Corner Caulking Tool

Abstract

A hand tool including a handle and a working head, the head being essentially a thick, flat square piece of rubber like material with one corner affixed to the handle and an opposite corner, slightly rounded, directed away from the handle.

Description

This invention relates to a novel tool for forming a uniform concave bead of caulking material in a corner.

Various techniques have been employed in the past to form a concave bead of caulking material. To accomplish this, a substantially endless, cylindrical bead of caulking compound is first deposited in the corner between two perpendicular building elements and then the bead is converted to a concave corner bead by running a person's finger, or a pencil eraser, along the corner.

The use of a finger results in a messy operation, and is definitely limited in comfort and quality. The pencil eraser is also lacking in quality, and is limited in adaptability to variations in job conditions, and will not normally provide any substantial amount of wear. There is a clear need of an improved tool for forming these concave corner beads.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel corner caulking tool. It is a further object to provide such a tool which will convert a cylindrical bead of caulking material to a smooth concave inside corner of caulking material while simultaneously removing excess caulking material along the edges thereof.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from the following description and the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a corner with an elongate cylindrical bead of caulking compound.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the tool of the present invention after forming part of the caulking material into a concave corner bead.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the corner of FIG. 2, taken on line 3--3 thereof.

FIG. 4 is a face view of the tool of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the tool of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is an end view of the tool of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a face view of a modified tool.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a corner 10 between two ceramic panels 12, or other elements disposed at right angles to each other. A cylindrical bead 14 of a caulking compound is disposed along the corner 10, having been placed there with a caulking gun 15 by well-known techniques.

Although a bead 14 can be firmly adhered into a corner at the time it is deposited and thus may be left in final form as so deposited, it is sometimes desired to force the caulking compound somewhat more into any opening, such as the space 16, at the corner and to blend the shape of the caulking material into a concave bead 18 tangential to the perpendicular panels 12. In accordance with this desire, and in accordance with the invention, a tool 20 is used to so convert the disposition of the caulking material.

The tool 20 is of a size suitable for use by hand, and includes a handle 22 and a rubber-like head 24. Head 24 is formed from 1/8 inch thick, 75 Shore A durometer, gasket rubber, having basically a square shape, about 2 inches square. One corner of the basically square head 24 is cut off on a 45.degree. angle forming a short diagonal side 26 which is about 5/8 inch long.

The handle 22 is a 5/8 inch diameter wooden dowel, about 8 inches in length, with a 1/8 inch slot 28 extending axially inwardly about 1 inch from one end. The head 24 is disposed in the slot 28, and adhesively affixed therewithin, with the short diagonal side 26 disposed against the bottom 30 of slot 28.

The basically square head 24 thus has two short sides 32, 32 showing, adjacent the handle 22, two opposed side corners showing 34, 34 and an outer working edge 36 consisting of two long sides 38, 38 and a slightly rounded corner 40. The slightly rounded corner 40 will have a radius determined by the radius of concave bead 18 that may be desired, as for example a radius of 1/8 inch.

The outer working edge 36 is rounded, in cross section, with a 1/16 inch radius, providing an edge profile which is tangent to the two opposite surfaces of the 1/8 inch thick rubber head 24.

Although in the preferred form, the two long sides 38, 38 are perpendicular to each other, they can be made at an angle somewhat less than 90.degree., whereby the manner of holding the tool in use will be varied accordingly.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tool is used to reshape the cylindrical bead 14 of caulking material into a concave bead 18 and, when conditions permit, to force a small portion of the caulking material into the space 16 between adjoining boards, by disposing the tool with rounded corner 40 pointed into the corner 10, first at the top, and moving the tool downward along corner 40, while maintaining the tool at equal angles to the two panels 12, 12, so that the two long sides 38, 38 extend along the surfaces of panels 12, 12, wiping excess caulking material from the panels. The tool will preferably be held with the handle 22 angled outwardly slightly in the direction toward which the tool is moved. If the two long sides 38, 38 are formed at less than 90.degree., the handle will be angled proportionally more in the direction of movement of the tool.

As will be noted from FIG. 3, the handle extends to within, on the average, about one-half inch from all portions of the working edge 36. Although not necessary, the end of handle 22 holding head 24, can be rounded or tapered to provide a more uniform support of all portions of working edge 36.

In FIG. 7, a modified tool 50 has a handle 52 with a slot 54, and a basically square rubber head 56, similar to head 24 except lacking any diagonal side, and having four rounded corners 58, 60, 62 and 64, all with different radii, for example one-eighth inch, one-fourth inch, five-sixteenths inch and three-eighths inch. Head 56 is affixed in handle 52 by a tapered square pin 66 extending through and manually press fit into square holes 68 in the handle 52 and the head 56. The thickness of head 56 and the width of slot 54 are such that head 56 is held relatively firmly therein. Pin 66 is removable and head 56 can be positioned, by the user, with any one of the four corners in the outward operative position 70, providing selectivity in the radius of concavity of the concave bead 18, formed therewith.

The use of either tool 20 or tool 50 results in a concave corner bead 18 which has edges which are feathered to a thinness which is substantially zero, removing excess caulking compound along the sides and producing a monolithic, attractive corner.

Having completed a detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiments of my invention, so that others may practice the same, I contemplate that variations may be made without departing from the essence of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A corner caulking tool comprising a head and a means for holding said head, said head consisting of a substantially square sheet about 2 inches square of a 75 Shore A durometer rubber gasket sheet material and having a working edge remote from said holding means, said working edge having two substantially straight side edges and a rounded corner therebetween, said two side edges being at about 90.degree. to each other and each said side edge being at about 45.degree. to the central axis of said holding means, said holding means comprising a handle with a slot extending axially inwardly from one end, said head being disposed partly within said slot, said working edges being spaced outwardly from said slot and supported against excess flexing by said handle, said head having one corner cut off forming a short diagonal side, said diagonal side being disposed within said handle slot, whereby said tool is hand holdable with said rounded corner disposed in a corner between perpendicularly disposed panels.

2. A corner caulking tool comprising a head and a means for holding said head, said head consisting of a substantially square sheet of rubber-like material with a portion at one corner affixed to said holding means and having a working edge remote from said holding means, said working edge having two substantially straight side edges and a rounded corner therebetween, said two side edges being at about 90.degree. to each other and each said side edge being at about 45.degree. to the central axis of said holding means, whereby said tool is hand holdable with said rounded corner disposed in a corner between perpendicularly disposed panels.

3. A corner caulking tool comprising a head and a means for holding said head, said head consisting of a substantially square sheet of rubber-like material having a working edge remote from said holding means and having rounded corners at each corner of said square sheet, said working edge having two substantially straight side edges and a rounded corner therebetween, said two side edges being at about 90.degree. to each other and each said side edge being at about 45.degree. to the central axis of said holding means, whereby said tool is hand holdable with said rounded corner disposed in a corner between perpendicularly disposed panels, and said head being movable relative to said holding means whereby selective working edges may be chosen.

4. A corner caulking tool as defined in claim 3 wherein the radius of all said rounded corners is not the same.