Hyde Tools 06257 2" SuperFlexx™ Stainless Steel Putty Knife

a finishing skim is thin, wiped low, and pulled in one continuous pass — and on a 2" blade the long stroke matters most, because you're leveling a wider span and any start-stop leaves a ridge across the middle. Light pressure: the limberness only helps if you let the blade conform to the wall; bearing down cancels the flex that makes it a smoothing knife. Feather the whole perimeter: ease off at the edges so the coat tapers out on all sides — the wider blade lets you do that in fewer overlapping passes. Sand less by wiping better: the flatter the coat goes on, the less you sand — that's the knife's entire value. Stainless means no drying ritual; keep the overmold out of solvent soaks. Don't press or scrape with it — it's a finish specialist (§4).