Hey Brian
In 17 years…I’ve stopped once. I hope that gives perspective.
It seems that 15 MPH gusts may be the warning sign for me.
Next…when you buy a new airless machine it always comes with a tip. So far, the tips are 4″ tips. In other words…the tip is designed to spray a 4″ wide line at a presupposed 12″ height. I don’t own a 4″ tip. Neither do any of my buddies. We all use tips that produce a 6″ line at a presupposed 12″ height…then…we just lower the gun closer to the ground…for a few reasons:
1) WIND…! If the wind gusts and you’re 12″ off the ground…the spray appears to do the Hula Dance…! ( You really don’t want that. )
2) If the parking lot or street, floor, playground etc…is bumpy in any way…that will translate out to the gun and the line will wiggle. ( Again…if you’re 12″ off the ground. )
3) Here’s my big reason though…if you’re Re-striping a lot that has been striped before…and you need to cover a 4″ wide line…ok…but what if the line is 4.5″…or 5″ wide? Then what?…lift the gun?…how high? You can’t That vertical post is only so high. ( You cannot slide the gun much higher. ) SO…with a tip that will accommodate a 6″ wide line…it’s easier to get wider lines covered. Does that make sense? I hope that makes sense.
Next…I have “Air Curtains” on my Conventional. Wind has never been a problem…except when I’m going right into it. Then the edges will be even fuzzier. Here’s when you need to decide. Should I stop?…pause?… My Binks 21 and my “Diaphragm” gun is low enough to the ground and both produces plenty of pressure to get the paint down. Again…wind…isn’t a factor on only very few jobs…very few.
Next…paint doesn’t spray out and then float away prior to hitting the ground. It hits the ground hard and then bounces up at an angle…hitting the portion of somebody’s car tire that’s on the ground…only. In other words…if there’s a car sitting in the stall and it’s 6″ away from the line…maybe…maybe…the very bottom of that car’s tire will get sprinkled with paint. Again…the paint is hitting the ground and then bouncing up and out…and going under the Air Curtain. On the Airless…I don’t see that and I can get even closer to the cars.
Bottom line…the call is your’s. Is it a Corvette? You decide…!
But again…paint doesn’t float around wet.
Last…if you’re looking for a MPH…I’d say 20…sustained…bothers me…BUT…you decide.
There’s too many other variables involved to give a hard and fast rule.
I hope that helps.
Let me know.
Dan
