pebbledash

Hi, just wondering.... For those of you who use a Harling Trowel, are you scraping the mix out of a bucket to apply it to the wall? If so do you find the trowel scrapes/catches the plastic off the inside of the bucket?

I have a detached house with pebbledash. The house has patches where windows have been replaced, patches where doors have been relocated, patches where poor adherence has resulted in loss of topcoat - you get the picture - I have patches!!! The scratch coat is rock hard (too hard) and has...