mud pump and bazooka free sample

We recommend you use general purpose finishing compound or general purpose “lightweight” finishing compound. You can also use “machine mud” which is designed specifically for automatic finishing tools, but it can be more expensive and harder to source. DO NOT use any type of durabond or “hot muds”, as these fast setting compounds could harden inside your automatic taper - requiring you to break your taper down and manually clean every component.

When you first start using the automatic taper, it is suggested you practice using it on scrap drywall or a practice board, so you can get a feel for: Getting the correct mud consistency. It should be thin enough so that the taper runs smoothly along the seam, but thick enough that the tape remains in place on the wall

Setting the drive wheel brake. The drive wheel brake ensures the drive wheel doesn’t spin backwards when you pull the taper off the wall due to pressure from the cable - as this will create gaps in the mud that is applied behind the tape. You want the brake to be set just enough so that there is not any noticeable resistance and the taper moves smoothly along the seams.

PRO TIP: During a long flat seam run on a ceiling, rock the taper from one side of the drive wheel to the other side every 2 - 3 feet; this action will ensure the mud and tape stays in place until you’ve had a chance to bed the tape down with a trailing knife.

On inside corner seams, keep your taper as close to 45 degrees as possible, so that both wheels are touching the two walls or the ceiling and the wall. This will make sure tape is centered correctly in the seam as you push it in place with the creaser wheel.

When you get to the end of a seam or a corner, cut the tape 3” to 4” before you finish. Then let the remaining tape roll over the drive wheel and into the corner. With a little practice, you will be able to cut to the perfect length every time.

PRO TIP: If you feel that you have cut the tape a little short, gently pull up on the tape with your hand from partway down the wall. You should be able to center the tape a bit and close the gap.

Always stop the automatic taper completely before activating the control sleeve to cut the tape. Otherwise the tape won’t cut properly at a right angle to the taper and could double cut even jam up your tape.

Before you use your automatic taper, always oil up all moving parts liberally with 3-in-1 machine oil. DO NOT use the original WD-40, as it is caustic and will break down your gaskets and plunger. In fact, we don’t recommend you use any lubrication that is in a spray can, unless you know what the propellant is. Often it is benzyne, which is also very hard on gaskets and seals. We highly recommend common machine oil such as 3-in-ONE

Once you’ve finished cleaning your taper, we suggest liberally coating all moving parts and the inside of the tube with 3-in-ONE oil again. It will displace the water and reduce any opportunity for corrosion.

When cleaning your automatic taper do not force the plunger towards the head by jamming a rod, stick or anything else from the bottom and pushing against it. This could cause your cable to become caught up at the head and potentially snap it.

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The Bazooka Continuous Flow Pump was designed in conjunction with Graco specifically to pump joint compound for high production drywall finishing applications. The Endurance Pump, MaxPower Motor and Advantage Drive System combine to create the most rugged and reliable pump on the market. The internal hopper filter maximizes material usage by allowing joint compound collected during the wipe down process to be re-used without fear of debris entering the pump. The 25 gallon hopper can be used as a tool wash station and includes an air tight lid so compound can be preserved for next day use. With the optional CTFIL, standard ATF tools can be filled while the continuous flow tools are in use.

Drywall mud pumps are essential if you are going to use automatic taping tools. Typical drywall pumps are simple lever action pumps that sit in a five-gallon bucket of mud. They have about a three-inch tube that reaches to within a couple of inches of the bottom of the bucket and sucks drywall mud from the bottom.

The spout on these pumps is approximately 5/8" in diameter and located at the base of the lever which sits near the top of the five-gallon bucket. The spouts also come with a small metal tube flattened on one end that serves as an adapter to fill taping boxes. You can also attach a gooseneck to the spout which allows you to fill a drywall bazooka with drywall mud.

Drywall pumps should never be used with hot mud, or quick set drywall mud. Quick set drywall mud hardens by means of a chemical process, therefore it can easily harden inside of the pump before you have a chance to clean it out.

There are pneumatic drywall pumps on the market as well. They are usually sold in conjunction with specific tools. For example, the "Apla Tech" taping system is centered around a pneumatic pump system.

There are not many reasons to invest in a drywall pump if you plan on using no more than basic taping tools like pans and knives. However, if you choose to invest in automatic taping tools including flat boxes, angle boxes, a bazooka, the mud runner or any of these types of tools, you will need to make sure you have a reliable drywall pump.

The LEVEL5 Quick Release Compound Pump is made from lightweight anodized aluminum with a corrosion-resistant red finish to withstand more than 250,000 cycles without maintenance or repair. Used to fill automatic taping and finishing tools, this compound pump is designed to be an essential part of the drywall finishing arsenal with its quick-release latches and pins for easy assembly/disassembly when cleaning.

Design features include a composite urethane cup seal which lasts 50% longer than traditional rubber seals. It also comes with a FREE Box Filler Valve which is extra-long and compatible with mud pumps by other leading brands.

Pre-fill every drywall joint is very important for preventing cracks. But the problem is it’s time consuming. I couldn’t compete with guys using automatic taper and no pre-fill. I thought even if 100% of the cracked joints I have ever repaired without pre-fill, it doesn’t mean that 100% of the joints without pre-fill are going to crack. And you can not tell that I did pre-fill or not, the joints were covered by tape. I knew clearly that pre-fill is essential, but the challenge is to do the right thing while no body is watching and no body is going to know. So I finally decided quit pre-fill and bought a banjo box to apply paper tape to the joints directly. It was much faster and my quotes were competitive. But Chris was very disappointed. he said: “never tell anybody that you learned drywall taping from me!”

I kept upgrading my tools, from banjo box to automatic taper, and finally I bought an Apla-Tech Continuous Flow System(CFS), and started to think how can I beat those guys who are using CFS as well.