Airbrush 0.5mm Nozzle of Quick Self-Centering Structure for Ace and Swallowtail Series

A nozzle for coarser work

A diameter of 0.5 mm is among the larger ones used in modeling. It does not suit hairline strokes, but it manages what thin nozzles fail at: primer, thick varnish, strongly pigmented shades and above all metallic paints, in which aluminum or mica flakes float. Those easily wedge in a narrow passage and the spray starts to spit. A wider opening lets them through and at the same time allows a large area to be covered in a shorter time, so the paint does not have time to dry before the area is closed.

The self-centering seat

This type of nozzle is not seated in the body by an ordinary thread tightened with a small wrench but is slid into a seat which lines it up with the axis of the needle by itself. The practical benefit is twofold. The risk that a fine thread will be stripped by overtightening drops away, which is the classic way for a modeler to ruin an airbrush while cleaning it. And because the nozzle always seats the same, no gap arises on one side through which air would leak and split the spray. The seat is moreover easier to clean than a fine thread.

The assembly has to work as a whole

A nozzle on its own will not save the result. A needle of the same diameter and a matching air cap have to fit it; if you combine parts from different diameters, the result tends to be worse than the original state. Before fitting, spray the body through from the inside with cleaner, so that no dried paint stays in the seat. And if you reach for a wider diameter for the sake of base coats, reckon with the consumption of paint rising; a larger opening lets markedly more material through in the same time.