Spatula (tool)

Handle or painter's spatula

Plastic spatula

Painting knives with different blades

A spatula is a hand tool that consists of a handle and a long, flat, rigid or flexible steel blade of different widths. The analogous tool of culinary art is the palette .

In many manual activities, spatulas are used to remove materials with a pulpy consistency , e.g. B. putty , applied, distributed and smoothed. Spackles are also used to remove flat materials such as wallpaper or glued carpets. In addition to the craft, spatulas are also represented as versatile tools in other areas, such as in laboratories (e.g. in building material testing ), or even in kitchens and snack stands for removing burnt residues on roasting surfaces.

In painting, spatulas are used to apply, distribute and modify pasty colors (acrylic, oil).

Types of spatulas

• Handle spatula or rust removal spatula (also painter's and steel spatula)
• Surface spatula
• Rubber spatula
• Wide spatula
• Notched spatula
• Japanese spatula
• Painting knife

Components and use

The spatula essentially consists of a mostly triangular sheet, which is set in a handle at one point . There are also spatulas in use which have a rectangular basic shape and only a molded plastic thickening as a grip element .

The spatula is usually a little more flexible compared to a trowel .

particularities

• The gender is male or female, whereby in Austria only the female article ( the spatula) is common.
• The spatula is a smaller version of the spatula that is often found in pharmacies , medicine and laboratories (e.g. for weighing powdery goods).
• The Poussiereisen is a special tool of the plastering trade .
• A spatula without a handle comes very close to a scraper .

literature

• Helmuth Heid, Wolfgang Imhof, Emil Jakubowski, Jürgen Reith: Painting expertise. 4th revised and expanded edition, BG Teubner Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 978-3-519-35900-5 .
• Hans Gehl: Dictionary of the Danube Swabian construction industry. Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-7995-2507-6 .
• Friedrich Kluge: Etymological dictionary of the German language. 22nd edition, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin New York 1989, ISBN 3-11-006800-1 .
• Otto Kruse: Expertise for tilers. 6th revised and expanded edition, Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, Wiesbaden 1999, ISBN 978-3-663-10026-3 .