Point the Spray Nozzle at the Dot to Stop a Can Spitting

The Problem

An aerosol that's half empty starts spitting — spatter, air, an uneven fan — and it usually gets blamed on the can being nearly done. Often it isn't. The dip tube inside runs from the nozzle down to one point at the bottom of the can, and when that point isn't sitting in the remaining liquid, the tube draws propellant instead. Tilt the can the wrong way, or hold the nozzle facing the wrong direction, and you get air on a touch-up you can't redo.

The Technique

Many cans tell you where the tube is, if you know to look.

1. Look inside the rim of the can, down past the nozzle. There's a small black dot printed on the inside wall.
2. That dot marks the side the dip tube runs down.
3. Twist the nozzle so it points out over the dot.
4. Spray with the can tipped very slightly toward that side if you're working at an angle — the tube stays submerged, and the can keeps atomising properly to the bottom.

This matters most on the cans where a spitting failure costs you something: toner and lacquer for furniture touch-ups, where a spatter lands on a finish you've just built up.