Oh FFS

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Mungo \"Two Sheds\" Toadfoot" saying something like:

[Calvin Sambrook]

If you rub vaseline onto your finger first you won't end up in a sticky mess...

[No, seriously, it acts as a release agent and is particularly helpful with the better quality sealants].

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Too bit a radius for some things, though. Like filling a gap between walls and skirting board.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Must get a new keyboard where the letters still show. I meant big.

[Ian White]

Definitely the masking tape first, followed by some kind of tool to form the smooth profile. This includes thinning both edges of the profile right down to the bare tape, so when you gently peel the off tape it will leave a clean edge with a very thin but definite shoulder. I think that kind of edge is longer-lasting than a profile that tapers down to literally zero thickness (and zero strength).

In practice, peeling the tape will lift off a few tiny feathers of silicone, which then need to be smoothed back down onto the profile. This part of the job needs a very delicate touch, and I've found no substitute for a bare fingertip. Haven't tried vaseline for keeping fingers non-sticky, but 50:50 washing-up liquid and water in a yogurt pot works very well indeed - the silicone just falls off into the pot.

Knowing that it's going to come down to bare fingers in the end, I usually don't bother with any kind of profiling tool. Fingers and thumbs come in a range of sizes, in left- and right-handed pairs, and can make a very good-looking job. The quality of finish comes mostly from the masking tape and the lubrication.

[John Rumm]

I have tried the finger / tape method - and while it works, I find the results are less consistent that with a tool. However the real killer is the difference in speed - using the tool is *so* much faster and easier that I would not dream of doing it any other way these days.

I am not convinced by the weakness of the edge argument - the tools typically leave a flat surface to the bead that meets the wall at 45 degrees. A finger tends to make a concave bead that meets the wall at a shallower angle. So while the tape may leave a marginally thicker edge - it backs onto a larger expanse of thin sealant.

[The Medway Handyman]

You mentioned bumpy jumpers a while ago.

Sorry expert witness's have to be alive, yours croaked in 96.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Thats what a girlfriend once told me too.

[ARWadsworth]

Little finger?

Adam

[Mungo "Two Sheds" Toadfoot]

Having looked at the shed's dismal plastic offerings that's exactly what I'll be using - a vaselined finger! Touch your toes, missus, it's your lucky day.

Si

[Mungo "Two Sheds" Toadfoot]

Hmmm... it seems the digits will have to suffice after all.

As an aside I ordered five worktop end strips from Screwfix this morning. None in stock at my local-ish branch at all. I also ordered a couple of tubes of silicone to save having to go out for them. Got a message on the answering machine later saying they've got no worktop ends so will be sending just the silicone!

I spoke to a woman on't phone and tried to cancel but she said the order had already been depatched. I whinged and she denied it was obvious that I wouldn't want the silicone if I couldn't have the ends but then immediately changed her mind and said they'd do a full refund and I could keep the silicone FOC, so there must have been a bloke involved there somewhere. Vague apologies to any women reading but face it: you generally don't know what the f*ck you're talking about when it comes to DIY.

Si

[Lino expert]

Some of us know what a sealant smoother's called though, monkey boy.

;)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Still too big if you're papering. The smallest radius on a Fugi is purrfect - as well as removing any excess from wall and skirting which a finger doesn't do.

[Mungo "Two Sheds" Toadfoot]

I saw the one you pointed me to in B&Q. Piece of crap. Fugenboy was the name which eluded me, understandably too.

Si

[Lino expert]

A speedy volte-face, still, hopefully you got what you were after.

[The Medway Handyman]

Is that French for pants?

:-)