Are you tired of running out of powdered chalk while doing your baselines, pitchers circle and home plate boxes? Are your foul lines building up a raised surface in the outfield? How can I chalk a line quicker by not waddling behind the chalk marker? Are you trying to reduce the amount of chalk so it isn't dragged all over the infield or baselines? The chalk is discoloring and caking up my infield mix, how can I prevent this? What are the professional baseball team doing to overcome these problems?
Well the Minnesota Twins when their new field was completed invested in a Model EZ-70 field marker in 2010 and began using SwitchBack Ground Boss field marking paint to "chalk" their lines using diluted bulk latex paint and this low volume low pressure 12-volt diaphragm pump technology. The Twins facility staff heard from the Washington Nationals about the unit they purchased in 2009. The Twins field maintenance staff found that there was less over use of "chalk" thus reducing the infield mix contamination. The bulk latex paint since it was biodegradable was not causing problems with the infield mix water retention properties. The lower pump pressure was not creating a dust cloud when applying the diluted paint and once the paint dried the lines were bright white under lights with a higher percentage of the titanium dioxide in the formulation.With the 3-wheel deck construction and the paint shoe and nozzle applicator just outside the rear wheel the operator was still able to eye the string line and walk comfortably with the balanced unit and handlebar assembly. Around home plate the unit could be easily maneuvered to complete the batter and catcher boxes.
This same configuration using SwitchBack Double Play, liquid bulk chalk diluted 1 to 1, is an ideal temporary field marking solution for both indoor and outdoor use on synthetic turf sports fields. Once the liquid chalk dries it preforms like powdered chalk with foot traffic and/or water removing the material from the turf fibers. No cleaning agent are necessary to remove Double Play.
