This is going to sound bad, but...I have a Paasche 2000, and I was wondering if the needle tip should have a slight bend (hook) in it (and I mean at the very very tip). I'm pretty sure that I've never done anything that would have bent it, but then again, I'm not so sure. I have an illustrator's needle as well and noted that it also had a slight hook. When I bought both the airbrush and later the other needle, I never really took a good look at the shape of the tips...pathetic, I know. When I spray fine lines I do get that hard edge and faded middle now and again, but I have thought that it could also be due to my mixing ratio. So, you airbrush gurus, do I need a new needle?

Steve
You may not have to replace the tip. And no it shoudn't have a bend in it. Find a very flat surface and gently roll the neddle tip on it. See if that will take the bend out of it. Try that first before you replace the tip. I've done that with both Paasche and Badger tips with great success.
Jerry

Nope - no bend in a tip. That's not a good thing. The paint is being blown down the tip and the bend will disrupt the flow.

Buying a new one may not be necessary as mentioned.
The bending/rolling idea is a good one. Another one is to use a very fine file and sandpaper to sand off the bend and to return the shape to a nice sharp point - kinda like a hand pencil shapener.

And if those two things don't work - then you go buy one, so you're not 'out' anything if you experiment with a fix.

That's what I thought. Ok, I'll try to roll the tip and file it back to shape. Wish me luck. Thanks guys for all your help.

Success! I de-burred the tip and managed not to screw it up in the process.

Thanks Jerry and Scott.

Mystery solved.

I ended up buying a new needle and tried it out this evening and got nice, fuzzy edged-free lines.

Thanks again for the help guys.

Steve