Buying Tattoo Needles
When buying tattoo needles, make sure that you stock up with a variety of needles so that you always have needles for shading and various sized outlines and details. You want to make sure to have small needles for thin outlines, tiny details, and small tattoos; large needles for bold outlines and larger fill areas; and shading needles.
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Liner needlesare those that are grouped in a circular pattern and used mostly for outlining tattoos. You want to make sure that you get a good mix of sizes; typical sizes are 3, 4, 5 and 7, but you may consider needles grouped in 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 18.
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- Shader needlesare those generally grouped in rows two to form a flat shape, which is why they are commonly referred to as flats. Shader needles are typically grouped in 4, 6, 7 and 9, but the combinations are endless and for the most part up to you. Shader needles are not only used for shading but also blending, as well as filling in large amounts of color, which is why many tattooist use round liners or magnum (mag) liners for the larger fills. The largest shader you can buy are 45 flats or 100 round.
When buying tattoo needles, you want to shop around, so that you can compare quality with price. Price includes shipping in addition to the actual needles. Factor in shipping costs with shipping times; most larger companies will charge flat rates based on the size of the order.
When you find the needle that is of great quality most of the time and is a reasonable price, you want to stick with that company.
- Check each needle for burs, barbs, or just too much gap between each individual needle before using the needle, as you could scar the client.
- This is more common sense, but it can''t be repeated enough- NEVER reuse tattoo needles, especially from one person to the next; you can spread a myriad of bloodborne pathogens and diseases.