Masonry Magazine May 2005 Page. 31
The handle can also serve other purposes. You can slide multiple Gatorbacks onto the forks of a telehandler and raise them up to your crewmembers on scaffolding, as well as run a chain through the handle to lock them to the scaffolds for theft prevention.
Having worked as a tender himself, Carney says that the need for this product was obvious. "It's all about cutting down on retempering time and making your masons and mason tenders more efficient. Tenders will tell you: the worst thing you have to do is go shake up the mud. It's totally counterproductive. Every time the masons have to stop and wait for mortar, obviously, production stops on the wall."
For more information, visit www.gatorback.net.
A Chip off the Old Block
FOR STONEMASONS, Rhino Tools made by Rael Inc. of Clackamas, Ore. has introduced a new 2-1/4 pound, double-ended, two-sided carbide-tipped hammer. Unlike standard stone hammers that suffer from recoil and essentially "bounce" off of the stone, carbide-tipped hammers require less effort to use.
"Carbide reacts so much differently to stone," says David Rael, President of Rael Inc. "You have to give it a couple of initial taps but then the carbide for some reason it doesn't have the same recoil - imbeds itself into the stone once you start striking it. So the end result is you are swinging the hammer up to 50% less, which reduces fatigue, reduces wear on the tool, and reduces bruising to the stone."
Carbide can be a tricky material in the wrong hands, but treated correctly it can be an advantageous investment. "With carbide you always need to have even pressure on the carbide bit or it can fracture. You never want to use one edge of the carbide blade or tip it on its edge and use a corner of it because it can fracture the carbide," says Rael.
However, Rael says that he has never had a single hammer fail due to carbide fracturing. Also, when carbide tools are used properly, they can go years without needing to be sharpened.
"Once you put a carbide tool in their hands, they can't believe how much better and easier it is to use them," explains Rael. "It's a matter of convincing them to try it and educating them on how to use the tool properly."
For more information, visit www.rhinotools.com.
Long-lasting Jointer
BON TOOL COMPANY of Gibsonia, Pa., has introduced a new stainless steel jointer for finishing work. The Voice of the Mason Contractor
Carbide can be a tricky material in the wrong hands, but treated correctly it can be an advantageous investment.
"By working with metal alloys over the years, we came up with a stainless steel trowel that proved to be successful," says John Wight, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Bon Tool. "So we carried this forward into the stainless steel jointer, which is already being well-received."
The stainless steel jointer comes in five different sizes, ranging from 3/8" to 1", with each side of the jointer having a different measurement.
Wight explains that the main difference is in the materials. Carbon steel jointers can rust, and they are often plated, which eventually wears off, or hardened, which is only on the surface of the jointer. Stainless steel provides a longer lasting and harder jointer that will never rust.
For more information, visit www.bontool.com.
Four-in-One
KRAFT TOOL CO. of Shawnee, Kan., has introduced the new patent-pending Rule of Thumb masons rule.
"The Rule of Thumb is a 25' masons' rule that is basically a four-in-one tape measure, explains Tanya Pringle, Marketing Coordinator for Kraft Tool. "This tape can measure three types of brick modular, standard and oversized. There is also a new layout feature for general construction."
This durable product has a steel blade with a locking feature, a ribbed protective rubber casing and a belt clip for easy access.
"A brick mason would have to buy several tapes to measure different types of brick, but this tape covers all measuring applications," says Pringle.
For more information, visit www.krafttool.com.