Author Topic: Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread  (Read 99810 times)

Offline Jake

  • postingpro
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 439
Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread
« on: November 30, 2008, 03:38:50 PM »
What are some of your good ideas to make a job easier??

Here's one I've personaly seen in action courtesy of MattG that I can attest too.

How many of you when doing a fairly big sized project that requires a lot of taping... Misplace your tape? Or have to go up and down a ladder for tape? Or whatever other thing it is that p!sses you off about that roll of tape?

Matt uses a wallet chain and always just runs the chain through the roll of tape and there it is... Always by your side.

I tried it and it's a killer idea.

Super handy, works great, and you never lose the roll.  :D

What are some of your more obvious but seldom thought of tricks of the trade for making the job run a little bit more smoothly?
« Last Edit: November 30, 2008, 06:34:32 PM by the PAINTSMITH »
The only thing that separates Paint from Pain... Is a t.

Offline BrushJockey

  • postingpro
  • PF Mega God
  • *
  • Posts: 1683
Re: Good Ideas...
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2008, 04:08:36 PM »
Good idea about thread, Jake! I've got lots of my "work tweeks" spread throughout this place.

Just gave a couple to Georgie on the injury thread ( folding stepstool, use a lightwieght tool belt) - BTW, the tool belt I use has a velcro strap for tape like you mentioned.

 My florescent light boxes are really handy, particularly for these winter days.
http://www.painterforum.com/yabbse/index.php/topic,1401.0.html

 I have adaptations on the vac sander that uses a bucket with a filter before the vac to capture most the dust.
http://www.painterforum.com/yabbse/index.php/topic,2500.0.html

« Last Edit: November 30, 2008, 04:18:23 PM by BrushJockey »
"It would be ludicrous to think I'm new to this, I know this, this is what I do"  ( Prince and Geo Clinton..)

Offline Jake

  • postingpro
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 439
Re: Good Ideas...
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2008, 04:22:01 PM »
WOW! I REALLY like that florescent light box idea!!!!!!

I'm so sick of the small lights that heat up to a million degrees and are super hazardous to work around, especialy if you're partial to wearing cut off whites as I am when working.
I knew a guy once that burned his leg pretty bad... Don't want that to happen to anyone else again!!!

Great idea!!!

« Last Edit: November 30, 2008, 05:02:15 PM by Jake »
The only thing that separates Paint from Pain... Is a t.

Offline canadianpainter

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 67
Re: Good Ideas...
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2008, 06:23:09 PM »
One of the simplest things I do is bring a bag full of all the things I might need.  I bought one of these bags and I keep it stocked with tape, knives, putty, screwdrivers, putty knives, sanding blocks, caulk etc and I use a five gallon pale to carry brushes, frames, rollers etc.  I find that bringing these two things with me save me having to run back to the truck for things. 

When I'm spraying for a few days in a row I won't clean my sprayer everyday.  I simply wrap a damp cloth around my gun and put a plastic bag over it and add a thin layer of water overtop of the paint so it doesn't dry. I'll also wrap my rollers in plastic for the night so I don't have to clean them.

Another thing I do is always carry a utility knife, a razorblade and a sanding block with me.  At the end of the day I keep them with my keys so I never forget them.




the PAINTSMITH

  • Guest
Re: Good Ideas...
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2008, 06:33:20 PM »
Jake, good on ya....I'm thinkin' sticky on this topic...

Offline ProWallGuy

  • postingpro
  • PF God
  • *
  • Posts: 806
Re: Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2008, 06:48:57 PM »
Spray some WD40 on a rag, and wipe down the end caps and metal arms of your rollers before dipping it in paint. After the job, the paint will clean off easily. Literally wipe off. Keeps roller frames brand new looking. Also spray the inside cage.

When finished with a 5, use a screwdriver to pry out the rubber seal around the inside of the lid. This works great to hold a piece of plastic over your current paint 5 over night (or during lunch, or over a weekend) while on a job. You can throw a wet rag over the 5, then cut a piece of plastic to cover the whole top, and the rubber seal works like the perfect sized rubber band. Keeps paint fresh for a couple days like this.

When using premix mud, never mix or pull mud out of the 5 it comes in. Scoop out a portion at a time into another clean 5, add a splash of water and dish detergent, and mix it with a drill/paddle. If you mix it in the original 5, or pour off that water, it will dry around the edges, and get chunky. Also always wipe off the inside of the lid when you crack it open to keep the residue from drying out and falling in the mud.

Also sometimes I put a shot of food coloring into the mud I'm using so I can see the repairs on the wall/ceiling. I hate when I'm painting and I find an un-sanded patch that I couldn't see or just plain missed while sanding. Make sure not to put too much coloring in there that it makes it tough for the paint to cover.

When I buy new metal screens for a set-up, I hit them with 2-3 coats high gloss oil from a rattlecan. After the job, throw the screen in a 5 of water, the paint peels off like a skin. Ready for the next job.

Next!

Offline Jake

  • postingpro
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 439
Re: Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2008, 07:43:58 PM »
Tim,

Awesome stuff!

In addition to the ring for a rubber band...

If you're just rolling out to get some lunch, or even overnight, a super quick way to seal some plastic over a 5 or even over a cut bucket...

Dip your finger in the paint and run it around the top edge of the bucket. Then just lay a sheet of plastic over the top. The wet paint will adhere to the plastic and make a seal. If you've got a roller set up on the screen in the bucket, just make a small hole for the frame handle to go through the plastic and you're ready to leave. Works great!

Works especialy great with these plastic bags that Matt and I got from a job. They fit perfectly over the top of the 5 and with the paint seal above.... Awesome-ness!  :)
« Last Edit: November 30, 2008, 08:00:27 PM by Jake »
The only thing that separates Paint from Pain... Is a t.

Offline Jake

  • postingpro
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 439
Re: Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2008, 07:52:24 PM »
Here's a couple for when you happen to have a masker and some paper handy...

If you've lost or otherwise damaged the paper cover that comes with a brush, you can make a sweet little cover for your brush out of masking paper.

Say you've got a 3" sash brush... Pull a sheet of paper about 9-10" or so off of the masker. Lay the paper down flat with the tape side up. Take your brush and lay it on the end of the paper along the metal part. Roll the paper so it(and the tape) wraps around the metal and the bristles. When it's all rolled, fold the paper down over and around the sash angle and tape it up with some masking tape. Now you have a protective brush cover. Works for flat brushes too!  :)

Also if you're working on tile or concrete or any other smooth flat surface and you have some sweeping to do...

Simply tape down a couple of peices (of paper from a masker) overlapping front to back , and sweep whatever it is your sweeping onto the paper and fold it up. There you have the best, most amazing dustpan ever!  :)

Awesome stuff guys... Keep em coming!!!  :D
« Last Edit: November 30, 2008, 07:54:34 PM by Jake »
The only thing that separates Paint from Pain... Is a t.

Offline MattG

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 27
Re: Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread
« Reply #8 on: December 04, 2008, 01:21:05 PM »
Notice the super cool and handy tape holder (wallet chain) on my left side. :-)


Matt
If it wont get up and walk away... I can paint it!

Vin

  • Guest
Re: Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread
« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2008, 07:48:53 PM »
Good stuff guys.

Whelp my contribution is that i use a plastic tool box to store my brush's, extra's go in the bottom and the top storage area are my regular use brush's they lay nice and flat or I can stack them without them becoming damaged I have also drilled holes in the lid of the box so no condensation gets built up keeping the brushs wet they are almost always dry by the next day.

All my rollers go into a square kitty liter bucket with a half lid that folds open I'll have to see which company of kitty liter makes that particular bucket it opens and closes real easy and I throw it all the way back of my truck and retrieve it with a pole through the handle

HOW ABOUT THAT  ;D.



Offline thebrushand

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 32
    • Andrew Crichton Master Painter and Decorator
Re: Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread
« Reply #10 on: December 08, 2008, 08:12:18 AM »
Notice the super cool and handy tape holder (wallet chain) on my left side. :-)


Matt

No offence but I prefer this solution to the masking tape question http://www.rd.com/images/tfhimport/2001/Nov01_Handy_Hints_Special/20011101_Handy_Hints_Special_page003img003_size2.jpg

Offline Jake

  • postingpro
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 439
Re: Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread
« Reply #11 on: December 08, 2008, 10:46:51 AM »
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice!!!!!!!!!  ;D
The only thing that separates Paint from Pain... Is a t.

Offline Jake

  • postingpro
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 439
Re: Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread
« Reply #12 on: December 11, 2008, 05:43:48 PM »
OK... Here's a couple more...

When spraying an interior, especialy an interior with textured walls, (EDIT,on rereading I want to stipulate that this particular technique with the paper is for use on textured walls) it's often easy to get some sags here and there... When you notice a sag and it's still wet, take some masking paper and wad it into a ball. Take that ball of masking paper and pound the you-know-what out of the sag. Then re-spray that area. Works KILLER!

Along the same lines... I had an old-timer helping me with a small job yesterday and today. When we finished today I rolled with him to a Taco Bell where he does odds and ends painting jobs (actualy he has accounts at a bunch of Taco Bells)

Today I helped him spray out the metal doors that lead to the garbage bins as well as a huge electrical box. We were using oil on a smooth metal surface when I commented to him that he had some sags (we all know how easy it is to get those when spraying metal or other smooth surfaces)

Anyway what he did to fix them was like above... But for oil on a smooth surface, he took a peice of masking tape, stuck it to the wet sag, and simply lifted the sag off with it.

Amazing these simple tricks and how well they work!!!  ;)
« Last Edit: December 11, 2008, 10:37:23 PM by Jake »
The only thing that separates Paint from Pain... Is a t.

Vin

  • Guest
Re: Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread
« Reply #13 on: December 12, 2008, 01:11:30 AM »
I worked with a guy who had small enough hands to put the tape roll around his wrist, me I got hands more like paws.

Sags ? whats a sag  :-*



 dry sand works good for  getting up fresh paint spills talking exterior situations here, concrete asphalt but you have to do it really fast so I always keep a bag handy on jobs.

Offline Jake

  • postingpro
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 439
Re: Jake's Tips-N-Tricks Thread
« Reply #14 on: December 12, 2008, 09:05:28 AM »
Hey Vin!

A sag is what you might call a run...

It's where the paint build up is too heavy and it starts to "sag"

The way I learned to call em is, it's a run when brushing and rolling, and a sag when spraying.

Then again, The crew I started with back in the day called holidays, skips...

Anyway you know what I mean.

So I guess it's just semantics. :)
The only thing that separates Paint from Pain... Is a t.

 

anything