chisel off, chisel away, chisel out

[JACEK1]

Hello all members!
Suppose that you are in the process of doing the housework and all of a sudden you come across the tap that is covered in concrete.
Would you say: I need to chisel it off or chisel it away?
Suppose that there is some concrete in a slot between two surfaces. Would you say: I need to chisel it out?
What do you think. Please use the word "chisel + preposition", if possible.
Thank you.

 

[GoesStation]

Suppose that you are in the process of doing the housework and all of a sudden you come across the tap that is covered in concrete.
Would you say: I need to chisel it off:tick: or chisel it away?:cross:
Suppose that there is some concrete in a slot between two surfaces. Would you say: I need to chisel it out?:tick:

See above. It would be rare for someone immersed in housework to find such a tap. They're more likely to find a dead fly on a windowsill or a bunch of dust bunnies under the bed.

 

[JACEK1]

Does it mean that "chisel something away" does not exist or is it wrongly used by me?
Could you provide an example?

 

[emsr2d2]

You would chisel away the concrete around the tap.

 

[Skrej]

Are you perhaps referring to the calcium accumulations that build up on faucets? We have hard water in my area, so my various faucets and shower heads frequently build up thick mineral deposits to the point they begin to clog, but I've yet to see one covered in concrete!

I'm okay with either 'chisel off' or 'chisel away', but if you're talking about the mineral deposits, it's much easier just to soak them in vinegar overnight. That'll dissolve most of the deposits, and then you can scrape (not chisel!) off the remainder fairly easily.

There are some other specialty chemical products you can buy to remove these mineral stains, but I like vinegar as it's much less toxic and considerably cheaper, plus I've usually got some on hand in the kitchen.

 

[emsr2d2]

I wonder if you didn't really mean "housework" in post #1. Housework is dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, scrubbing the toilet etc. As post #2 indicated, stumbling across signs of a tap covered in concrete would be a strange thing to discover in the course of one's household chores. Did you actually mean that the person was working on a house (renovations, building work etc)?

 

[JACEK1]

I had to think something up. The truth is that our flat did undergo a thorough overhaul many years ago and the tap covered in concrete is the result of repairers' work.

 

[emsr2d2]

Those repairers weren't doing housework though.