1.6 x 1.4 mm

Brass micro tube 1.6 by 1.4 mm

The pair of figures in the designation does not describe a width and a height but an outer and an inner diameter. The difference of two tenths of a millimeter is divided between both sides, so the wall comes out at around one tenth. Thinner metal is difficult to make, and that is exactly why a modeler reaches for brass wherever a plastic tube would have a conspicuously thick wall: at the muzzle of a barrel, at the tube of a pitot probe, at exhausts, at the hydraulic rams of landing gear or at railings that have to be thin and yet straight.

The range is built so that the individual sizes fit into one another. This tube takes the neighboring caliber with an outer diameter of 1.4 millimeters inside it and itself slides into a tube of 1.8. Two or three sizes therefore give a telescopic assembly, which suits stepped barrels, antenna masts and articulated mechanisms.

When shortening it, do not use nippers, as they would squash the end into an oval. Turn the tube under a blade held against it, or under a fine saw, until the score meets all the way around, and then snap it. The burr inside is taken off with the tip of a drill bit turned in the fingers, and outside a few strokes of a fine file are enough. Degrease the metal before painting and go over it with a primer coat, otherwise the paint will not hold.

Brass has one more advantage over plastic that shows only on a finished model. A thin metal edge survives handling, it does not break off while the model is carried to a display case and at the muzzle of a barrel it forms a sharp edge that sanded styrene would never hold. The length of one tube is 305 millimeters and the goods are sold by the piece.