0.8 x 0.6 mm

Thin-walled brass with a six-tenths of a millimeter hole

A thin-walled brass tube with an outside diameter of 0.8 millimeter and a through hole of 0.6 millimeter. The length measures 305 millimeters. The size is popular among aircraft modelers: a wire or a thinner tube passes through the hole, so the joint holds by itself and does not have to rely on glue butted end to end.

Typical uses

It serves as the barrels of onboard weapons of the smaller calibers, as tubular struts between the wings of biplanes, as guide sleeves for wire control rods or as sleeves joining two photo-etched parts. In the larger scales it makes antenna mounts, mirror brackets and the feet of instruments in a cockpit.

Practical notes

Brass of this thickness bends easily, so store it straight and support it when shortening it. The gentlest way is to cut it with a rotary disc at low speed or by turning it under the edge of a knife. For painting, reach for a primer intended for metal, as ordinary modeling paint holds badly on smooth brass and flakes off during handling. A burr inside the hole is removed by the tip of a drill turned in your fingers.

Combining with other sizes

• A hole of six tenths of a millimeter comfortably takes wire of the usual modeling thickness
• This tube slides into a larger size of the same range and forms a step
• On biplane struts it works well to slide a wire inside, which gives the joint strength

The pair of figures in the designation is the outside and the inside diameter, not the size of the package. Anyone looking for a thicker wall has to reach for a different range from the same manufacturer.