novice skimming advice please - corners!

[WELLY417]

Hi all
Practicing my technique on boards at the moment before tackling the real job. i'm gradualy getting better but still struggle when i get to the corners.
I know the general idea is to work form the edge of the wall inward / ceiling down when polishing. Problem is getting the damn stuff into the corners to begin with. i sweep the angled trowel into the corner and then sort of get jambed against the ceiling or oposite wall - i then struggle to get plaster right into the corner without pressing it in with a flat trowel - and we know what happens next, the flat trowel suction thing brings off a huge patch. hope that makes sense so that you can visulise (and snigger at!) the problem i'm having.
Can any of the more experienced out their give a few pointers. Or is there a wiki / faq section for plastering that i've not spotted?
As always, any help much appreciated.

 

[marshman]

get some plaster on the blade of your trowel put your trowel tight in the corner toe up and draw your trowel down the corner keeping
the edge of the blade tight to the return wall and spread the plaster down the edge gradually flatting your trowel until you run out
of plaster, this should leave you a band of plaster about 2 to 3 inches wide, now run a trowel full up beside it, then turn your empty trowel
so the heel is tight in the corner, if at ceiling line pull down with the leading edge just off the return wall, from bottom the leading edge
is just off the return wall as you pull up, this will flatting and blend the plaster you put into the corner into the rest of the wall.

it takes a bit practice.

 

[WELLY417]

thanks marshman. sounds like great advice though i think i'm in for quite a bit more practice
Can i just check in my own words that i've got the right end of the stick?:

1)if the joining wall is to the left and i start at the ceiling then i get plaster on the left hand long edge of the trowel and stick it in the corner. keeping it long ways up, i then draw the trowel down the wall (left edge tight to the joining wall) with the heel lifted slightly off the wall.
2)Now run a strip of plaster next to the first up the wall. trowel again long ways up with toe lifted slightly off the wall. when i reach the top of the wall the trowel should be empty and flat to the wall at which point i turn it 90 degrees so the heel is back in the top corner. i then lift the bottom edge slightly and draw down the wall with the trowel held long ways across. everything in part 2 is one continuous movement without the trowel ever leaving the wall

Thanks again for the advice and feel free to point out if i've been a total numpty in any of the above

 

[marshman]

1. is right. use the same method to fill along the ceiling.

2)Now run a strip of plaster next to the first up the wall. as you would normally lay on your plaster not (long ways up)
then place the heel of the trowel into the top corner and pull down to spread and flatten the narrow bit you put tight in the corner into the
full trowel width of plaster.
no its not one continuous movement.
( when you lay on plaster in a corner by drawing your trowel down you leave the plaster dished so you need to go over it
and spread it flat, you have more control with the heel of the trowel that the toe).
you fill the left top corner down to say half way then fill across the wall, you can use the same method in the top right and along ceilings.
where I said (from bottom the leading edge is just off the return wall as you pull up) I meant if you filled in the corner from bottom half of the wall up, (sorry for the confusion ).
you should be able to fill the lower half of the wall corner by laying on with the heel tight into the left corner and not the toe of the trowel.

 

[WELLY417]

thanks again for taking the time to explain all that marshman. time to give it a go, just hope my results are as good as the advice !