Needles and Tubes

Needles and Tubes

Needles come in many shapes and sizes, and each does something
different. Tattoo needles are really two pieces, a needle head and a needle
bar. The needle head is the part that sits down at the end of your tube and
punctures the skin, while the needle bar is a needle shaft that has a circle
bent into it called a needle loop or eye loop. This is where the needle
attaches to the machine. A common misconception of a tattoo needle is that
they are hollow like a hypodermic needle from a shot. This is not true.
Tattooing needles are solid, like a safety pin only smaller. A needle grouping
is the number of needles in the head. So if I said that a needle is a three then
it is three small needles soldered together to make one, in a triangle shape.
There are many different groupings, each with a purpose. The more needles
are attached to the head the bigger the dot is. So a five pattern needle is a
bigger dot then a three pattern needle or a single Needle. How a tattoo really
works is the needle moves in and out of the tube, like a sewing machine.
When it moves in, it gets ink on it, and when it moves out it punctures then
skin. When done correctly a tattoo needle only goes two millimeters deep,
that’s about the thickness of a dime. The skin is elastic so it stretches. The
needle with pigment punctures the skin and the skin squeezes the needle
removing the pigment leaving it underneath. Think of a butter knife with
peanut butter on it. You wipe the knife off with your finger, nothing on the
knife, and peanut butter on your hand. Basically every line in a tattoo is really
just a row of small dots really close together making a line. In art this is
called "Pointillism". So if you want a bigger line you use a bigger needle group.
Pins
In the tattooing industry, the individual needles are referred to as pins.
There are a few different types of pins, and each configuration again, does
something different. The needles used in tattoo originated from bug pins,
sewing machine needles, and beading needles. Each of these of these types
have different tips and sharpness. The most common metal used for tattooing
is 304 stainless steel wire with a diameter of .33mm to .36mm and an average
length of 30mm, each type can be polished or left course. 304 grade stainless
steel is normally preferred due to its stronger resistance to corrosion. The
polished pins are a little smoother so they don’t over work the skin as bad.
The course pins are fairly new; the idea is that leaving the needles a little
course will help put the pigment under the skin. I have not used this myself,
but I have heard many good reports. You can also fine pins made from carbon,
these I do not recommend. The carbon is hard to work with and almost
impossible to autoclave without specific carbon friendly autoclaving
equipment. Running carbon needles in a standard autoclave will result in
tarnishing or even rusting.
The difference in the needle tips play a major roll in what function the
needle grouping has to offer. The distance in angle of the cut for each pin
varies from company to company, but the average angle length of the point is
about .9mm to 1.2mm for shading and 1.7mm to 1.9mm for lining. For the
sewing needle, the heel is (assuming it’s a .9mm point length) .9mm. this
means that it will have a completely tapered point. The taper or heel, is
where the angle to a point begins to decline from the shaft diameter. The Bug
pin is a half taper, if its point is .9mm then the heel would be about .6mm
leaving a somewhat rounded point but still sharp at the tip. The beading
needle will have a .3mm heel giving it the steepest slope of the three. All
three have many ups and downs. Shorter point lengths will be better suited
for color and fill work, while a longer point length will be better suited for
lining. A small point will enter the exact diameter of the pin into the skin
resulting in more fill. A longer point length will produce a smaller fill because
it will only go about half way up the point length into the skin. I personally
prefer bug pin for my portrait work. They help to achieve a smoother shade,
while I prefer the sewing type for lining. The sewing type, seem to give me a
cleaner outline. The major disadvantage to the sewing type is that the point
is thinner so it’s easier to damage if accidentally struck against the ink cap.
This is referred to as hooking because it actually makes the needle tip bend in
the shape of a hook. If a needle is hooked then it will cause tremendous
damage to the skin. This is why many artists preach to dip into your pigment
without the machine running, sort of a safe guard. These are just a few
examples of pin sizes; there are many different types available from many
different supply companies.
Needle Configurations
The standard sizes for needle groupings are rounds, flats, stacked mags
and standard mags that are also known as weaved mags. With rounds the
individual needles are soldered together in a round shape, this makes a
smooth line, and is also fair to shade with larger rounds such as a 14 round.
Flats are soldered one beside the other in a flat pattern. This is strictly a
shading tool. It also requires some practice. If you go to slow or at the wrong
angle you may just cut the client like an electric scalpel instead of tattooing
them. Mags are some of my favorite configurations. They are oscillating
needles. This means that if you stack up four soda cans on a bottom row and
then three on the top like your making a pyramid, this is the shape they are
in. they only come in two rows but get very large. They are the best for
coloring and grey shading in my opinion. The difference between a weaved
mag and a stacked mag is that a mag is soldered with all of the needles flat
then using a single edge razor, every other one in lifted then re soldered onto
place. A stacked mag is where two rows are soldered then the rows are
soldered one on top of the other. This means that stacked mags are a little
smaller looking because the pins are closer together. They do a great job with
solid coverage and they don't tear up the client as long as you show
moderation. They require a little practice also before you really see what
they can do. I use them exclusively for my portrait work with the exception of
a 5round or three round for detail such as an individual hair or the inside of an
eye.
The standard sizes rounds come in are singles, threes, fives, eights, and
fourteens. Flats go from 4 to 24, usually in even numbers. Mags go from seven
to thirteen pin, usually in odd numbers. These are the standard sizes though
not the only ones, Different companies make all different sizes, so there will
always be larger sizes in the quest for the ultimate cure for penis envy.
However it has been my experience that eight rounds are the best for lining.
The make the smoothest line with the least effort. You do want to use a five
or a three for really small or thin lined tattoos, and singles are only good for
things like single strands of hair on a portrait. That’s unless you like going
over line five times to get them thick enough to see. I personally never use
flats, just never liked how they felt. Seven mags are passed down from the
gods for color and grey wash. A seven mag is probably the most versatile
needle out there. Most of the times I can go two weeks and never need
anything but eight rounds and seven mags. Rounds also have another option,
loose or tight. Loose means the needles are spread a little more apart, this is
good for shading. Tights are a little closer for finer lines. I stick with regular
and do both lining and shading with them. The way loose or tight is done
during production is with a needle jigging tool. You would solder the needles
in the back grouped together to make the standard grouping, then use a single
edge razor blade to separate the pins for a loose, and use a tightening tool on
the needle jig to get them closer together to get a tight. The taper on the
needle point allows for more room, they can be pushed together, then once in
position, re-solder to hold the pattern.