Tattoo Needles
The most important piece of tattoo equipment are tattoo needles. Needles are what makes the actual tattoo possible because it presses ink deep into the skin. Over the centuries there have been many types of needles used for tattooing. Modernly needles have been divided into two categories; disposable and reusable. Many cultures have special ways of performing tattoo art and some require the use of a common needle or other instrument. However, it is better for practice, hygiene and health to use disposable needles. All tattoos hops are required to use only disposable needles on their clients to prevent spread of blood borne illnesses.
There are many types of disposable tattoo needles, and each serves a different purpose. Tattoo artists must be very familiar with the different types of needles so that their work is done at its best. Needles can be categorized into two types; round needles and flat needles. Round needles are used for outlining tattoos or areas where detail is important. A round needle incorporates many small needles into a circular shape. Flat needles are used for shading and can be used to accent bold lines drawn by round needles. A flat needle incorporates many small needles into rows. Many tattoo’s require artists to use a combination of both types of needles. Solid tattoos; lettering, kanji, and even shadows or mere outlines can be done using only round needles. However, tattoos that require much detail or that incorporate many colors must use flat needles to properly blend and shade colors into the skin.
Additionally there are many different size qualifications for both types of tattoo needles. The size of needle used depends on the size of the tattoo and the design of the tattoo. Larger tattoos like back pieces or sleeves often require artists to use larger needles for most of the tattoo. Using larger needles will make the tattooing process go quicker and look better. However some artists prefer to use smaller needles on all tattoos so that there is always great detail. Smaller needles are used for all types of tattoos, large and small. Typically the smaller the size of the needle the more painful the tattooing process will be. Because smaller needles concentrate on smaller areas the location of puncture and pressure is more narrow and intense. Larger needles spread pressure to a larger portion of the tattoo making it less painful.
Needles are numbered based on the number of smaller needles that are incorporated into the entire needle. For example, if there were 3 small needles incorporated into the entire needle it would be considered a size 3 needle. Furthermore 5 small needles makes for a size five needle and 7 small needles would be considered a size seven and so on. Needles are typically sized in odd numbers from 3-15 and from their they continue up in scale in increments of 5.