We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations.
This is what a cone-pattern actuator on an aerosol looks like.
A finishing topic that gets far too little coverage is aerosol finishing. Aerosols are widely available in four common finishes: lacquer, oil-based polyurethane, water-based finish and shellac. The first three are usually available in several sheens, most commonly gloss and satin. Shellac is available only in gloss.
Other than the types, the important thing to know is that there are two types of nozzles: cone and fan pattern. The cone pattern is by far the most common. It produces a cone shape and is identifiable by the simple cylindrical-shaped actuator that you push down to activate the spray.
This is what a fan-pattern actuator on an aerosol looks like.
The fan-pattern nozzle has a small rectangular disk on the front of the actuator that controls the orientation of the fan: vertical or horizontal. Simply turn the disk vertical or horizontal using pliers to change the orientation.
In my experience, the fan-pattern nozzle produces a finer spray than the cone-pattern nozzle.
With both types, you need to shake the can before using. If the can contains any solid material, such as pigment or flatting agent, it will contain a ball that you’ll hear knocking against the sides as you shake. This ball helps put the solids into suspension.
If you don’t hear this ball knocking around, continue shaking until you do, then shake for another 10-20 seconds.
Widely available and inexpensive handles for aerosols are worth the price if you do a lot of finishing with aerosols.
If you do a lot of finishing with aerosols, you’ll find the widely available and inexpensive handles well worth the price. Not only do they relieve your hand from cramping, they also offer better control of where the spray is landing.
These handles work with all aerosols. In addition, there is no cleaning required, and about the only thing that can go wrong is that some part of the plastic breaks.
