Military Model Scene

A new tool from SharpenAir and I believe this is something of a first (as far as I know).  For any airbrush user there is always the danger that you can damage the tip of the vital needle that enables the brush to work at its' best.  If something is going to go wrong, then it is a fair bet that it will be at the most inconvenient time.  I am sure I am not the only one who doesn't necessarily have a spare needle just waiting in your spares box.  So, if you have damaged the tip of the needle, bending it a little, a repair could easily leave it not working properly.  What we have here is a tool that can help you out.

It is actually a quite simple tool, a black box with four different holes in one end.  Inside are grinding stones that are set in position that not only help get the tip sorted out, but it also ensures that the angle of the needle point is maintained, to fit correctly in the airbrush housing.  Fortunately, this the angle of the needle point is common to the various manufacturers so it works for most common brands (with the exception of Paasche and DeVilbiss Dagr - for these you need an alternative Paasche model).

To use it, hold it logo side up and push the needle gently into the right hand slot.  This only deals with the last 1mm of the needle.  Turn it  for 10-15 revolutions and then remove it and do a visual check, you may need to repeat the operation if it isn't quite right.  This just deals with straightening the very tip.

Then use the second slot which tackles the angle of the 'cone', uses a finer stone, helps with the angle of the cone and reduces potential sand scratches from step 1.  In many circumstances, these two steps will be all you need but stages 3 and 4 may be needed for a more badly damaged needle.  Once done, to finish things off, use the fine polishing pad which is supplied to polish out any potential scratches that are left.

If you use an airbrush that has a larger diameter needle (.5mm) then only use step 1, as it has a different taper on the tip.

The instructions for use are not in the box with the tool, but can be downloaded from the internet.

This is one of those tools you may not need often, but when you do need it, this could be a real boon to have at hand for the regular airbrush user, and it is so simple to use, and should last you for ages.

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Thanks to The Airbrush Company for the review sample

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Robin