Best way to recess plug sockets?

[dingbat]

Kinda like Guiseley blues.

Is that the one that starts, "Woke up this morning..."?

 

[Steve]

The bricks in the party wall in our house are like lumps of titanium. Took the plumber about half an hour to fix a gas bayonet to it. He ended up just using one screw. Tried to chase some sockets in, but ended up having the wall skimmed to bring the wall level with the sockets

 

[AdrianB]

Well I tried this today, recessed a single gang for the phone plug first without too much trouble, so feeling quite happy with myself I moved onto the two gang (different location). Oh my god! I spend two and a half hours the hammer drill would just about get through but the two chisels I had just weren’t cutting it.

My ears were ringing from the noise and in the end I gave up with the back box not quite fitting the wall and to be honest looking pretty messy. I didn’t chase the cables in either. I didn’t even start the next plug. I was so unbelievably gutted as the plasterer is doing the whole room tomorrow. I don’t want to but I’m going to have to finish it now I’ve started and patch up myself once the plasterers finished!

If I’ve got the names right I have a normal hammer, a bolster chisel, and a cold chisel. I marked out the back of the box on the wall, then drilled all the way then hammered out. Don’t know what I did so wrong?

 

[AdrianB]

Looking online I see the hammer I used is a claw hammer, maybe this was the problem?

dingbat shame your not local, thats a lot of recessing in not a lot of time!

 

[davy_owen_88]

0.45kg

1.8kg

There's your problem

 

[AdrianB]

Damn! I looked for something like this in B&Q too, but like normal they didnt have any in stock. I'll get a hammer like this and try again and hope this hammer solves the problem.

 

[RF Lighting]

Be warned:


It really hurts when you miss the chisel and hit your hand with a lump hammer.


It can reduce a grown man to tears

 

[Odd Job]

If your going to b&Q get the chicken version like i did it has a protective plastic surround to save your hand

 

[AdrianB]

Well the plasterer came today and thankfully he's a bit of legend and recessed the last box in for me as well as finishing the one I couldn't do! I was really pleased and it looks great now.

Shows how important it is to have the right tools. Not sure of the name of the tool he used, sds chisel hammer drill I think? But it did the job in a few minutes!

Happy now and thanks for the advise.

 

[plugwash]

it will have been a SDS hammer drill with the option to turn off rotation and use only the hammering action used with a chisel bit.

 

[lornaloo]

I'm a girl and have helped my fella rewire the whole house, every switch and socket, I drilled first then SDS chisel, he bought SDS after we had done ten with hammer and chisel, I would guess half an hour for 3 and 20 minutes to nurse your bruised thumb ha ha

 

[bernardgreen]

Chopped in 9 single-gang boxes and 4 two-gangs in a little over an hour today. And that's in rock-hard, triple-baked, Middleton brick! (RF knows what I mean.)

So at last an expert at holes...... What procedure is used for a stone wall with soft lime mortar where a gentle tap can result in a large 6 pint stone falling out of the wall. ( the same size as a 6 pint bottle of milk ).

We bunged the holes up with smaller stones and cast round the back box and conduit in concrete.

But there must be a better way....

 

[RobMcG]

Wish I'd seen this forum and this thread before I starting knocking the sh1t out of the spare room wall today I made a right feckin mess

 

[oharaf]

Ah middleton bricks!!!! Took me 2 1/2 days to chop in 21 double back

boxes, 10 switches back boxes, 1 razor point.

7lb lump hammer, 3 inch chisel, drilling, swearing, sweating much much

blood from missed swings!!

Need an apprentice

And if it was to tell me to F off then I would use his thigh bones and teeth

to knock the bricks out (whilst still attached

I they want to be in the trade then they start with the sh1te just like everyone else.


I will be looking for a 'mature' apprentice

 

[oharaf]

Lornaloo!!! Lady doing physical work, mmmmm my favourite any picks of you with hammer, chisel and SDS????

Wehey, thats what our forum is missing Ladies telling us that they are doing the real work 2

Well done Lornaloo