Bleed-Proof Tape Lines
Sealing the tape edge before the color coat — with the base color, clear sealant, caulk, or polycrylic — so anything that bleeds through is invisible.
The Notch in a Painter's 5-in-1 Pulls Nails While You're Scraping
The half-moon on a painter's multi-tool cleans rollers and everyone knows it. The notch cut into the middle of the blade is a nail claw — hook a proud nail or screw head into it and lever it out without going for a hammer.
5 in 1 tool uses, putty knife tricks, paint scraper hidden features
The Problem
You're scraping down a wall and the blade stops dead on a nail or a screw left proud of the surface. It has to come out before you can carry on, so the scraping stops while you go and find a hammer or a pair of pliers — and on a big wall that happens repeatedly.
The Technique
Look at the middle of the blade on a painter's 5-in-1. Past the pointed end and the half-moon cutout for cleaning rollers, there's a notch cut into the edge.
- Hook the notch under the head of the proud nail or screw.
- Lever the handle over, using the flat of the blade against the wall as the fulcrum.
- The fastener walks out — the notch grips the head the same way a hammer claw does.
The tool is already in your hand at the moment you hit the fastener, so a scraping pass no longer stops for a trip to the toolbox.
Pro tip: The notch isn't in the same place on every brand — some put it on the blade edge, some at the base of the handle. Find yours before you're up a ladder looking for it, and check whether it takes a screw head as well as a nail head, since the slot width varies too.
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