Airbrush Needle problem

Ok.

Just bent my needle today. It's a .21mm.

I did the two coin trick (using two quarters to squeeze & straighten the needle a little).

Then I put a finger on the tip & roll on one coin.

 

Now I'm ready to sandpaper with a 2000 grade.

My question is do I (1) roll the tip in the wet sandpaper?  or (2) pull the tip?

It isn't uncommon for the needle to not be centered when it is at rest. Once you pull the needle back to spray paint it isn't in the way any more and the shape of the nozzle pretty much dictates the spray pattern.

The nozzle just may be too small for the paint you are using. The fine tip is pretty small and while I have used one without many problems, sometimes the paint has to be pretty thin. You might also try spraying at a lower pressure. This allows you to pull the needle back further to get the same volume of paint flow and opens up the nozzle a bit more.

Finally, make sure your tip stays clean. Acrylics dry very fast and cause buildup on the tip. As this buildup gets blow off it can appear to be splatter. Acrylic retarders can dramatically slow down the drying time and eliminate a lot of that problem.

Edit ... I forgot to mention that the needle may actually have a "Hook" on the end. It isn't uncommon, especially with the finer needles. Drag the very tip over your finger nail or a piece of tissue. If there is a hook on it you'll feel it dragging at one spot. CAREFULLY smooth the hook out with some very fine sandpaper (the finest you can lay your hands on) and it should be OK. In most cases the sandpaper doesn't actually sand the hook off, it just catches it and straightens it back out.

Doesn't sound real good. Not as bad as a bent tip but probably doesn't help things much. Take your needle out and roll it on the flattest surface you can find. It should roll smoothly. If the needle is bent like a banana you could work it back into true. If your nozzle is skewed don't know what to do to fix that.