Patent ID: 8061295

Claim:
A bead applicator for embedding particulates in wet paint, comprising: a blower directing air into an attached series of connected pipes; and a particulate hopper, and a tubular particulate supply line connecting an outlet opening from the particulate hopper to a venturi inlet opening at a low pressure point of a venturi tube; wherein the series of connected pipes comprises, in order: the venturi tube; a wand that is rigid and tubular; and a dispensing nozzle having a nozzle inlet and a nozzle outlet; wherein the wand, the nozzle inlet, and the nozzle outlet all have approximately the same, or greater, inside cross-sectional area relative to that of a venturi tube outlet; and the dispensing nozzle fans out to a long and narrow shape for the nozzle outlet; the bead applicator further comprising: a portion of the wand or dispensing nozzle that is rotatable about the axis of the nozzle inlet; and a bend at the nozzle outlet to a nozzle outlet angle such that the nozzle outlet is directed substantially perpendicular to a painted surface when the bead applicator is in use, and such that the dispensing nozzle can be turned to blow substantially tangentially to the painted surface.