Scutching tools can be used for the following applications:
To cut soft and hard bricks to the correct shape
To cut rock and marble, either to shape them for use in a wall for example, or to cut them at the initial stages of a sculpture.
For chasing out channels in brick, concrete, or stone walls. Chasing out channels is a method used by electricians/builders to hide any pipes or electrics in a wall to hide them from sight before plastering over them.
A scutching tool also helps to smooth off the edges of the channel before adding the pipes/electrics.
Removing floor tiles. A scutch chisel is useful for this role as it means you can take off the tiles without damaging them or the floor as much as you would with a hammer for example. This is because the scutch chisels cutting edge is thin enough to lever the whole tile away from the floor without having to break it into small pieces.
Cutting out back boxes in brick and plaster
Sculpting
Keying a surface before rendering. This is where you create a roughness on a surface to help the plaster adhere.The other term for this is to ‘scutch-off’. This derives from the extended use of a scutching tool during this process. This term can also refer to taking old mortar and pitch from bricks and paving slabs in order to reuse them.
Preparing a concrete soffit for plastering. A concrete soffit is the underneath section of a balcony, arch or overhanging eave.
