Bazooka And Top Corners And Me Dont Work Well Together

personalt

I am learning to tape using a auto taper. I am okay on the flats, I sometimes have a little trouble cutting the tape in the right spot but for the most part I am doing okay.

The top angles though are killing me, I pull out a little tape and it have trouble using the creaser to get it into the corner. The tape gets too limp/heavy and just floats down

In addition to my lack of skill I think the paper tape is not helping. I was thinking of

1. ditching the paper tape for zooma flex and to continue to try and use the taper.
2. Use a 90 degree mud head on a corner box(I dont have a mud running but had the mud head) to pump mud into the corner and then hand apply the tape, either paper tape or ultraflex or something else.

Will the zooma flex help if I stick with the automatic taper?

Do most people use paper tape on the inside corners or do they use ultraflex or something else? Ultra flex is considerable more money but of course time is money too. Is there something else I should be thinking about that is better then paper tape but not as expensive as the ultraflex. ie.. when does everyone spring for the ultraflex? Do you guys use it on all corners or just off angle or badly hanged corners?

taper71

When you are running your top corners it helps if you start your tape in the verticle just enough to get the crimping wheel to crimp the tape . This should leave you with about an inch or two to account for drag. Stuff tape into the corner with the crimping wheel holding the tape, run about an inch or two, go back to the corner and re stuff it if you find it not holding , then run the rest of the corner. I stop when im about two or three inches from the end ( Iam short so it works for me) . When I first learned I did the first few rooms with the bazooka until I got frustrated then I would hand tape the rest. I don't do that anymore . It is so much faster with the bazooka. I have also found that if I mix my corner mud a little thicker than mud for flats , I would get less drag, less mess, and flushes way nicer. Also if when you are running top corners if the tape is still dragging to far if you let off on the crimping wheel for about a foot it will stop that from going any further. Keep practising it is way better

taper71

I have never used that zoom flex. I just did a search on it and it would cost you alot less money using paper . I think to that you would go through alot of blades in your taper from using that zooma flex, but maybe someone who has used that stuff has better info.

SL-DRYWALL

TAKE THE TIME TO LEARN how to use 1500 bucks worth of gun you have !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!first thing that happens you run up to the wall and punch the head of the bazzoka onto the wall ,,, i know dont have to see or be there to watch common mistake , but expensive as well . this will wear the head out quick . its not something you can bang around . gently lay the head of the bazzoka on the wall then running it down the seam , ,,, same for angles . dont be off to one side of the angle stay centered. and no dont jam the head use less pressure . run enough tape out untill you can throw in the kicker and keep the head of the gun in front of you . thats all for now i'm tired of chewing . yeah i know there's more ,,, but hey he is new to this .

personalt

SL-Drywall, you are totally right. need to learn to use the right tool after spending the coin. The flats i seem to have the hang of but the corners are trickey. this is compounded by the fact that i am doing the top apartment which has teh hightest ceilings, 10 to 12 feet.

Has anyone run zomma flex through their taper? that seems like it would be easier to run in the top corners. of course it will be more expensive but time is money and i think it would give me the chance to learn the tool better.

personalt

SL-Drywall, you are totally right. need to learn to use the right tool after spending that money. I seem to be okay with the flats but the corners are trickey, really just the top corners. this is compounded by the fact that i am doing the top apartment which has the hightest ceilings, 10 to 12 feet.

Has anyone run zooma flex through their taper? that seems like it would be easier to run in the top corners. of course it will be more expensive but time is money and i think it would give me the chance to learn the tool better.

taper71

10 to 12 feet high, I would set my pump up on a bench and run the top corners by stilts. Be very careful. If you want to use the zooma flex just go by some and try it out. I would be interested how it works out.

1KingOfDrywall

rather than find an easy way out, I say stick with it Bro. It'll get easier.
Don't forget, top angles should only be ran when you got a guy directly behind you "blocking" the angle. I'm not too sure anyone tapes a whole room of top angles , than goes back to block the angles.....it'd sag EVERYTIME. Trust me.......get a guy directly on your heals at all times. Tell him when he sees you about to lay into a top angle to slap the corner roller right on the corner so you get no drag. I can run a tube with the best of them, but I cannot predict the stability of the tape, so therefore I never do top angles unless my guy is right on my heals. If I am doing them alone, I typically do 1/2 (if it's a long top angle) Ithan I quickly go back and block it before moving on. I guess in a nut shell what I'm saying is there is nothing you will/can do to avoid sagging top angles.........other than corner roll them IMMEDIATELY.
Good Luck.

taper71

I have no problems doing my top angles by my self .You just learn ,unfortunately by trail and error, of how much tape to leave out, when to let go of the crimping wheel ,to stop the drag ,and when to stop at the end of your run. It was also a chore to get my mud consistency down to a science to run angles so as not to make a mess, have tape fall off and flush as smooth as possible. I run corners in two rooms including closets before I have to stop to roll and flush and wipe three ways. 1 room in the summer as mud sets faster. I will agree 100% that it would be alot easier and faster to have a guy rolling and flushing behind you. Heck a good machine taper can keep two guys running to keep up. It is well worth the effort to learn how to use the bazooka.

I was a hand taper for ten years before I picked up a set of auto tools. I have been using them for 2 years now. I went from doing 5000 ft a week to 10 000 by myself with no helpers I have probably made every mistake there is on learning but IMO it was well worth it to learn and the tools still paid for themselves within a couple of months. Keep practising and you will see results.

SL-DRYWALL

stilts or extenstion will help extention cost about 250 bucks more . if im up on stilts i have a haelper that loads up for me . and hands me all the tools roller and glazer , i do all the pointing after i've ran out a couple of rooms .

LukeOR

The main thing in running top angles (or any angles) is keeping the gun between (45 degree angle) the ceiling, and walls. The second thing is all about your mud consistincy. You want thin enough not to pull tape, skim easily, and run smoother, but not so thin its dripping off the wall. As for starting and stopping, cutting the tape, etc. It will come with practice, I usually start about 2 inches long in top angle of average room (12-16ft) so that slack taken up while running leaves the tape where you want it. However people will pick up there own style. Keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it. Anyway, hope this helps and good luck... LukeOR@charter.net

Drywall1

Zoom flex = bad for top angles. It is made for off angles. It works great for that. But with a new blade in your tube it is tough to cut so that option is out for 90 degree angles. Call a finisher in the phone book and ask if you could watch him for a while. Most people will not care. Any angles over 9 foot I will get up on stilts to run. I can run 10 foot flats from the floor but it makes my vag!na hurt if its a large ceiling.
Its too bad you have to learn on such high ceilings. I learned in an 8 foot flat motel (60 unit) I was 11 or 12 years old and my dad said here is the tube go run all the bathrooms. Longest day of my life.

Nate

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