Apla Tech-learning Curve

paulyronaldo

ive read a lot of posts regarding the apla tech tools,and i must say i agreed with the negative comments!!
1 year later and lots of {learning and tweaking!} i have to say these tools can be the best of the best if you break through the barrier and stop wishing you had your money back!!!!
they DO! need wiping in,but so do boxes! get the mud soupy and the coaters will feather niceley,they dont like the muck too thick...even though air does the pushing,you still need your mud a little thin as the coaters wont feather thick muck-the company say you can use your muck a little thicker,DONT!!! keep it soupy....also keep the crown quite tight this also gives a better coat and leaves less mess if your not consistent with your operating speed{dont worry youll get there!}. The air pressure rareley needs changing once you find your speed, and youll tend to operate all tools at the same pressure,i run my coaters and bazooka all at 50 psi on the tool trigger and 120 psi on the compressor and junior pump.
The mud flow valve only needs a slight twitch to make adjustments and once set it usually doesnt need tweaking untill you change the coater size or switch to the nail spotter or corner finisher.
so all you apla tech users-get them back out of the garage and break through the learning curve,its worth it!!!
be interested in hearing from my fellow operaters out there in drywall land,
especially the uk where these tools have yet to take off...peace

Tim0282

Hey Pauly, Nice to hear the encouraging words about AplaTech. I am one of those guys that has given up hope ever learning the tool. Been a box runner for umpteen years. Just maybe after reading your post, I will have to make the time to dust them off and try again. I have owned a set for six years and they have been in the shop on the shelf for most of that time.

taper71

I haven't used my coaters in a long time, but I found the best way to wipe them in was with my curved trowel . Feathered both edges nicely, problem was I dont have guys wiping so it wasnt worth my time for the ceilings and I do not like sanding the ridges left by the coaters before skim coat. I have been thinking about dusting them off again so I can remember why I put them away and I will try to soup my mud abit more and see. As for corners I will never go back to the hockey box - Apla Tech is the only way I do corners now.

Tim0282

When I tried angles, it seemed I had so much mud the angle head kinda floated. Way too much mud. Never did figure out what to do, although it seemed it would be much easier than the hockey box. No pressure like pushing the hockey box.

Tony M

Am going to try the new box Canon. Don't use the coaters,(POS), only the corner gear.

Terryw

I still have not mastered the angles either, however, my understanding is that this usually happens when you let the angle head trail behind you the same way you would with the hockey box. Just like the coaters, you need to be even with the tool not letting it trail behind at an angle. And it still needs a little pressure to flex the angle head to the corner, just not nearly as much as the angle box!

I am one of the guys who actually liked the coaters. But I traded in for the modified slim line boxes from Aplatec because I didn't want to spend the time to try to teach my buddies how to run them. I run the contuinuous flow and I bellieve the coaters run a little easier with the cannon system than the continuous flow.

paulyronaldo

tony do you mean the cfs boxes? theyve made them thinner ive heard so theyre easier to push about, only thing that i worry about is dragging material hose around also-this has got to weigh some,so boxes for the pneumatic gear would be cool,only thing is the brake i suppose

Tony M

Yes. They've basically adapted a box just like the cfs one to go on the Canon. I persevered with the coaters but never really thought they did a good enough job without wiping down. Plus, when the boarding is inconsistent, you are forever having to adjust the crown of the coater. It's not hard to get the corners perfect with the Canon. I think there is more control with the Canon than with the cfs personally. The brake has been sorted out and works well so I am told. I think that the Box Canon will be quite expensive though. Will have to see.

theblones

hey tony how you doooin. what have they sorted out with the brake.
Also for the rest of us..
i have been too busy to actually get on the tools recently but i employ a taper who has a very high standard of workmanship and is quick enough to earn a good wage from taping. his system is to use filler on the flats and butts and to finish it as neatly as possible. On a flat joint, which is vertical in the uk he leaves one seam where the trowel overlapps. The mix is lump free so it is a near perfect fill.. no smudges to the sides etc. when this is set he shaves the seam of and does one coat of ames again as neat as possible and only leaving one seam. he cleans the edges with his 4" scraper and that is left to dry and sand. we employ a few tapers from time to time and his is always best and quickest and 2 coat.
I was gonna suggest to him we apply the second coat with an apla tech coater and he comes behind with his trowel to finish. there still should only be one seam even on ceilings and with a coater you should be able to get enough on and not have to be concerned about how the coaters leave it. Its quicker than hand applying but doesnt require as many coats as boxing.
What do we think

Tony M

Hey Maaaaaan. Haven't seen the brake close up yet but Will from Wetndry reckons it's good. Your taper sounds like he works like me. Get the filler coat as tight and neat as possible and it makes the subsequent coating up a piece of piss. Does he hand tape only though?

theblones

he does hand tape mostly. he uses a northstar 3 inch for his internals but the rest by hand. he does love machines though and has tried my cfs stuff. he's not so patient with that though

drywalltaper

The coaters were a little difficult to learn. Although once I got past the learning curve it was well worth it on the air tools. The CFS on the other hand is not worth it on the coaters. The new Slim Line boxes that I upgraded to made a huge difference. I see they offer it on the Cannon also. Has anyone used them?

Tony M

Am going to try them out soon.

theblones

yes but when tony m youre all talk

Tony M

When I get time. Been flat out for months, and i'm not going to take time off during the week when there's work to be done. Wetndry don't open on Saturdays. When I see a break, i'll phone Will and get a demo.

theblones

yes but when tony m

Tapingfool

I have used most all different tools thru out the years and apla-tech tools are good if you learn them like all others..their all about balance& pressure..soon you'll be a pro..