trowel damage

[robbie77]

Hello,

I am very new to plastering but have read up a lot from the forum and have the basic knowledge to get a half decent (to me!) finish.

The problem I have is that my trowel is damaged after plastering only four walls!

I bought a marshal-town finishing trowel after Christmas and have only used it a few times but it already has a chunk missing from the corner.

I am not exactly heavy handed with it so not sure what has happened.

Any ideas what to do, guarantee etc. I bought the trowel from B and Q and probably have the receipt somewhere.

Where are my manners! All help greatly appreciated.

Untitled

• robbie77
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Untitled

• robbie77
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

 

[Alastairreid]

oh dear! what on earth caused that? take it back and hopefully they will give you a replacement.
b+q are normally quite good.

 

[joe-90]

Marshalltown are well known for being rubbish. Real plasterers don't use them. Ragni are cheap and very good.

 

[roughcaster]

If you bought the trowel in that condition in the first place, then you could take it back, and claim a refund or replacement, but i don't see how or why you should get it replaced if it was somehow damaged by you. If you bought a new car and you damaged it, surely you wouldn't expect a replacement. I think you'll need to buy a new trowel Robbie, and this time,, look after it,,, used properly, they should last for years and years,,,, literally.
I've never owned a M/town trowel, always used a s/s Tyzack, plus i have a s/s Ragni as well,,, but as an addition to what Joe-90 said in his reply,, Marshaltown trowels are "vastly" overpriced too.

 

[marshman]

You could just cut the top off it.

 

[roughcaster]

That's a real "broken in" trowel.

 

[Micilin]

Maybe you could use it for those jobs where you have to cut corners........

I'll get me coat.

 

[roughcaster]

Maybe you could use it for those jobs where you have to cut corners........

I'll get me coat.

 

[robbie77]

used properly, they should last for years and years,,,, literally.

Aye! All I did was put a couple of coats of plaster on a few walls!
At least it got a few laughs though!

Seriously I would have expected it to last a bit longer but if you pro's have never really had any problems then oh dear!

I'll try my luck on a replacement and if not I'll get a Ragni as they are loads cheaper to.

 

[joe-90]

My stainless steel ragni is over 10 years old. Still perfect.

 

[stevethespreader]

lol that trowel only just passes as a floor scraper if your gonna throw it away keep the handle there worth a fiver, i see the old trowel debate has crept in with this post tyzac -mt -ragni, i use mt and saw a 14in tyzac ss on e bay for a tenner + 3 quid delivery so bought it it feels rather un balenced to me as the handle is set a good inch back from the position the mt trowel handle is, having 4 mt trowels already i cant see me ever giving this trowel a chance

 

[Richard C]

This has got to be a **** take ; the rust spots indicate it’s not stainless but its not really that important as long as you keep the face clean; my favourite trowel isn't branded, not stainless & is now over 6 years old. Sorry, but I can’t possibly imagine how you could ever damage the corner of a trowel like that whilst plastering, did you use it for hacking the old plaster off instead of a chisel or did you inadvertently short it out on some live back box cabling! The sparks forum regularly insists that cable capping is only necessary to protect from Neanderthal spreads. I always bite back at such posts vigorously to defend the art & have got into a few rucks because of it but if you can manage to hack off a corner after 4 walls then, maybe, I can see where they are coming from! A good trowel is like an old friend & should last many, many years; if you can manage that sort of damage after only 4 walls then maybe you should ask yourself if you’re suited to the trade.

 

[dextrous]

A good trowel is like an old friend.

Aw, bless.

 

[minoka123]

id say stone or sand the roughness and use the trowel if your right handed youll be ok wont be so bad and use the back end of the trowel for those corners

 

[robbie77]

protect from Neanderthal spreads

That made me laugh! And you thought we were all dead!
I am actually very very careful when plastering because I'm fairly new to it.
The cheap B&Q trowel I got in a set 10 years ago is still mint after mainly doing cement work!

There has been a family friend builder helping me so he may have used it on something a bit rougher, I suppose he must have

I was just intrigued if anyone else had had any problems.

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.