I have a Paasche H airbrush that I bought used, my first and only airbrush, and I am happy with it. It came with 2 tips, needles, and whatever that end piece is. I have kept the two separate, and I know one is a HT-3, and I think the other is a HT-5, but I don’t know which is which.
I finally dropped the needle and bent it, and would like to get a replacement. So 2 questions:
How can I tell them apart visually?
What is the difference in the 2 needles, in other words, why or when would I want to change from one to the other?
switching needles depends on what types of paint your spraying and what not. if your using acrylics vs enamels or even metallics. weather you need fine detail or need to cover a larger surface.
on my Paasche H, the different needle sizes are distinguished by the amount of bands that go across it. The 1 tip has one band, the 3 tip has three bands, and so on…
The smaller the number the finer the spray area. I find myself only using the 1 tip, because I can screw it tight to get a fine line and open it up for larger coverage.
[dto:] I read somewhere that the 1 tip (for most applications) is all most builders will ever really need, which keeps you from having to change tips out. BTW, if your LHS doesn’t stock them, Hobby Lobby I think carries replacement tips.
Before you throw away that needle, you may want to try to tune it up by rolling the tip across a hard surface; glass, corian or other smooth material. Holding a stiff card, like a credit card against the tip to roll out the bend can sometimes bring a damaged needle back to life. If it’s still wavy, a few rolls over some very fine (600+) wet sandpaper will smooth things out, at least until a replacement arrives. I keep my “damaged” needles in stock - they’re handy for spatter paint effects.
Mike
PS…Chicago Airbrush is one of the best sources for Paasche AB’s & parts I’ve found.