Cordless power caulking gun

[ron ll]

After watching the guys squeezing goop into the deck seams on Tally Ho, I realized I need a powered caulking gun. My ancient hands just don’t squeeze that well anymore, especially with some of the thicker bedding compounds in a tube. But then I saw the price. Around $300 for the DeWalt (I have DeWalt batteries). Guess I’ll keep squeezing and tell myself it helps keep arthritis at bay.

[Illinois Switzer]

Re: Cordless power caulking gun

Do you have a compressor? I got a cheap pneumatic gun (they sell for about $30 on Amazon or from Harbor Freight) when I was doing my Sikiflex deck seams. Worked fine for me.

[ron ll]

Re: Cordless power caulking gun

Do you have a compressor? I got a cheap pneumatic gun (they sell for about $30 on Amazon or from Harbor Freight) when I was doing my Sikiflex deck seams. Worked fine for me.

I do have a little compressor but I don’t really have room to keep it at the boat where I do most of the caulking/bedding. But good thought though.

[DuncanN]

Re: Cordless power caulking gun

I have seen these used on construction sites for bedding rebar into concrete foundations and they are the bomb. I don't need one but if I did a lot of caulking I would get one. I have arthritis in my hands and even an hour with a caulk gun means advil the next morning.

[Paul Schweiss]

Re: Cordless power caulking gun

Having used a pneumatic caulk gun 50 years ago doing teak decks I have had one in my shop for years. A portable compressor works just fine, preferably one that you can turn down the output PSI so you can just hold the trigger down on the gun and go.
With just a little pressure fiddling it will make for a smoother caulk job with less waste. I have. It used the battery powered versions.
Also worth adding to throw away the cheap caulking guns hardware stores sell that only have a 5:1 advantage and get a proper one that has 18:1 advantage, Newborn makes them, but just check out the ratios.

[sp_clark]

Re: Cordless power caulking gun

Whatever you choose for a gun, try to bring your caulk to a temperature well above that at which it's been stored when it's time to use it.

Hot water bath, left in the sun for a couple of hours, put in a moderate oven (120° - 140°) for an hour, all will work.

Pushing goop at 65° F is vastly tougher on hands or batteries than something closer to 90° - 100° and it tends to stick better as well.

[ron ll]

Re: Cordless power caulking gun

Having used a pneumatic caulk gun 50 years ago doing teak decks I have had one in my shop for years. A portable compressor works just fine, preferably one that you can turn down the output PSI so you can just hold the trigger down on the gun and go.
With just a little pressure fiddling it will make for a smoother caulk job with less waste. I have. It used the battery powered versions.
Also worth adding to throw away the cheap caulking guns hardware stores sell that only have a 5:1 advantage and get a proper one that has 18:1 advantage, Newborn makes them, but just check out the ratios.

That might be a solution, a quality hand squeeze gun with a better ratio. I didn’t realize there were different ratios. A powered gun is probably overkill for my needs.

[Nicholas Carey]

Re: Cordless power caulking gun

I have a caulking gun (English-made?) that I got at . . . Hardwick's, I believe, years ago. Very well made and easy to use.

Milwaukee makes a raft of different caulking guns for both their M12 and M18 lines. https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Search#q=caulking%20gun

[Stiletto]

Re: Cordless power caulking gun

Whatever you choose for a gun, try to bring your caulk to a temperature well above that at which it's been stored when it's time to use it.

Hot water bath, left in the sun for a couple of hours, put in a moderate oven (120° - 140°) for an hour, all will work.

Pushing goop at 65° F is vastly tougher on hands or batteries than something closer to 90° - 100° and it tends to stick better as well.

Good suggestion!