Why does nobody talk about the difference a good fish tape makes in old houses?

I was working on a job in a 1950s place in Springfield last Tuesday, trying to run a line down a plaster wall. My old tape kept getting stuck on the lath every single time. After the third try, I borrowed a buddy's Klein flexible fish tape. It went right through in one shot, no snags at all. Has anyone else found a specific tool that just cuts your time in half on those tricky old builds?

3 comments

3 Comments

noah_webb3mo ago

A good fish tape is just a crutch for poor technique. I've pulled wire through plaster and lath for thirty years with the same basic steel tape. The problem is usually rushing the job or not understanding how the wall is built. Spending more on a fancy tool doesn't fix a lack of skill. Sometimes the old ways work fine if you take your time and know what you're doing.

derek_ramirez3mo ago

Ever think it's also about knowing when to stop? Like yeah, your old steel tape works until you hit a fire block in a balloon frame house that's settled funny. Then you're just beating up the wall and your tape. Sometimes the right tool isn't about replacing skill, it's about saving the building from the guy with the "right" technique.

adam6752mo ago

Holy crap, thirty years with the same basic steel tape on plaster and lath? I'm sorry but that sounds like pure luck or you're only working on houses that are straight as an arrow. I fought with a standard steel tape on a 1920s bungalow last fall and it was like trying to thread a noodle through a keyhole. The lath just catches the edge every single time, no matter how slow you go. I don't get how technique alone fixes that when the wall itself is fighting you.