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Mr. Luddite

On 10/18/2015 7:42 PM, wrote:
On Sunday, October 18, 2015 at 4:59:37 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Sun, 18 Oct 2015 11:21:16 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

my dad taught me years ago to use the paper tape, and dip it in water first.

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That's a little counterintuitive. Do put down a thin layer of mud
first and then bed the tape in it?

Yes. A thin layer of mud, dip the paper tape in a bowl of water (already cut to length), pull it through two fingers to get rid of the excess water, then bed it into the mud using the taping knife with just a touch of mud on top. Next day you come back and hit it just a tiny bit with sandpaper to knock down the high spots, and there won't be much, then do a second light coat. After that dries do the final and sand. Again, the idea is to not leave a lot of mud to sand.

Not as fast as the pros, but I've always gotten good results.

When I was stationed at Fort Allen in Puerto Rico (only "Fort" in the US
Navy) there was a project going on to renovate the open space enlisted
barracks into many, two man rooms. The Sea Bees were in charge
of the project and they finished the sheetrock walls by smearing them
with mud and then, using a sponge, they "pulled" the mud straight out,
forming a wall with a gazillion little sharp spikes when it dried and
hardened.

The reason was to discourage drunks from coming back from the club and
punching holes in the walls. Didn't always work but at least they knew
who was hitting the walls with their fists.