How to use a tube sealant gun

Nowadays, the building materials market is so diverse that everyone will find what they need, both in quality and price. One of the most used materials in construction is sealant. With its help, you can protect the joints between materials from moisture, as well as eliminate some defects. The only problem with the sealant is the difficulty in removing it from the tube without a special tool. In this article we will tell you how to use a caulk gun. Using this tool will increase your work speed and make it more enjoyable.

Types of instruments

As mentioned earlier, the operating principle of a sealant gun is based on functionality similar to a medical syringe. The sealant or other composition located in the tube is squeezed out by a rod, at the end of which there is a special extension (the so-called piston). The latter is set in motion by pressing a trigger connected to the latter by a simple mechanism.

Based on the design features of pistols, they can be roughly divided into 3 types.

Open sealant gun Source instanko.ru

One of the cheapest sealant guns Source instrumentgid.ru

Skeletal. The simplest and most inexpensive type of silicone gun. It got its name due to the absence of body walls. It consists only of stiffening ribs, inside of which there is a rod with a piston connected to the trigger. Used with the composition from a standard 310 ml plastic tube.

Semi-closed sealant gun Source avatars.mds.yandex.

Gun with a partially closed tube Source sdelaysam-svoimirukami.ru

Semi-hulled. Almost an analogue of a skeleton pistol. The only difference is that instead of 2-3 stiffeners, the model has a half-closed working part. The tool provides more reliable fixation of the tube, minimizes the likelihood of it being squeezed to the side, and the possibility of the piston jamming.

Healthy! Skeleton and semi-frame pistols are in most cases purchased for one-time use. Due to the weak design, with frequent use they quickly become unusable: the piston and housing become warped, problems appear with the mechanism that drives the rod.

Closed type silicone gun Source avatars.mds.yandex.

Tubular gun for sealant Source instrumentgid.ru
Tubular closed. They are among the best options for inexpensive tools for home use. The sealed housing makes it possible to work both with compounds in plastic containers and in soft foil packaging.

Another type of classification is related to the type of content delivery. There are 3 types of pistols.

Mechanical sealant gun Source avatars.mds.yandex.

Mechanical. The simplest and most inexpensive tool. The movement of the piston occurs due to pressure on the trigger, which transfers the resulting energy to the piston.

Pneumatic sealant gun Source alicdn.com

Pneumatic. One of the most reliable tools for professionals. Can be used with different types of tubes, universal. The supply of the substance is carried out not by the movement of the piston, as happens in all other models, but due to the pressure of compressed air pumped into the tube.

How to refill

The sealant is produced in two types of packaging:

Plastic hard cartridge. Its volume is about 300 ml. It is a dense cylindrical shell (balloon) with a specially shaped tip. Its bottom is movable. It moves as the substance leaves the container. You buy sealant in such a tube if you need to do a small amount of work.
Aluminum foil tube (sausage). The volume of this package is from 280 to 600 ml. You can buy sealant in the required packaging, depending on the scale of the work being performed. In such packages, the substance retains the necessary properties during the shelf life. Sealant packaged in a tube is cheaper than in a cartridge.

The sequence of actions when refilling the gun differs depending on the type of packaging in which the sealant was purchased.

Plastic cartridge

The sealant, packaged in a plastic cartridge, is filled into skeletal (open) and tubular (closed) type guns. Before installation, the packaging is prepared as follows:

cut off the tip of the cartridge with a sharp knife;
screw the nozzle to the cylinder;
cut the tip at an angle of 45 0. The distance to which it is cut depends on the thickness of the seam being processed. The thicker the seam, the greater the distance from the end.

You can insert glue into a closed (tubular) type construction gun in the following sequence:

Prepare your gun. To do this, unscrew its body and unscrew the plastic nut attached to the end of the rod.
Remove the metal washer and tighten the support nut to the end of the rod.
Place the washer on the rod and secure it with a nut. Use a wrench to tighten the support nut. At the same time, make sure that the end of the rod does not extend beyond the washer.
Screw the housing.
Insert the prepared container with sealant into the pipe of the mounting gun and secure it by screwing on the plastic nut.

To insert a plastic balloon into a mounting skeleton gun, follow this action plan:

Pull the gun piston back as far as it will go by pressing the spring petal.
A can of sealant is placed into the housing frame and pushed forward a little.
Pressing the spring petal, push the piston until it contacts the bottom of the cartridge.

When preparing the cartridge, it is important to trim the tip correctly. It is not recommended to pierce a hole in it. This leads to an increase in the pressure of the sealant inside the cylinder and makes it more difficult to squeeze out.

Ingredients in soft packaging (sausages)

The sealant in the sausage is used only with closed-type guns. Its body is a container for placing soft foil packaging.

Step-by-step instructions on how to fill the composition in a foil tube into a gun:

Unscrew the gun body.
The top nut is screwed off the rod, which secures the metal washer.
Remove the washer and scroll the support nut slightly down the thread of the rod.
Return the metal washer to the rod, and fix the plastic washer on top of it.
Use a wrench to tighten the support nut.
Screw the gun body into place.
Prepare a foil tube by cutting off the edge of the package with scissors.
Insert the sausage into the gun body.
Install the tip into the cover and fix it.
Screw the lid to the body.
Cut the tip at an angle of 45 0.

The gun with the sealant installed is ready for use.

Universal Operating Instructions

Regardless of what type of tool you have in your hands, the procedure for everyone is almost the same. So how to use a caulk gun?

At the first stage, you need to prepare a cylinder with the composition. To do this, the tip of the container is trimmed, after which a special cap is screwed on. It should be cut at an angle of 45°, the cut diameter depends on how wide the seam you need. Start with a hole of 2-3 mm, test on a piece of paper, if necessary, increase the size of the hole.

Device capacity

The capacity is affected by the size of the chamber installed in the air gun. A certain device contains a different volume of sealant.

This feature is part of the design provided by the manufacturer for filling the device with sealant more rarely.

Most often, cylinders with a capacity of 500 ml are suitable. – 1.5 l.

Useful tips

It is advisable to seal the edges with masking tape Source ytimg.com

Smoothing and rubbing in sealant Source waysi.ru
If the question regarding how to work with a sealant gun is clear, pay attention to some nuances affecting the process of applying the composition itself. The main aspects are as follows:

When cutting off the end of a plastic tube, pay attention to the marks on its tip. They are intended to determine the width of the resulting seam (not applied to tubes from all manufacturers).
The seam on which it is planned to apply sealant must be cleaned and degreased in any possible way.
You need to apply the sealant from the corner, evenly moving the gun adapter in the desired direction.
When squeezing out the composition, try to maintain a continuous line.
Smoothing or rubbing (pressing) of the composition is allowed. To do this, wet your finger with soapy water and move it in the desired direction.
It is more convenient to remove excess composition with a spatula, after moistening it in a soap solution.
To avoid staining the area that does not require treatment, cover it with masking (paper) tape. The pasted strip must be removed after the applied composition has completely hardened.

Rubbing with a finger dipped in a soap solution Source avatars.mds.yandex.

It is most convenient to cut the adapter with a stationery knife Source Aa sdelaysam-svoimirukami.ru

Safety regulations

To work safely with an air gun, you must be careful and adhere to the following rules:

do not change the device of the instrument;
do not increase the load on the gun, for example, by changing the length of the lever;
do not seal surfaces under electrical voltage;
do not leave the device in direct sunlight, do not overheat it;
protect the gun from exposure to harmful substances on the base of the air gun, or on any of its connections and joints.

Choosing a good pistol

Working with a cordless sealant gun Source zdesinstrument.ru
Choosing a good sealant gun should be based on 2 criteria: for what purpose is this tool purchased? This may be a professional activity with its constant use or the need to process several seams. For example, when installing a bathtub or shower stall.

Choosing a professional caulking gun will make a difference from a financial point of view and will have higher performance and longer service life. They are mainly used on large construction sites, when it is necessary to carry out large-scale sealing work.

Battery gun for silicone sealant Source images.ru.prom.st

A distinctive feature of this tool is that it can work with both plastic tubes and metallized bags or poured sealant.

Healthy! Purchasing an expensive professional silicone gun for home is considered impractical.

Inexpensive gun for home use Source zdesinstrument.ru
When choosing a gun for sealant for home use, you should rely on the following factors:

Ease of use. Before purchasing, take it in your hand; the device should be comfortable to use.
The trigger should not be pressed with force. Excessive tension leads to hand fatigue, which will negatively affect the quality of work.
Pay attention to the quality of connections, welds, and rivet elements. During operation, the housing experiences a noticeable load, which will directly affect its integrity.

Pneumatic

Used to perform large volumes of work, it applies sealant quickly, conveniently and in an even layer.

Such a tool is connected to a pneumatic line suitable for its characteristics, for example, an air compressor, and when using a special muffler, it is almost completely silent.

Another advantage of such a gun for silicone is its low weight, which in a professional environment is valued no less than performance.

The cost is approximately 3.5 thousand rubles.

The sealant syringe gun can have a fixed or rotating body (excluding options with a closed body).

This design allows the part holding the tube to rotate relative to the handle, which increases the convenience of applying sealant when working at different angles.

In addition, there are so-called models with a counterweight, where the handle is shifted closer to the center of the entire structure, this makes it possible to evenly distribute the load on the hand.

A quick overview of a quality tool

We present a brief overview of different types of sealant guns.

Model	Type	Net weight, g.	Working volume, ml.	Material	Advantages	Flaws	price, rub.
Makita CG100DZA	Semi-closed	2 100	300, 600, 800	Polyurethane	Ability to work with containers of different sizes; protection from moisture; ease of use in hard-to-reach places.	No battery included as standard	11 500-11 900
Ryobi ONE+CCG1801MHG	Semi-closed	1 700	300	Polyurethane	Convenient speed switching; built-in tube piercing mechanism; the presence of a trigger lock.	No battery included as standard	4 200-5 100
FIT Pro 14256	Closed	600	600	Metal	Wide, comfortable handle	Can only be used with compounds in a metallized bag	1 000-1 150
Metabo DCP 310	Pneumatic	2 000	300	Metal	High-quality assembly; comfortable handle; The body has an anti-corrosion coating.	Cannot be used with liquid formulations	21 000-23 000
Armero A251/006	Semi-closed, reinforced	700	300	Metal	Comfortable handle; treated with anti-corrosion coating.	You have to apply force to press the lever	750-1 200
Stayer Professional 0673-60	Closed	670	600	Aluminum	Comfortable smooth stem	Dimensions (not convenient to work in narrow spaces)	550-620
Bison Expert 06635	Skeletal	600	300	Metal	Rugged housing	Possible trigger play	450-550

Important! Do not take the table data as a rating. All models are shown for informational purposes only. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Gun for sealant, glue, liquid nails Source sdelaysam-svoimirukami.ru

Design and principle of operation

The design of this useful device is extremely simple and consists of the following elements:

Frame. Designed to hold a plastic tube or bag of sealant and comes in different types: skeletal, semi-closed, closed.
Stock. Used directly to squeeze sealant out of packaging. Having a wide round plate at the end that rests against the bottom of the tube, the rod moves forward with each press on the gun, pushing the sealant through the spout (narrow nozzle).
Lever mechanism. It is extremely simple. When you press the lever, the system pushes the rod to the allotted distance.
Latch. This device blocks the stroke of the rod, and in improved models of guns it also relieves pressure from it, which prevents the sealant from spontaneously squeezing out of the tube. To pull the rod back, you must first press the lock with your fingers.

Popular brands

When you are going to buy an air gun, you should prefer reputed brands. Professional specialists choose brands such as Stayer, Metabo, Wilton, Makita, Workman.

Their distinctive properties: high quality, uniform supply of sealant, function of adjusting the air flow force.

Pneumatic pistols from well-known manufacturers almost never fail and are durable. With their help, you can easily and quickly carry out repair and construction work.