Airless Tips & Tricks: Tailing and Adjustment
When preparing to spray – test onto cardboard to ensure your spray is even.
Before spraying, we recommend carrying out a spray test on a piece of cardboard.
If the spray pattern is unsatisfactory, for example due to tailing on the edges, you can adjust the following settings:
First, check the pressure setting. An increase in the spray pressure leads to the nozzle being supplied with more material and therefore the spray pattern is more even. The material can also be diluted, since the viscosity is also crucial for the material’s spraying properties.
The right nozzle size is a further factor that influences the spray pattern. The choice of nozzle depends on the material. The wear of the nozzle also needs to be considered. If necessary, the nozzle should be replaced.
 | Tailing pattern |
 | Even- correct pattern |
What is tailing?
Tailing usually occurs when your using airless sprayers. This happens when the paint is too thick and your trying to push that paint through the incorrect tip. By checking the Technical Data Sheet from the paint manufacturer, this will tell you what tip you should be using. When the spray pattern is tailing, below we’ve provided some quick solutions. When you’ve corrected the spray pattern and your achieving a smooth pattern, a 50% overlap is recommended.
- Pressure is too low: Increase the pressure your spraying
- Your spray tip is clogged – clean and clear the spray tip
- Check the inlet filter. Sometimes the inlet filter can be clogged
- Check your spray gun filter. Is it clogged? This may need cleaning. Always keep extra spray filters in your tool box.
- If you’ve been spraying, the spray tip may be worn. Keep some extra tips in your tool box for these occassions.
- If the material is too thick – do you have the right size tip? A possible solution to this is thin the material using the appropriate thinning solutions.
