Box Sinkers any good?

[WarrenG]

Just wondering what people think about box sinkers and are they worth the money?

I have considered purchasing some in the past to hopefully save time (especially when coming across blue bricks in a domestic!) but I was put off by another spark saying that they are ok for Breeze block and nothing else?

Having searched around there are different types with different blades etc, but as I have never used them I'm not really sure what to look for?

Any comments appreciated.

Warren

 

[jeremy]

I bought a set a few years ago and the only thing I really found useful was the hard material chisel (Armeg) but have just done a rewire on a sandstone cottage and the quickest way to chase the socket boxes in was the rotary grinder that came with the box sinking set. I guess that sandstone can be easily ground but as its a softish stone it can absorb the impact of the sds chisel. Hope this helps

 

[WarrenG]

Yes thanks Jeremy, I think it is one of those situations where if you haven't got one, you wish you had and when you do have one and spent the money you wished you hadn't bothered.

I guess if they make things a little easier its worth a go?

The last rewire I did where I came across blue brick, I really wished I had got something!

 

[mdshunk]

If you're dealing with real soft unfired brick and block, they work okay. In standard harnesses of material (if there is such a thing) they are useless. If you get a set, you just got to experiment with them, and after a while you'll know whether to even bother with them or not on a particular material. If it's material that can be scratched easily with a screwdriver, it will work fine. Harder than that, and you're in duck soup. They do speed things along when the material cooperates, but when they don't work, you're back to the old methods. Worth owning for the times when they work, but just don't get your hopes up.

EDIT.. the style that cuts a big round hole first, then you switch to a big square sinker to square up the round hole work better than the type that's just a big square "meat tenderizer" (in my opinion)

 

[WarrenG]

Thanks for the pointer mdshunk.

 

[jeremy]

Thats how I did the sandstone. Ground out a lovely little hole , Then chiseled the bejasus out of what was left!. What i found was that if there isn't a lot of material behind what you're chiselling then ok. Has any one else experience of sandstone?