Below is an account of a Sprayers life here at Frederick Cooper. No day is ever the same, but this serves to give insight in what is a typical day for one of our sprayers.
7:30
The day starts when I get into my overalls, gloves and mask and perform a quick check on my gun. You donÂt want to find out after having started spraying that your gun is playing up.
After having checked this and received my paint I have a read of the job card to see if there is anything tricky about the next job I will be spraying  whether a certain side has to be sprayed last or whether there are any care point to be aware of. IÂll sign and date the job card, then I can set the gun and start spraying. I check the work while blowing down each jig in case I can see something that the jiggers or maskers have missed or not rubbed down sufficiently  and then start spraying.
After a couple of jigs I will check what I have sprayed to see whether it is suitably sprayed, and the supervisor/foreman will come and have a look and give the ok to carry on. There are so many different spraying jobs with their own subtleties, so if I get a job that I donÂt see very often itÂs a lot easier to stop and check rather than spray the whole lot and find out that a crucial bit has been overlooked.
10:00
Time for a quick coffee break and have a chat to some of the other guys on the shop floor, the conversations vary every day, sometimes itÂs about work and components weÂre working on other days it can be about XFactor or Football!
10:10
I head back in the booth and carry on until IÂve finished what IÂve been tasked to do. Some jobs will only be a couple of trays and be almost over before youÂve started others may last all week. Then IÂd sign the process card when IÂve finished the job.
When itÂs finished IÂll pour any waste paint back into the tub and give my gun a good clean, taking it apart and giving each part a rinse. (ItÂs quicker than it sounds) then, itÂs time to reassemble the gun and run some thinners through it to check itÂs working properly.
The gun and myself are now ready for the next job. The charge-hand/supervisor will have already lined up the next job and paint. Before I begin spraying again, I have just enough time to sign and date the process card while l read it and see whatÂs coming up.
More often than not itÂs a job that IÂve seen before and the process card is there to refresh my memory. But we get in new jobs in all the time and thatÂs when weÂre able to work with the supervisor on methods to make the job easier for the sprayer
12:00
Lunch time and a good chance to rest and refuel. Spraying keeps you fit and itÂs to not have to worry about whether youÂve done enough exercise, believe me!
12:30
Afternoon session. There are some jobs that you can only do in the afternoon because you donÂt want to move them until the next day so they require overnight flash off. These are typically high end full gloss parts or parts that stay Âtacky for a long time.
14:00
Quick coffee break. This is a good time to catch up again with the rest of the shop floor.
14:10
Time to get back in the booth and continue the afternoon spraying session. This can sound relentless, but the feeling you get knowing youÂve hit your targets is a good one. Also, you find yourself becoming obsessed with the components you work on, my friends and family soon get tired when I point out brake calipers or electronic parts, proudly beaming ÂI did that!ÂÂ
15:45
This is the time to start cleaning up. Giving the guns (usually just 1 or 2) IÂve used a good clean ready for the morning and getting anything I need ready for the morning and making sure my gloves, mask and any other protective equipment is ready for the morning.
16:00
End of a productive day.
