in such blanket condemnation of a whole range of tools, sold by many retailers is certainly not a person to be trusted for any kind of impartial advice on any subject.
It is obvious that his post was not actually addressed to the OP; in fact it is clear that his post was directed towards other earlier respondents in the thread with the intention of involving them in his juvenile retaliation for a distant 3 month old thread in which he made himself look quite foolish by trying pointlessly to belittle the many different tools available.
Many people will recognise his comment in this current thread as a basic playground bullying tactic designed get some kind of petty gratification for having been compelled to admit that his ridiculous and extravagant defence of one simple tool made him look foolish. That impression will be reinforced by his blanket condemnation of all other silicone smoothers when the obvious truth is that it is his lack of skill rather than a failure of the tools themselves.
Cic.
Well I read that as being a reference to that style of smoothing tool rather than the specific brand - I don't know how it was intended, but I suspect the intention was to differentiate from techniques using fingers or long handled spatula type smoothers of which there are a fair few variations.
To be fair he was just adding to Tim's post suggesting there are alternative similar products. The reference to you was obviously a personal dig, but then you do seem to rise the bait a little (as evidenced by the length of this thread)!
Chill out... this is hardly a safety critical issue to get all worked up about.
A curious interpretation of such an emphatic pronouncement about a specific named and Trade Marked tool - totally incredible!
Not a 'personal dig' at me but a deliberate unprovoked scurrilous attack. There was no contribution from me in this thread to prompt this attack and its sole purpose was to induce others to join in his petty revenge.
I assume that you mean that I should defer to a vocal member of the crypto-clique in this group even to the extent of allowing his ridiculous nonsense to prevail over accurate information.
People come to the group for helpful information not to read ill-informed and inaccurate nonsense, regardless of the subject
Cic.
Folks here seem to use the names relatively interchangeably. Much the same as if someone used Yorkshire fitting to mean solder ring, or speedfit to mean pushfit etc.
However as I said, I don't know if Dave was specifically referring to the Elch product.
I think you will find that is a reasonable definition of personal dig.
It struck me it was an attempt to avoid too many added layers of pedantry... didn't work obviously.
Persecution complex?
Huh?
Dave said: "I think you should say Fugenboy 'type' smoother,"
Which IIUC is actually in agreement with your PoV...
He also said: "otherwise Cicero will have a hissy fit."
So arguably accurate on both counts.
I am sure we have all posted incorrect information with conviction in the past. Why single out this case?
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember John Rumm saying something like:
Passes the time.
You're prepared to go to any extremes of invention to protect your crony, rather than admit that he is wrong. You condone a deliberate personal attack launched to settle a 3 month old grudge - a grudge created because I dared to counter his standard abuse with facts. Such behaviour goes far beyond any decent standard of behaviour and in condoning it you bring yourself down to the level of the perpetrator.
It isn't 'incorrect information'. It is an attempt to foist his ill- informed nonsense on people simply to conceal his own ignorance and ineptitude. Feeding deliberate disinformation into a group is grossly dishonest and compromises the whole group,
Cic.
Here, let me pass the toys back into the pram for you.
Firstly, you will note that I explicitly contradicted Dave's statement - by stating that I believe the Fugi works better than the Fugenboy. Secondly I have no desire to protect any "crony", however I was attempting to resolve an argument by adding some external point of view. However that seems to have failed. Such is life.
You dragged up a three month old argument - its not for me to condone, approve or anything else. It struck me that Dave was attempting to wind you up. Looks like it worked.
Lol!
Anyway, this has got too facile for me. You may have the last word.
Hissy Fit; Noun. A sudden outburst of temper, often used to describe female anger at something trivial. An unreasonable emotional outburst. A short-lived temper tantrum.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Cicero saying something like:
Oh, for f*ck's sake, will you get a grip of yourself, man. I don't think I've read such a load of self-centred, pompous tosh in at least a week.
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