Deciding which Needle Size to Use
Posted by Gaunt Industries on Jul 13th 2018
We recently published a blog post titled "Deciding which Bottle Size to Use". The next step in choosing the right precision applicator for your needs is to determine the best needle size. When deciding the size, it is important to consider the viscosity of the liquid for your project. Gaunt Industries currently offers seven standard gauge needles, along with a growing inventory of special plastic needles. The length of the needles range from a short 1/2 inch to the special 6 inch extra long type. The shorter length needle sizes are recommended when precision is required and the longer needles are used for hard to reach applications, such as piano tuning, and machine oiling. All of the needles described in the article below are Stainless Steel and have a Plastic color coded hub. The Outside and Inside diameters of each gauge needle are shown below in parenthesis after each description.
The smallest needle gauge that we offer is the 27 gauge, or HYPO-16 items. These are available in standard 1 inch length, and are a gray colored hub. These needles are best for water thin solvents, fine oils, flux, and other very thin liquids. These are perfect when the smallest drop of liquid is required. (OD .016" x ID .008")
The next needle gauge is the 25 gauge, HYPO-20 products. The standard length are 1 inch with blue colored hubs. These needles are best for thin solvents, oils, and watercolor art projects and are also sold in our "Oiler Boiler" Sets. The 25 gauge needles are also available in 1.5 inch and 3 inch long options, for specific project needs. (OD .020" x ID .010")
One of our best selling products is the 23 gauge, HYPO-25 needles. The standard length are 1 inch with green colored hubs. These HYPO products are best for medium-thin liquids such as Weld-on (cyanoacrylate acrylic cement), thin epoxy, and acrylic paint. These needles are available in 3 inch and a special 6 inch length for hard to reach places. (OD .025" x ID .013")
The 20 gauge, HYPO-35 needles are a perfect mid-range size. These needles are 1-1/4 inch long yellow colored hub. We consider the 20 gauge a multi media fineline applicator. These needles are best for medium thickness paints, glues, and oils. These come in an extra short 1/2 inch length and a special 3 inch long size. (OD .035" x ID .023")
The next largest gauge is the 18 gauge, HYPO-49 needles. These are standard 1 inch long pink colored hubs. This size are best for medium-thick liquids such as white craft glues, ceramic glaze, and acrylic paints. The HYPO-490 is available in our "Oiler Boiler" Art bottle sets. These are also available in an extra short 1/2 inch needle, along with a 3 inch needle. (OD .049" x ID .033")
Our 16 gauge, HYPO-65 needle is a popular item. The standard length needles are 3/4 inch long purple colored hubs. These needles are best for thicker liquids, such as grease, paint, cement, clay/pottery glaze slip, and glue epoxy adhesive. These needles come in a 3 inch extra long needle size as well. (OD .065" x ID .047")
The largest size we currently offer is the 14 gauge, HYPO-84 needles. These needles are 1-1/2 long dark green colored hub. These needles are best for extra thick liquids, such as cements, thick glues, grease, and thick paints. (OD .084" x .ID .069")
All of our needle / cap combinations are sold as Replacement Tops. If you're not sure which will be your best option, it's simple to order the bottle size and then try different Replacement Tops to find the best gauge for you.
We'll continue to build a stock of the precision products our customers require for their individual projects. Please contact us with your special precision dispenser requirements.