It is impossible to apply even and high-quality words of sealant without special devices, especially for an inexperienced master. Therefore, both in everyday life and in the professional performance of construction work, various options for special pistols are almost universally used. It is worth considering the pros and cons of closed professional guns for applying sealants.
Varieties
Currently, it is customary to divide construction guns according to the drive used and design features. Both classifications should be considered in more detail..
Drive unit
The principle of operation of absolutely all existing devices for applying sealing materials is to push a mass of material with a piston through an opening.
According to the source of force acting on the piston, sealant guns are divided into the following types:
- mechanical, in which the muscular effort of the operator is transmitted through a system of levers to the piston;
- electrical – in them, the rotational movement of the electric motor is converted into a translational movement that pushes the material out of the container;
- pneumatic – in such tools, the required force is created by a flow of compressed air; they allow you to carry out huge amounts of work, therefore they have a very high sales rating, but they are mainly used on large construction sites.
Electric tools are additionally divided into battery-powered and require a connection to the mains for their work..
Design
Depending on the design, pistols for sealing materials are divided into the following types:
- skeletal – these are the simplest tools, designed to fix ready-made containers with material in them, in fact, they are presented in the form of a simple steel frame with a piston; due to their simplicity and lightness, they are usually produced in a mechanical version and are intended exclusively for minor home repairs;
- half-hull – represent a “half pipe” made of steel with a piston, they are also usually produced with a mechanical drive and are not intended for professional use;
- closed – have a full-fledged container for the material used, are filled from containers of any size according to the principle of “reverse piston” – like filling a syringe from an ampoule; they come with any drive and are considered professional.
Advantages
The main advantage of the closed type of tool is its reliability compared to open and semi-open versions, which tend to deform after use with 2–4 containers of material. The owners of such products can, in principle, forget about such a phenomenon as the skew of the piston, which is often the case with skeletal models. Another important plus of such a gun is its independence from the size of the purchased containers of the sealing material, since it is possible to collect sealant from any package in a closed case. At the same time, a wide range of closed instruments of various sizes are currently being produced. Simple mechanical versions available with 310 ml capacity (eg T4P in aluminum housing), 400 ml (Kaem 2050-180400), 420 ml (Steel 31105) and 600 ml (Steel 31104).
Even from the point of view of user convenience, such tools outperform both skeletal and semi-case, because they do not need to fix the cartridge.. It is in the closed version that non-mechanical versions of this tool are most often produced. So, in everyday life, both the pneumatic Intertool PT-0601 and the battery DeWalt DC542K are quite applicable. Automated versions of such products have many other pleasant bonuses – a smooth adjustment of the material squeezing speed, an automatic punch of a working hole, a backlight, and others. Often, such products are supplied complete with a variety of attachments that allow you to vary the thickness and other characteristics of the applied seam..
So, if you need to make a seam in the machine, the owners of body tools will not waste time looking for the right nozzle on the market..
disadvantages
The main disadvantage of closed pistols is their significantly higher price compared to other options. The main source of problems when working with such a tool is its dependence on the tightness of the case. If a slight damage to the skeletal and half-case versions does not harm their functionality, then the through hole in the container of a closed pistol leads to the need to repair it. An additional disadvantage of pneumatic models is the need to fill with compressed air cylinders for models equipped with them, or connect to a bulky and expensive installation that compresses air..
The main disadvantage of battery models is the need to replace or recharge batteries, which limits their applicability in case of large volumes of planned work..
Advice
Thus, if you need to make 1-2 seams in a bathroom or car, there is no need to buy a closed version. If there is a need for regular repairs, you should think about purchasing a simple mechanical model of the T4P type. Well, for the pros, automated options are suitable..
For more information on how to use a closed sealant gun, the following video will tell you..
