ragni kits

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fruitcake1987

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Hi guys need a little but of advise on some tool kits i've been looking at I've got a choice between two kits both ragni the first one is a hawk 11inch trowel a bucket towel and pipe trowel the other is a hawk 11inch trowel a 8inch midgit trowel and pipe trowel I'm leaning more to the one with the bucket trowel but didn't no how much id use the midget trowel, tryin to get my tool bag ready for after my course.
 
You will need a midget trowel, and set margin trowels. Dont try to save money when buying trowels go for the best.
 
Trust me there's no problem using Ragni trowels, I have used an 11in carbon steel Ragni trowel for all my S&C work for the last 25 years apart from when wearing in a setting trowel. I've also used their stainless trowels but unfortunately they're not as good as they used to be but still fine for a newbie to learn with, although a Perma shape will seem easier, just spend a bit of time with an oil stone to shape the edges. Get the guy teaching at the course to help you with this. As for bucket, midget and margin trowels the Ragni will be fine. Any bucket trowel that is strong where the handle joins the blade is fine. My margin trowels cost me £2 each (Swan I think) and are perfect, why spend loads on expensive trowels that spend most of their lives buried at the bottom of a tool bag. Whichever kit you buy add the other item as you will need both.
Remember there's loads of snobbery where tools are concerned, my old man used to say "a decent spread will get a good finish using the edge of a corned beef tin if needed".
 
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did you every see him do it andy?

ive used a ragni trowel for dabbing and ive gotta admit. those plasticy banana shaped handles are wank.
 
beddy said:
did you every see him do it andy?

ive used a ragni trowel for dabbing and ive gotta admit. those plasticy banana shaped handles are wank.
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I never saw him do it Steve but by Christ some of his trowels looked worse than my floor scraping trowel but he still got a good finish with them. I must say that I find those plastic handles the most comfortable of all the trowels I've tried.
 
The ragni bucket trowel is good but the midget trowel is shite, ditched mine, spend the extra and get the Marshalltown if you can.
 
I use a ragni for S & C work too! Nowt wrong with it. Totally agree with Andy on the margin/midget/bucket trowels as well, no point in spending big bucks on something like that :RpS_thumbup:
 
Nowt wrong with ragni trowels,i was using a carbon one up until last year,you can buy all the expensive gear it still wont make you a better plasterer,my old man [god rest his soul] used the most awful trowel but still acheived a good finish.
 
Exactly^^i use a stainless tyzak now only for ease of maintence but the carbon ragni is still in the van and still acheives a good finish.Whats with the hype with marshaltown anyway??
 
I have never used anything else other than marshaltown never really gave it any thought but i am only on my 3rd trowel in 20 years so that speaks for it self i think.
 
I have always used the 13x5 and my last 2 trowels had wooden handles which i preferred i dont like the new ones with the writing on the handle.
 
i think we should henry. i dont like the way the gear slides of the trowel so easily and i dont like how they trowel up. iv only had 1, a refina, and i just use it for bonding and scraping up now. really didnt get on with it
 
nick0412 said:
does anyone else think stainless trowels are for wankers?? :-)
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I use both stainless and carbon steel depending on what's working the best at that time. Anyone who only uses stainless doesn't know what they're missing, does that make me half a w**k*r? No I'm definitely a complete one.
 
Thanks for input guys will keep it in mind does any body no if there's a kit out there with a carbon steel in or do they only come on their own cheers guys
 
Naaah they're not spunky. Carbon wear in quicker and sharper. Nick refina trowels are wank imo. I had 1 and just as it was getting decent it bent the wrong way. Fixed it and it happened again, twice, plus the handles are wank. Carbon all the way for skimming for me now.
 
I heard that old myth carbon wears in quicker blah blah it's all b*ll***s I've got both as long as there worn in it's all that matters
 
Its true about carbon. Carbon steel knife blades get sharper, and are easier to sharpen. Only problem is they can chip easier then stainless, and they rust. So I'm guessing the same applies to trowels.
 
its a bit of a shitter when u pay like £40 + for a refina and theyre crap.

i just find that stainless are a bit stiffer and dont sharpen as nice. steel just seems to get a nicer finish easier for me.

oh and stainless are for girls!
 
I have a stainless mt trowel which started life as a 13x5 and now is a 13x3 the only trouble with stainless is when they start to get thin they nick all the time and you are forever sanding them to get out the nicks but with a carbon trowel when they start to get thin they just snap and go on the rivets, in all fairness there all the same as long as you get paid for what you do :RpS_thumbup:
 
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the best thing i like about steel is when uv been on holiday, or off for xmas, and then u get it out to start skimming, and coz ur too lazy to wd40, u have to rub it on a block for half hour to clean it up
 
nickelarse said:
the best thing i like about steel is when uv been on holiday, or off for xmas, and then u get it out to start skimming, and coz ur too lazy to wd40, u have to rub it on a block for half hour to clean it up
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You don't need WD40 just dry the trowel of on your joggers then rub your hand over your forehead and wipe hand over the blade of trowel. The natural grease in your skin will protect your trowel from rust for at least a few days.
 
mr gibbo taught me something very good a while back. let the trowel rust up, then scrape the rust off but not back to the bear metal, just back to the black coating it gets under the rust, then leave it. it never rusts again.
 
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