Quit over-filling the mud pans, it makes the taper's day actually possible

I work with a guy who loads his 14 inch pan to the brim every single taping job, and then he wonders why he's flicking mud all over the floor and redoing his butt joints twice. I finally timed it last month on a 2,000 square foot house in Columbus: he spent 40 extra minutes just scraping dried clumps off his hawk and cleaning the pan edge after every fill. The trick I've used for years is to fill the pan only halfway, maybe 60 percent max, and keep a wet sponge right in my back pocket to wipe the rim as I go. That way the mud stays smooth, the tape sets flat, and you don't get those annoying ridges that sanders curse you for later. I know it sounds small, but on a long hallway or a big ceiling run, that little habit saves me about 15 minutes per coat and a ton of headache with the finishers. Has anyone else noticed their crew fights the pan fill amount, or is it just the new guys on my side? Do you have a rule for how full you let a pan get before you say enough?

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