TIL a drywall knife with a slightly dull edge actually works better for taping

I was fighting with a brand new blade on my tape banjo for weeks, getting bubbles and wrinkles every time I ran a bead on a butt joint. Finally the old guy at the supply yard told me to drag the knife across concrete a few times to knock the sharp edge off. Tried it on a ceiling repair I did last Tuesday in a powder room on Maple Street, and the mud laid down so smooth I almost cried. No more fighting the blade digging in or dragging the paper weird. I had been buying new blades every single job thinking sharper was better, but now I just dull them a little on purpose. Has anyone else found a tool trick that goes completely against common sense? Just curious if I'm the only one who wasted time on this.

2 comments

2 Comments

faith_carter22d ago

Nope, you're not the only one. I spent a whole summer fighting sharp blades on fresh drywall in a new build. Swapped to a used blade from a buddy's trash pile, and boom. Smooth as butter. Works on metal corner beads too. The sharp edge catches and skips. Dull just glides. It feels wrong but it's right.

terryk2822d ago

So does that mean you'd grab a used blade out of the trash on purpose now, or was it more of a lucky accident that worked out?