siliconing technique...

[Martino]

For a perfect bead i use masking tape. nice neat finish when its a contrasting Silicon to the tile.

 

[masterofnone]

I spray with fairy mix and then run over with index finger nail(back side). Keep my finger wet with fairy mix and clean my finger on a clean cloth as i go.

 

[kilty55]

i use a guy from edinburgh Silicon solutions the finish is perfection and pretty cheap as well

 

[Ian]

i use a guy from edinburgh Silicon solutions the finish is perfection and pretty cheap as well

Have you watched him do it? What tool does he use?

 

[kilty55]

aye bri, he rips down timber to small sticks and slices them to suit different profile thicknesses uses a spray bottle and a stick mate the finish is dynamite

 

[Ian]

I think the key to a good Silicon bead is getting the right amount out of the tube first, a good siliconer (?) will have to do very little to profile it after, hardly any waste either.

 

[kilty55]

thats it mate the guy has zero waste

 

[andy8758]

Practice. Cutting the right profile on the Silicon tube tip. Practice. Water or better still w/up liquid and water. Practice. Use any profile that gives a consistent sealed bead (including your finger). Practice. Practice. practice. I bet Phil Hobson is the best siliconer here - he's gotta have been practicing for the last 50 years.

 

[Rookery]

I use my finger (slightly wet) for smaller beads & I have an old credit card that I've cut in all 4 corners to different profiles for larger beads where required

Is it an American Express card, so you can do the job quicker? :smilewinkgrin:

 

[Peter]

Some days I'm a master of Silicon and other days it needs hoked out and redone. :lol:

A lot of it seems to come from how neatly you get it out of the tube to start with, if you have a nice clean bead then you're flying. I tend to have a lot of waste with the Silicon tools, but as long as it's neat then I don't mind. They're hard to judge as you either seem to have far too much or far too little. Some low modulus is great, you don't even need a shaper.

Find that Mr Muscle is better than Fairy and dries off walls/joints more naturally too.