TIL it took me 4 years to figure out the problem with my trowel marks

I kept getting weird horizontal lines in my plasterwork and just blamed the mix or my technique. Turns out I was using a worn-out trowel with a bent edge that I'd had since my first job back in 2018. A guy on site last month pointed it out, and I replaced it for $12. Has anyone else had a simple tool issue mess with their results for way too long?

4 comments

4 Comments

henderson.oscar2mo ago

I had a similar thing with a chisel once, spent two years wondering why it wouldn't hold an edge before I noticed a hairline crack in the steel near the handle.

blair5972mo ago

Two years is a long time to blame a tool before checking for a crack. Most times the issue is just technique or sharpening, not a hidden defect in the steel.

wadem892mo ago

Noticing that pattern in tools is just like missing the obvious in relationships or work too.

viola_ward2mo ago

Yeah, that "missing the obvious" thing really hit home for me, @wadem89. I had a dovetail saw that wouldn't cut straight for over a year. I tried different sharpening methods, blamed the set of the teeth, even bought a whole new saw thinking it was warped. Turned out I was just holding it at a wrong angle, leaning it too far forward on the pull stroke. It was right in front of my face the whole time, but I was so focused on the tool I never looked at my own hand. That's exactly what you're saying, sometimes we look everywhere but at our own habits. Just a simple fix like adjusting my grip and stance turned that saw into my favorite one. So yeah, your mileage may vary, but for me the obvious was me, not the tool.