Ideas On How To Modify A Mud Tube

tlfettled

This is just an idea i rattled with in my mind : The better then ever mud tubes and how if possible to make them easier to operate ! Is it possible to attach a worm drive gear of some sort to the shaft of the better then ever mud tube so it may be possible to use some type of battery operated drill to apply pressure to the push rod! Is it possible to also have a quick release clip of some sort to disengage the gear to allow the process of refilling the tube ! I have also wonder if it would be possible to attach some form of tension on the out side of the better then ever mud tubes with an adjustable method to apply equal pressure as you apply the mud with out having to manually push the main rod ! [And yes i know there is already a tool which has the gas pressure shock tube called the mud runner ] for only 800.00 to 1000.00 dollars! little high priced ! In short I'm looking for a way to modify the better then ever mud tube for a much lower price and still have the benefits of the high price mud runner tubes ! I am still tinkering with this idea in my garage ! I will let you know how it turns out !

Drywall1

Just save your time. I have 2 mudrunners and they rock. That contraption would weigh too much. The mud runner gets heavy and thats without a battery and other gadgets. Just my .02

Nate

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krobinson

Save yourself alot of time and aggravation and purchase a Cannon from Apla-Tech. A 3' Cannon and a small (3/4 HP) compressor is all you need to attach anything a tube accepts. You can load the Cannon from any standard pump so you don't need to buy a Apla pump right away. There is no better tool for angles!

The Mud Runner is a very good tool (I had one for 8 months) but it can't hold a candle to the Cannon.

Kim

Capt-Sheetrock

I have the alpha-tech cfs system, its really the fastest and easiest way.

but I only use it on the big jobs, on most jobs, I use the mudrunner for the corners.

As for modifying the BTE tube, Have you had a bad fall lately?
You said the mudrunner is too exspensive, how much is it gonna cost you to buy all the stuff to modify your tube? How much time?, how many faliures?

A mudrunner is around $900, not much for a tool especially considering the pay off, you can run both sides of your corners on a 250 board slick fill in under an hour. How come most guys that complain about tool prices drive a truck that cost 30,000 (cause they have to present the right image).

If you did manage to modify a BTE tube, you'd end up with a mudrunner that was designeed by Tim Allen from tooltime.

Seriuosly, tools are an investment that will pay for themselves in very short order. Trying to figure out how to make cheap imitations of the real things will not get you what you want.

taper71

So how much time would you save by running the mud runner instead of an angle box. I still am reaserching it. I was also looking at the Jr apla tech system.

Capt-Sheetrock

the mudrunner makes it alot easier than a corner box, there is no pressure required to get the mud out, just a twist of the handle. That makes it easy and possible to run all your corners and angles from the floor, with a box, you have to get the right angle to the wall to get the pressure you need. With the box, I had to use stilts to get the top angles , escpecially on 9 and 10 ft cielings, now I can run 9 and 10 cielings from the floor with the mudrunner. Another benefit is the outside 90 head for coating corners prior to installing paper beads, the mudrunner will coat them nicely, just coat , stick, and wipe, makes a nice clean cornerbead.

While your considering the alphatech system, one thing to realize is that it puts out so much mud, that you will have to dedicate one person to stay with the pump to keep the bucket (hopper) filled. Thats why I only use it on jobs over 300 boards. Without one person filling the bucket, you will have to go back to the pump and fill the bucket (might as well just use regular boxes) thats my take on it anyway. In other words, with regular boxes I can finish 250 boards or so (on the average) with two man crew in the same amount of time I can finish it with the alpha tools using a three man crew.

taper71

Thanks Capt. I actually have the North star extension handle for my 8" angle box. I can do 10' to 12' from the floor. How does the mud runner work in tight places (closets). I guess you would have to come down from the top and up from the bottom then wipe clean. Also how many ft can you run before filling. With the Apla tech system I would have to treat it as normal single man operation Im just after easier on the body solutions as I am getting older and the bones are starting to creak lol.

Capt-Sheetrock

Yeah, in close closets you do have to run up and down, breaking it in the flat on the door sides. The mudrunner holds more mud than the corner box, about 1/3 more I think. One thing thats not mentioned enough about it, is that when your glazing the corners on tape day, the mudrunner makes it ALOT easier, and it will cover the tape ALOT better, making a MUCH better first coat on the corners

I understand about the getting older thing, me too, another reason I also am getting into the alphatechs. My problem is, if it will run it faster, I end up running faster, so instead of making it easier on me, I end up working my butt off,lol. But if your looking for the least pressure on you than the AT tools are defenately the way to go. you just pull the trigger and walk. The clean up on the cfs is about the same time as conventional boxes. When you first start using them, dragging the hose around and getting use to that seemed to be the most frustrating, but now I got the hang of that and it isn't a big deal. I don't have their taper yet, still using the bazoka to tape with, I want to see someone run their taper before I invest in it, it looks good on their video, but on something like that, i want to see it in action first.

Good luck

kgphoto

There is a guy on Ebay who makes a modified tube. He uses a pneumatic caulking gun to drive the piston. You load with a standard pump and gooseneck.

Beaver

Kg if u see one of these on e-bay again could you please post the # of it for me. I look through the drywall section of e-bay every night and I dont believe I've ever seen one on there.I dont think it would be to hard to modify one to make it run off of air.Thanks Darren

kgphoto

Just ran a couple of searches and couldn't find one. I own one and tried searching for the name and initials, but nothing there either. Perhaps this was a prototype that didn't make it to market. Sorry.

tlfettled

Ok heres the rough idea 1 coil spring , 4 nylon washers,and a pressure relief handle similar to the type which is on a regular caulk gun section of copper tube with end form to except the ball end of the bte mud tube in order to fill it with hand pump! coil spring goes over the shaft behind the cup 2 nylon washers on each end of the coil spring put the end cap back on remove the rubber handle grip and slid the fulcrum lever pressure release handle down until it reaches the back of the tube cap ! pump the mud in the end of the bte mud tube the fulcrum handle will friction lock on the handle shaft ! pretty simple and dam cheap and it works ! Only problem is the coil spring takes up about a third of the mud tube capacity but all you have to do is apply pressure on the angle fulcrum handle and the coil spring pushes the shaft and the cup forward! Takes a little practice and boom bam no more shoving on the handle ! If you would like a detailed schematic of this kit send me an email i will get you a copy ! Here again is all it takes 4 nylon washers ,1 coil spring, piece of copper tube ,and a stiff piece of metal which you hand form into a fulcrum lock around shaft end on the out side of the tube end ! NO batteries no motor no sweat its easy and its cheap as hell ! Best of all it doesn't cost a 1000.00 bucks ! it costs less then 40 bucks for the parts ! REMEMBER YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST SOMEONE WILL STEAL THIS IDEA AND MAKE SOME GOOD MONEY FROM IT ! ---NOTE --The end cap is not made for the extra pressure of the coil spring it will develop cracks after a period of time ! I was thinking about casting a new end cap made from brass in order to correct the fatigue problem ! Make a fill mark on your shaft so you will know the next time you pump it full of mud the mark on the shaft will appear ! The copper tube once formed to fit your ball end on the bte tube should have a smaller diameter copper tube soldered to the filler piece in order for the smaller tube to slide into your goose neck filler [slides in slides out for easy use] ! ! ""DAM I'M GOOD "" Some of the best ideas come to me when I'm broke and tired ! MY EMAIL IS AS FOLLOWS tlfettled@YAHOO.COM DONATION FOR THE SCHEMATIC IS NOT NECESSARY BUT VERY VERY WELCOME ! WWW.WALTIP.COM

tlfettled

In responce to your comment:--Over the years i have hired folks who steal my tools and they are slick as hell when they do it ,just imagine buying a couple of 1000.00 mudrunners and the help decides they will sell your tools at the nearest pawn shop ![ IT HAPPENS ] Its a lot easier on the wallet to loose about 180.00 bucks on the bte mude tube after it has been modified then it is to loose 1000.00 on a mudrunner! The mud runner is a good tool but its not cheap by any means ! Let them boys steal the lower priced stuff when and if they decide to do so ! SAVE THE CASH MAN ! One more thing the bte mud tube is easier to use in closets and narrow areas and lighter. The mud runner makes it tough to work in small areas !

Tony M

The best way to modify the better than ever tube would be to run over it in your truck. Utter crap. Buy a mudrunner.