Fixing a bent needle

Bent at the very tip? Is there a little piece at the very end that you can feel with your finger? If that's what it is you can (very carefully) pull the tip across some super-fine sandpaper to straighten it out.

There are far more accomplished airbrush mechanics in here besides me though, hold on to see if anyone else has a suggestion.

yes, it is at the very tip, seemingly.  When you say very fine, do you mean 600, 800, 1200, 2000, a nail buffer, what? Excuse my ignorance, I'm relatively new to the hobby and don't know squat about woodworking.  I do have a number of grades of sandpaper, however.

I'd be heading for that 2000 or nail buffer! You want something with just enough "drag" to move that tip back into position. If you use something too course it could leave scratches behind.

You can also try rolling the needle tip across a very flat surface; glass, a polished stone countertop, etc...gentle pressure using your index finger will sometimes do the trick. Vance's advice is also spot on. It's real easy to dull or deform the tip with abrasives.

Best of luck;

mike

Straighten the needle on a glass surface. 

Then use 2000 grid sandpaper, wet.

Then roll between one's finger tips with ordinary toothpaste.