Silicone Sealant Dressing Tool

[Biggles]

Hello

 

I am just in the process of fitting my shower room in my motorhome project (see blog). I have recently seen in a builders merchants a set of tools for dressing a silicone bead.

 

Has anyone used one? If so what your opinion of them.

 

I am not that bad with driving a silicone bead, but its one of the things I wish I was better at. Its the sort of job that's done right doesn't get noticed, done wrong smacks you in the gob.

 

I know, and have used the masking tap method with great success in the past, but wondered about these tools as I had not seen them before.

 

Biggles

[dor]

Use Blue (low tack) masking tape. Squirt your silicone, use a Mark 1 wetted finger to smooth off, leave about 10 minutes, then remove masking tape.

[Phil Ambrose]

Make friends with a window fitter, my mate who was one can take a "gun" and using just one hand (I always need two) slap a perfect bead on in seconds all for the price of a pint.

 

Phil

[David Schweizer]

Having watched variouis tradesmen over the years, I have learnt how to run a silicone bead quite well. The trick seems to be to cut the end of the nozzle leaving a very small hole, and to push the bead, not draw it backwards. This ensures that the silicone gets well down into the gap and does not go everywhere. As for smoothing, I have found that a finger wetted with water containg a little fairy liquid works best. I have never been able to get on with any sort of smoothing tool or masking tape.

[Barry]

I bought one of these tools when I fitted my bathroom in my house

 

I found it extremely useful and it did a very good job

 

My son, who used to be a window fitter and a proponant of the wet finger method, was impressed with it too.

[ditchcrawler]

Having watched variouis tradesmen over the years, I have learnt how to run a silicone bead quite well. The trick seems to be to cut the end of the nozzle leaving a very small hole, and to push the bead, not draw it backwards. This ensures that the silicone gets well down into the gap and does not go everywhere. As for smoothing, I have found that a finger wetted with water containg a little fairy liquid works best. I have never been able to get on with any sort of smoothing tool or masking tape.

I never did like the tast of Fairy Liquid much

 

removed identical posting

Edited February 21, 2010 by ditchcrawler

[blackrose]

My usual method is putting on a bead of silicone which is far too thick, so that when I run my wetted finger along the bead it goes all over the place. Then I generally spend the next 10 - 15 minutes panicking and going through loads of damp cloths trying to remove the excess silicone before it goes off.

[Grace and Favour]

My usual method is putting on a bead of silicone which is far too thick, so that when I run my wetted finger along the bead it goes all over the place. Then I generally spend the next 10 - 15 minutes panicking and going through loads of damp cloths trying to remove the excess silicone before it goes off.

 

Use surgical spirit (on a cloth/finger) to clean off half-cured silicone!

[NBMike]

I found that the silicone tool leaves a nicely shaped bead with a small tramline either side of the main bead. There is a sweet moment , about 2-3 hours after applying when its possible to peel off those tramlines, cleanly. I have found this after tiling some 40-50 bathrooms over the years.

Mike

[soldthehouse]

I had this finger altered for the perfectly formed silicone bead.

Edited February 23, 2010 by soldthehouse

[WotEver]

I found that the silicone tool leaves a nicely shaped bead with a small tramline either side of the main bead. There is a sweet moment , about 2-3 hours after applying when its possible to peel off those tramlines, cleanly. I have found this after tiling some 40-50 bathrooms over the years.

Mike

Good tip, Mike, thanks

 

After smearing way too many beads all over the place with an ineffective wetted finger technique I now use the 'masking tape top and bottom' method as previously described, but I might now give one of those tools a try - sounds a lot less hassle.

 

Tony

 

I had this finger altered for the perfectly formed silicone bead.

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