Hyde Tools 06222 2" Flexible Pro Project™ Putty Knife

steep to load material into a defect, then nearly flat to shear it off and feather the edges — the wider the blade, the more the flat pass matters, because you're leveling across a larger span and any tilt leaves a ridge on one corner. Thin coats beat thick ones: two or three light passes over a dent shrink less, crack less, and sand faster than one heavy fill. Let the flex do the leveling: ride the blade from sound surface across the low spot and back onto sound surface so the compound sits flush, rather than pressing a mound that you then have to sand flat. Carbon care, stated for this knife: the high-carbon blade holds a keener, straighter edge than stainless and hones back easily, but it will rust — wipe it dry after any water-based compound, and never leave it sitting in a wet tub, or it blooms orange and can streak the next white patch. That maintenance is the price of the carbon edge, and the stainless 06228 is the knife for anyone unwilling to pay it.