Pan and Knife or Halk and Trowel?

R.E. Plaster

I use a knife and pan when taping around this area the only tapers you see with a hawk and trowel are the real old school finishers, but hey you can't knock there work it looks as good as anybodies

When plastering though I use a hawk and trowel I like the Curry's they break in real nice

MEXICAN ROCK 4 U

Hawk and trowel for plaster jobs over (imperial board,EIFES,spancreet) & pan and knife gypsum board MY MEXICAN WAY OF DOING IT .

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JOHN JOSEPH WHITE HAIR WILLOW TREE

Stormy_Ny

I am a hawk man ..... Use knifes and trowel. I could never get used to the pan.

d-rock

Hawk

A+ Texture LLC

I'm a man pan man, with my man pan.

carpentaper

i broke my left wrist real bad a couple times when i was a kid, so holding a pan for any extended period of time(10 minutes or longer) just kills me. wiping tapes is usually the worst time cause the pan just keeps getting heavier.i still haven't tried wiping with the hawk. i use the hawk for everything else and use the trowel for most jobs except the tight spots. i make less mess using a hawk because i can place the mud in the middle of the blade so it doesn't spill over the edge. honestly i think i've never spent enough time using pan and knife to really master it. hawk and trowel has always felt more natural to me. its like my mini surfboard surfing the white wave down the wall brah.

carpentaper

i have a curry 4.5"x14.5". love the way it feels, except the handle. its to fat for my dainty little hands. been thinking about machining it down a little but i'm scared to F it up.

kgphoto

I use a knife and pan, or a knife and Hawk or a Hawk and trowel or a trowel and knife ( like Myron F - just to try it on a quick patch for fun).

I like the hawk because it is easier to clean. I like the pan, when my mud is soupier for the skim coats. I like a trowel for deep fills. I get to use the larger muscles in my arm rather than the smaller one in my wrist and hand. I like the knives (mostly 6 and 12) for the delicate or finesse work.

I also work stucco, cement and thinset so I am comfortable working a trowel and hawk.

carpentaper

i have seen one guy use a pan and trowel. it was kind of goofy but he got the job done. sort of.

MudMonkey

I'm in Canada and was taught with a pan and knife. I can use a trowel on concrete no problem but on a wall....my mud is just to think and it seems insane! I won't hire guys on a hawk or taping out of a pail!

Stormy_Ny

Sometimes ya just got to wonder ??????

Arey85

Whats wrong with taping out of the bucket. I keep my bucket on a dolly and it goes with me all around the job. This way i can grab as much mud as i need for each joint and when im taping corners i keep my roller right in the bucket. I dont see how anyone can use a pan or a hawk. the mud dries out in the corners and is a pain to clean. and as for the hawk...why take up the use of your other hand just to hold your supply? thats what the bucket on the dolly is for. I use a trowel and a knife...the most efficient way to tape and use both hands productively.

Quality1st

What the hell

Darren@Partners

Your photo show you holding a hawk........

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www.partnersconstruction-drywall.com

Darren@Partners

Your photo shows you holding a hawk........

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www.partnersconstruction-drywall.com

silverstilts

I am so confused , so what do you do when you are working high areas? where is the bucket on the dolly then. How on earth can you keep your trowel clean by wiping on the bucket and if you are using a knife and trowel both your hands would have a tool in them anyway ? Mud doesn't really dry out in the corners unless your pan is mostly empty or you haven't mastered the use of it .... either way pan & knife hawk & trowel or knife and hawk everyone has their own way of smearing mud and finishing a wall, It is just a matter of how many crumbs they leave behind or how smooth and flat of finish they can leave. That's what separates the men from the boys, or the pros from the do it yourself novices. I just can't imagine working out a pail it must be a real mess to clean up the floor when you are done.

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aka the rock doctor

Arey85

i agree that everyone is going to use what they were taught to use. however my photo shows me using a trowel to hold my mud and using my 6'' knife to wipe down the edges then i will transfer my mud onto my knife and use the trowel to wipe down my coat. As for the bucket.....when im done with the ground work and i jump on the stilts i throw a couple pails under the one im working out of and roll it around with me. Every once in a while i just wipe the sides of the bucket down and everything stays clean. No mess on the floor

kgphoto

Gosh, it looks like there is more than one way to do the job efficiently. Who'da thunk it?

silverstilts

so matt are you a hand taper on first coat ? or are you using the banjo ? I am assuming no tools like the bazooka since you are hand finishing on the pic. Just curious. word of advice invest in a small scaffold on wheels it will save a lot of trips to your stacked up pails. you can buy them at most outlets for around a hundred bucks.

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aka the rock doctor

Arey85

I appreciate your advice. I bought one of those fold up bakers at home depot a few black fridays ago after seeing a taper using one of them to tote his tools around. i used it once but its soo big to wheel around. i guess on big hotel jobs and such it would work but the only time i ever use it is when doing tall acoustic ceilings off stilts. My dolly is smaller and i dont have to make small trips to the pail cuz i wheel it around with me. my tools are in the bottom pail attached to the dolly and i can stack it 4 or 5 high to do 10' ceilings. Ive tried the boxes and auto tools but they just take all the fun and art out of taping. im good with my dolly whatever trowels i need for the day depending on which coat im doing hang onto the pail handel.
p.s. I didnt mean to get everyone all stirred up about this i was just so suprised to see that in this whole thread nobody seems to work out of a pail. All the tapers in this area use a dolly, and the only time i see auto tools are like i said during hotels or big commercial projects. Im used to doing residential homes, smaller office buildings and condo complexes. I dont think ive ever done more than 500 sheets with a partner in one phase before.