"ississauga" wrote in message
om...
As a contractor I did my first drywall taping job today and ate lots
of dust while sanding. Have you tried non sanding techniques and what
were good/bad things about them?

One person said he uses a wet hand towel.


http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...%40comcast.com


In my experience, drysanding with paper or screens attached to a firm10"
sanding block will level the "ripples" left by recurve trowels and tiring
arms better than wet techniques. The sanding block will also reduce ridges
without depressing the area around them as much as rags or wet foam sanding
blocks.
On repair sized jobs, an additional thin (4th) coat of compound will blend
said ridges and taper/butt intersections nicely. Wet sanding follows that
up well.
IMO, wetsanding is warranted when the time invested in a more careful taping
job is offset by the potential cleanup time. Using a vac-assisted sanding
block has lowered that bar for me.