Switched to a line pin after 15 years on a string and I'm kicking myself

Always thought line pins were just for guys who couldn't keep a string tight, but a mason in Tulsa showed me his setup on a long wall last Tuesday. Now I can set corners solo without running back and forth every 10 minutes. Anybody else fight the switch and end up glad they did?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona33019d ago

Fighting the switch" is the perfect way to put it. I fought it for three years because my old foreman swore a string was the only honest way to make a wall. What finally got me was the wind. Out on an open lot here in Kansas, a string can blow a quarter inch off in a gust, and you don't realize it until the mud's already on. The line pin stays put no matter what. I still use a string for the really short runs, but for anything over 30 feet, the pin saved me from tearing out more work than I care to admit.

kim_martin19d ago

What brand of line pin did you settle on? I tried a cheap one from the hardware store and the spike bent on the third use. Feels like you need something with a little more heft to it for the longer runs, or they just fold up on you.