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    In any professional activity, often the most important factors contributing to success are also the most mundane. Winning athletes spend hours in the gym, accomplished musicians practice scales endlessly and the best financial advisors pour over mountains of statistics and performance data, just to site a few examples. Contrary to popular beliefs, airport marking specialists do not swim laps in pools of yellow paint or sleep with their bead dispensers to acheive more success. In our world of professional painting, the tedious activity that "pays off" is maintaining and cleaning our equipment. The following tips are designed to convert that concept into a reality:

• ALWAYS clean out your paint machine as soon as you're finished painting. NEVER leave paint in plumbing, hoses, or guns. Be meticulous; a paint machine can never be too clean. Even try to keep it looking good, particularly if you actually do take your bead dispenser to bed with you.
  
  
• When cleaning an airless machine, after purging all paint with solvent (usually water), purge that "painty" water with fresh, clean water. Avoid spraying much water through the tip because straight water "cuts" the tip much faster than paint. If equipment is being stored for a week or more, manufacturers recommend charging the system with mineral spirits to keep any particulate in suspension.
  
  
• Consider keeping a list of mechanical problems AS YOU WORK. As soon as you discover a problem, write it on your list RIGHT NOW so it's not forgotten later. Then fix the malfunction as soon as possible. One unrepaired problem usually leads to two or three others; often much worse and more costly.

    Establish a good routine, take enough time, and make every effort to do right by your equipment and your equipment will prove you a true professional.

    Interested in Tom writing about a specific equipment issue you're experiencing? Send us an email and we may include it in a future webletter!

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