If you are thinking of becoming a tattoo artist, whether professionally or as a hobby, you will need tattoo needles and to do so you must know the characteristics of these needles.
The first thing you need to check is the quality of the material and that they come from a shop you trust. You need to be aware that, for your clients, you need disposable needles. Therefore, a needle must be well packaged and properly sterilized. But what type do you need to buy? We explain below.
Types of tattoo needles.
Round liner (RL)
They are defined by being needles in a circle. Up to twenty needles can be joined together in this circular position. The purpose of the round liner (RL) needle is to define perfect strokes. In this way, you can use it to create well-defined lines or contours.
It can be said that this is the needle that every tattoo artist has. It is the first one that is usually bought, due to how important and essential the lines or contours are to make any tattoo.
If you wish, you can obtain products of this type in our store.
Round shader (RS)
Very similar to the round liner, the round shader needle is defined as a set of needles welded together in a circle. The difference with the RL is that there is more separation between the needles, which makes it ideal for creating colors and shadows.
The RS should be applied in small areas of tattoos so that its use will be perfect. It is not recommended for larger surfaces, since it can cause wounds.
If you wish, you can obtain products of this type in our store.
Flat (F)
You will recognize the flat needle because it appears welded in a linear fashion, without showing any space between the needles. This needle is perfect for large surfaces, because it allows you to fill in large tattoos with color or shading. It also facilitates the creation of gradients and details of all kinds.
Magnum
The magnum needle could be compared to two flat needles joined together. Its peculiarity is that the two parallel lines alternate needles, although one line has one less needle.
This is one of the most popular tattoo needles among tattoo experts. It helps fill in color and shading in large spaces, since, by affecting more of the skin's surface, the pressure is distributed and allows us to tattoo large areas without irritating the dermis as much, and for this reason it is widely used. You can buy a magnum with at least five needles, and with a maximum of 49.
In turn, the magnum is classified into two well-defined modalities:
- The M1 has a more spaced weld, used especially to improve solid fillings and shading.
- The M2 has a weld joined between the needles, which makes them narrower between each other and allows for covering less space, but in a denser way.
If you wish, you can obtain products of this type in our store.
Round Magnum (RM)
The Round Magnum needle is another very necessary needle in your collection. Thanks to it you can make tattoos in delicate areas of the body. Many people choose a tattoo in intimate places that, inevitably, tend to be very sensitive. For these cases you have this type of needle, also known as “cat's tongue”. It receives this second name because its brush evokes this shape.
The curved magnum needle is different, as its name indicates, by showing a degraded curve. It acquires the name “magnum” because it has two lines of parallel needles, with the same characteristics as the one described above. Similarly, it can be made up of 5 to 49 welded needles.
In addition to not being so aggressive for the skin, it allows you to create very well-defined gradients and shading, which makes it ideal for these work sessions.
If you wish, you can obtain products of this type in our store.
Cartridge needles
This type of needle is related to the machine you are using or are going to use. We are facing a relevant technological advance. Not only does it provide you with greater safety when handling needles, but it will also show your clients your professionalism.
You will recognize it by its plastic mold, in which the remains of pigments and blood are stored after use. They are also disposable and you will easily find all the types of needles you need.
If you wish, you can obtain products of this type in our store.
Choosing the diameter
In addition to choosing the type of needle you need, you should also consider the diameter of the needles. Needles range from 0.20 mm to 0.35 mm. There are generally four types, which are the most commonly used by professionals and include numbers 6, 8, 10 and 12. For example, 1207RL, where number 12 is the diameter corresponding to 0.35 mm, 07 is the number of needles and RL is the abbreviation for Round Liner.
The 10, which is 0.30 mm, is used for outlining while the 12 is the preferred type in most tattoo shops.
TAPER
Taper/needle point: The distance it takes for the needle to begin to taper until it ends at its point. The greater the distance, the thinner the needle point.
Points are generally categorized as short, medium, and long point.
A long point will look very thin as it tapers very slowly and the point will look very sharp.
In comparison, a short point will look a little rounded and even if the point is really pointed, it will look a little duller simply because it is shorter.
If you wish, you can take a look at our website and see the products you may need.
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