First time banjo user

abaway

I've just started a job using a banjo for the first time. I got a Marshalltown tape shooter from Allwall. I'm liking it so far and have a few observations. I'm getting about 35' of tape out per fill-up. Is this about normal or should I be getting more? It seems very sloppy. Mud leaks from all over the tool(not dripping) and as I'm pulling tape out. I thought I might be thinning it too much but any thicker and it's difficult to pull tape out.
It's definately faster than hand taping. The only thing I'm having trouble with so far is the wall to ceiling joints.

19Riggs88

It sounds to me like your banjo leaks because it is set to leave a lot more mud than needed behind the tape. Try and adjust the banjo so it will tape about 45' per banjo full of mud.

As far as mud consistancy goes in the banjo I prefer it to be slightly thinner than boxing mud.

silverstilts

As far as setting the amount of mud its kinda a persona preference personally i open mine all the way up because i like to have lots of mud to fill the voids , even opened up all the way still won't come close to what a bazooka will leave on the tape which to me is one advantage of a bazooka... could it be when you pull out the tape your are pulling the mud side of the tape against the banjo opening wiping off your mud try riding the dry side of the tape more towards the blade ,, most banjos you need to place a piece of tape right at the end of the banjo nose before closing the door on it ,,, they usually all leak some but shouldn't be excessive and running out , could be your mud is to thin , I still think it is the way you are pulling the tape out ..

silverstilts

Your mud should be thin enough so that you can pour it I compare it to a thick pancake batter , if it is too thick you won't get the proper flow behind the tape when wiping down causing air bubbles behind the tape.

abaway

I used it more today and it's getting better. I closed the mud flap a little and used a little thicker mud.
Also found out what the strap on the side is for It works great for the ceiling.

silverstilts

You got to be kidding right , have you never seen any one tape before ???? where on earth do you guys come from anyway , no wonder drywall gets a bad name...

abaway

Never seen anyone tape with a banjo. I'm not in the US and if you think people do crappy work where you are, you should see some of the stuff I've seen here. I don't want to learn from anyone around here. That's why I'm here, trying to learn how to do it the right way.
Sorry if I offended you oh great drywall master

silverstilts

So where are you from ? I do feel sorry for anyone that decides to just get into the business without any type of training... I will tell you this it is going to be a long road if you have to learn the tricks of the trade on your own .... it's one thing to read or hear about doing something but without the actual hands on along side another in the same trade , well lets just say OUCH ! I know years ago i when first learning I thought i was doing good and i was but , only to a certain extent , the real true learning experience was when i moved to an area where i had a chance to work with other crews , it was then i seen and learned a lot of techniques and shortcuts that i don't know if i would have ever discovered on my own and if i would have it may have taken years , who knows and can say for sure , but my hats off to you ... Just remember USE Your GOOD COMMON SENSE , Keep It Simple , And don't Complicate Things By Over Analyzing the Small Stuff

JustMe

jon (1wallboardsman) has a couple of instructional videos on his website you could buy that explain some things: http://www.newtapingtoolsstore.com/

You can also watch him and others tape on places like youtube.

Go to www.youtube.com and type in 'drywall banjo taping' in the search box at the top. It'll bring up a video or 2. You'll see a menu pull down when you put in 'drywall', that lists other taping areas, such as doing corners. When you think you've found what works, you could try posting a link here. Maybe someone(s) will critique it for you.

As for your leaking banjo, I'd say mud is too thin. I like mine pourable, but not too pourable.

No one in my company uses a banjo, and I've never seen anyone else use one. A couple of things I'm doing with mine:
- It's an Ames Cobra model, with a steel nose cutter. I'll sometimes press the cutter nose lightly against wall as I'm taping. It helps set the tape, so it's not pulling away so readily from the corner where I started. But it takes a bit of a 'touch' to do it well, while not slowing you down too much.
- Doing this pressing with the nose, especially when you think you should be getting fairly close to running out of enough tape mud to coat all the tape, I found to be a help. It will let you know if you're getting mud on all the tape, or just on some - usually the top of the tape doesn't get it towards the end of a run. If the mud isn't squeezing out a bit from both sides of the tape at all times when I'm pushing the nose into it, then I stop and reload. It means my mud is starting to skip/miss spots on the tape. This will help prevent getting some loose tape areas which may not be noticeable at first, till you start coating your tapes. Then you have to fix.
- I'm thinking about maybe using some kind of a temporary pin at the start of some of my longer tape runs at times, to help prevent tapes from moving away from the starting point. Then I could focus on running the tape quicker and more accurately, without having to also pay attention to if it's moving, and keeping the tape tighter so there's less issues when wiping tape down. The pin would be removed when I go back to wipe down tape.
- Except when doing firewall taping with it, I run my banjo wide open, often even on butt joints. With butt joints, the layer of the mud that comes out I use to build a 'slope' on either side of the tape, to get the mud in what will be the thickest spot for mud, drying right away. Running it wide open also let's me be sure that I'm getting enough mud on when taping flats (the bevelled joints), so when I wipe them down with my knife, the tapes are sitting high enough so that I can get good contact between tape and wall. I have to reload a little sooner, but filling it by pouring from a bucket takes little time, and I won't have potential loose tapes that can later cause problems and eat up time.

Whitey97

ha youtube.... watch drywallinfoguy, he's the sh!t

JoeMudder

One of the things I like about using a banjo is that you don't get dry spots behind the tape as you do by pulling the tape out of a hopper. Also, the roll plow was made to be used with the banjo and saves a lot of wiping time compared to using a knife. The banjo doesn't have a huge learning curve to it, you basically use common sense. Don't use 500' rolls of tape in it unless you're a muscle man, I recommend the 250' rolls and make sure your mud isn't too thick else you'll wear your arm out pulling tape through it. The more mud you have in it, the harder the tape is to pull through. I recommend filling the banjo about 80% with compound until you get used to using it. Then if you feel gungho and want to fill it up, go for it.

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Darren@Partners

Not to piss any body off but ... It ain't rocket science. No one ever showed me even how to load a banjo much less use it. But have seen a couple of tards run the tape under the mud -- lmao. Pull a Nike and just do it. What would you guys do without the internet?
How many old-timers out there had to break in with a "hog trough" before they ever laid eyes on a banjo? For me it was the same technology jump as from a banjo to bazooka.

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JoeMudder

I had a guy working for me who actually used to own his own company. I handed him a banjo one day and watched him as he tried to use it with the compound on top of the tape, he was trying to figure out why the mud was on the wrong side of the tape when he pulled it out.

When I started using the banjo I thought it was a bit tough to pull the tape through. But then I realized to put just a little less mud in and although it's still a bit tough, it's not quite as bad. Once I got used to it I realized the advantages of it.

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MudMonkey

how do you string the banjo? Are any of you good enough to play it with an inbred blind boy in ohhhh...lets say the ozarks?

moore

banjos are for bluegrass.. not sheet rock

Kiwiman

Speaking of banjo's and bluegrass, you don't see the capt around here much anymore, did I miss something... I bet it was that flamin 2Buck

chris

using 250' helps tremendously

jmr

im sure people have stated but thin mud down. open the mouth of the banjo with a flat head screw driver and then control the mud output by putting 2 to 3 peices of tape, about 3 '' long right by the mouth.. that will close it up when you don't need lots of mud coming out like flats and butts.. i'll open mine up more for angles.. this will also prevent mud driping out.

taping walls is pretty easy, taping cielings is a little more difficult. you basically sling shot the tape up. drag out about arms lenght and whip it up on the ceiling.....

cdwoodcox

You understand that is what your other hand is for pressing tape in corner and keep it from moving as you walk.

this is the style banjo I have always ran seems to be better than the marshall town. Doesn't seem to have some of the issues as the other style.
Main thing with the banjo make sure your not pulling dry tape you will learn how it will sound different when your almost out of mud and don't be afraid to get dirty keep a wash bucket with a sponge next to your mud bucket. Keeping your hands clean while running banjo is impossible.

Attached Images

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chris

By far best banjo made. 250'rolls of tape ,thinner mud ,{pourable} and yes a pce of tape at end helps.Takes a while to break in a banjo what I mean is the leaking issue. What Ive found to work best is to not clean it especially around lid seal,clean outside of it but let the mud form a tight seal {dry up } around top opening. Keep the tape inlet slot free of mud{clean}to help tape pull smoother also can spray a lil wd40 in tape holding compartment.When banjo starts to feel light means youre bout out of mud.250' rolls pull sooooo much smooother. Been trying to post vid on banjo running ...cant figure it out