Painting is a lot like welding.

Back in the 80s I was a pretty fair welder.
Mostly was a stick man. Probably burned a ton or two of 7018.
I remember thinking then how welding was a lot like a long, drawn out isometric exercise. You brace yourself as best you can and once you strike that arc you hold it just so... till the rod is burned away. No matter what happens in that minute or two while its burning, an itch, a cramp, a hot spark down your glove, your focus is on that arc and you hold it just so in an isometric exercise. Kinda like Tai Chi in a way.
So right now I'm finally putting some paint in our new bedroom. Up on a scaffold
with a sash brush, cutting in where the walls meet the ceiling. And it's like an isometric exercise in that you hold that line whether you get an itch or a cramp or a fly lands on your ear like just happened.
I think you gotta like to weld, or paint, to do it well. To hold your arms just so and control your breathing and forget the itches and the sparks and flies. And focus your entire self on that bead or paint line that you're cutting. Make it as perfect as you possibly can. Plus some. You cannot paint a line into a corner with masking tape or an edging tool and have it turn out nice. You gotta do it like it means a lot to you. And the only way is free hand.
Just like laying in a nice bead of weld. There's no tool or gimmick that will do as well as your own free hand and liking it and understanding it's an isometric exercise.

Couple of years ago I found a plastic thing that sort of looked like a cement leveling tool. Maybe 12 or 14 inches long and it is an edging tool for painting. If you keep wiping the paint off of the edge it does a prtty neat clean job. Have fun. Looks real nice.

Looks good,,,,wish I could weld as good as I paint.

Easiest way to paint inside a room is to hold the ladder, it's man's work!!! as your wife gets up. After all, honey, I want you to be as safe as possible!!

I once worked with a painter that drank "some". He would always roll the walls in the morning and do the brush "cut-in" after dinner. His work turned out nice anyway.

That is what the make molding for.
No need to cut in the corner.

Earned some big $$ as a specialist welder (CART racing and some Aerospace time), would starve as a house painter - not to bad on metal (cars, tractors). ;^)

I wish I could weld as good as you paint. Or paint as good as you paint. Nice job.

Garry

....and , just like welding , the correct equipment is paramount. In this case, a brush made specifically for this task.

I know this is gonna sound horrible, BUT, I am not happy that my welds don't look good, but as long as it holds, I'm good. Painting looks great as long as I don't have to do it. gobble

Dog,
I use a 12 inch trowel to do my edging. Apply light coats and slide trowel along with brush in other hand. Carry a wet rag to wipe the edge off when you remove it from corner. It works for me. No way could I cut in a corner without trowel. I would have paint on ceiling. geo

Yep, I've done short stints of both, Professionally; between jobs in the Mining Industry. Early '90's Professional House Painter at the Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. Then in the mid-90's was a Professional Welder making all the Hand Railing, Steps, & Structural Support steel for the Infield Tunnel at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Structural Supports for several large Las Vegas Casino's; and the large steel Arches for McDonald's Restaurants. Definitely prefer Welding over Painting!

Also to my Welding credits; when I was in High School in the mid-60's, I did all of the frame welding for Race Car Driver Tommy Ivo on his "Lil Red Rail". (Left my initials in weld on the right lower frame strut in the cockpit.)


:>)

This is my idea of how I like to paint.

I don't mind welding, but I hate painting!

Very well said.

I paint as good as I weld, splatter everywhere.