Save Time and Money by Understanding Tip Wear
Spray tips affect profitability and finish quality as much as any other piece of equipment making them essential to a contractor's business. Understanding how spray tips wear, and when to replace spray tips is important to your overall success.
Causes Of Tip Wear
As a tip wears, the tip hole size increases and the fan width decreases. Signs of tip wear include runs and sags on the wall, and tails in the spray pattern. Increasing the spray pressure does not combat these problems; in fact, it only increases wear on the sprayer. Here are the most common causes of tip wear:
- Spraying abrasive material through the tip
- Not filtering the paint before spraying, which will also cause more tip plugs
- Spraying material at higher-pressure
Monitor Your Tip Wear
The best way to monitor tip wear is to make a test pattern with a new tip and save it. To make a test pattern, hold the spray gun so the tip is one foot from a piece of scrap material. Hold the gun still and trigger it once quickly. During your spray job, periodically spray another test pattern and compare it with your original. If fan size has decreased more than 25 percent, it is time to replace the tip.
The Right Tip For The Right Job
RAC X SwitchTips
Contractors who look for a superior finish and extra longevity from their spray tips will benefit from a premium spray tip, such as Graco's RAC X SwitchTips. RAC X SwitchTips are designed for the majority of coatings and are available in the most common tip sizes.
RAC X Fine Finish SwitchTips
RAC X Fine Finish SwitchTips are designed to spray lacquers, varnishes and enamels at lower pressures to produce a high-quality sheen. Typical applications include cabinetry; woodworking and other fine finish surfaces.
WideRAC SwitchTips
Wide fan spray tips, such as RAC X WideRAC Switchtips, offer double the fan width for high-production applications. WideRAC SwitchTips are great for primers and sealers on new drywall.
Spray tips are essential to a contractor's business. Spray tips affect profitability and quality as much as any other piece of equipment in a painter's fleet.