Airbrush 0.5mm Needle for Advanced Series

A 0.5 mm needle for the Advanced line

Half a millimeter tends to be the most universal size on airbrushes. It manages a spray pattern as wide as a palm and a thin trace when brought close to a surface, so with it a base coat, a camouflage and light shading can all be sprayed without changing between steps. For a modeler who works with a single airbrush it is the logical choice.

At the same time it is the most heavily loaded part of the whole assembly. The tip bends during careless cleaning or a fall, and hundredths of a millimeter are enough for an airbrush to start spitting and the cone to tear. A bent tip can be straightened only exceptionally, and a replacement tends to be both faster and more reliable.

Do not confuse the series

Needles of the same diameter exist in two forms which are not interchangeable. This one belongs to the Advanced line, where a thinner 0.35 mm needle is listed alongside it. For Swallowtail airbrushes a 0.5 mm needle is a separate item, because it has a different length and shaping. The diameter alone is therefore no basis for choosing; what decides is the line of the airbrush.

A few small habits will lengthen the life of a needle. Cleaning should be done from the body toward the tip, never against it; it is put away in a stand and not on a tabletop; and before taking things apart the clamping nut is loosened before the needle is moved. Most bent tips arise in precisely these three moments.

Always insert a new needle from the front through the body, so that the tip does not pass through the seal. The reverse procedure tends to be the commonest cause of damage right during fitting.