Caulking Tools

[BlueLancer]

Has anybody had any experience of making their own Caulking Tools, if so how. The ones for sale new seem to cost an arm and several legs.

 

[chrishelen]

In the past i have used an old file with the bare handle warmed up and bent into a hook to get the old stuff out. and a bricklayers bolster to knock the new stuff in.

 

[monkey_trousers]

I bought a set of the irons that someone flogs on ebay for a tenner, and they are not that bad, do the job ok. I made a sort of feeding iron myself from an old bolster, ground the end back so it was flat and maybe a quarter inch wide then cut a slot down the centre with a cutting disk on the angle grinder. works really well

one thing I am curious to hear is people comments/ideas on caulking mallets. 'proper' ones are stupid money, what does anyone use in there place?

 

[chrishelen]

I should have mentioned taking the edge off the blade on the bolster, i found a wooden mallet has enough weight behind it,also easier on the old arms.

 

[Peterduck]

I made a set of foundry patterns for caulking irons. The parting line was along the blade and up the shaft. I mounted them on a board with one side one each side of the board. All the moulder had to do was to put his flask over the board and ram the sand in. There were six irons on the board with different thicknesses of blade. They were arranged in two rows of three, with a large block of pine between the rows in place of the central sprue to provide for a local reservoir of liquid iron.
The resulting irons turned out quite well.
Peter.

 

[old_salt]

Quote:-
one thing I am curious to hear is people comments/ideas on caulking mallets. 'proper' ones are stupid money, what does anyone use in there place?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An engineers Hide mallet will do the job perfectly with no probs and pains.
Yes a caulking mallet will have the right ring to it but this is the 21 century after all.
As a engineer I would say a Hide mallet is the better of the two it will do the job and be just as easy on the user.
Sorry to sound a bit rude it is all in the wrist action.
Get one of the weight you feel comfortable with to use, they come from 1/2lb to 14lbs. Also it will have many uses after the caulking up.
Caulking up is not a marathon you have to complete all in one go.

 

[monkey_trousers]

funnily enough its a hide mallet I've been using! 12oz I think it is

 

[Peterduck]

While I have only ever used a carpenter's mallet for caulking, I think that another one worth looking at is a "Dead-blow" mallet. Mine is made of some form of near-indestructible black plastic, but the essence of a 'dead-blow' is that it has lead shot in the hollow head. When you swing the mallet back toward your shoulder, the shot moves to the 'top' of the head. When the head hits the top of the caulking iron and begins to rebound, the shot comes up aginst the inside of the 'bottom' of th head and adds the real momentum of the mallet, preventing the rebound. All of this makes the mallet very comfortable to use.
Peter.

 

[old_salt]

I have never thought of that what an interesting suggestion. I have used them when I was working for tapping large ball races in to housings, now retired. I will have to buy my own. Heres a link to a supplier in the UK it looks a good site for loads of tools as well.
clicky here.