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    • #13997

      I’ve seen this suggested on several YouTube videos, but never seen artists in studios do it. My first tattoos, I did without knowing of this ‘mystery technique’, and was happy with all the linework I did. I then found out about bending the needle, and haven’t been as happy with the quality of the lines. The last tattoo I did, I didn’t bend the needle, and, although the lines’re not quite as straight as I’d like, they have gone in much cleaner than when I was bending the back of the needle bar. So what’s the deal? Is there any meaningful purpose to bending the needle, or is it just a technique being ‘leaked’ to trick scratchers and create shoddy work? I’m all for learning and trying new techniques, but deliberately giving out info which will ensure a person winds up with a jacked up tattoo, is a ) not the right attitude for helping people to Learn how to tattoo, (no one should have to Earn the information, it should be passed on freely to those who are genuinely interested) and b ) shows utter contempt for the poor schmoe who winds up with aforementioned jacked up tattoo, so in many respects, makes that ‘artist’ who gave out that information lower than a scratcher. Scratchers at least want to do good art and improve. No-one wants people walking around with poor examples of their work on them… Sorry for the rant, but the idea that this might be a misinformation technique (if that is what it is)has made me really angry. So what’s the deal? Bend the bar a little, don’t bend it at all, what’s the REAL story here…

    • #17464

      Bend a little – Helps. Bend will keep the needle snug against the tube. When you use the rubber band – it will bend it away from the tube – the bend in the needle will off set this. Hope that helps!

    • #17465

      @canvasyou wrote:

      Bend a little – Helps. Bend will keep the needle snug against the tube. When you use the rubber band – it will bend it away from the tube – the bend in the needle will off set this. Hope that helps!

      Thanks, that’s what I’d read/heard, that it keeps the needle snug against the tube, I just couldn’t ignore the apparent correlation in my work to bent needle = patchy lines v straight needle = clean lines… I admit, the lines I did on my Hawaiian piece are not the straightest, but their consistency is much better than the lines I did with the curved needle, that’s what made me wonder if it was a misinformation. Could this just be one of those ‘personal preference’ issues, and everyone just working with what’s best for them personally, rather than a Must Follow rule?

    • #17466
      xDreamerx
      Participant

      Bend the bar, but not too much to where it rub the inner tube. I also bend my needle config from the solder point a tad. Barely enough to add to the bend so I can get my sweet spot on my setup. So aside from bending my bar I bend my needle grouping at the solder point. I dont recommend this unless it works for you. just what I do and what works for me.

      Just like I use my flat mags as a liner sometimes….again….”to each his own”

    • #17467

      @xDreamerx wrote:

      Bend the bar, but not too much to where it rub the inner tube. I also bend my needle config from the solder point a tad. Barely enough to add to the bend so I can get my sweet spot on my setup. So aside from bending my bar I bend my needle grouping at the solder point. I dont recommend this unless it works for you. just what I do and what works for me.

      Just like I use my flat mags as a liner sometimes….again….”to each his own”

      When you say ‘sweet spot’, what improvement do you find happens when you hit that point? I can honestly say that every tattoo I did with a bent needle looked worse than the very first ones I did with a straight needle, and since I stopped bending the bar, my lines have gone back to being clean, where with the bend, they were really patchy :shock:

    • #17468
      TexasPT
      Member

      this is going to sound stupid…but I did it once…make sure you have the bend going the right way. If the bend is coming towards the machine…it’s backwards. If it towards the front of the tube…it seems great.

    • #17469
      evan
      Member

      idk know guy i guess its all how you set it up i use dimond tips so the bend puts my needle right in that back grove and it works great cuz i run off my tube to lay my lines

    • #17470
      xDreamerx
      Participant

      Just as Canvas stated.

      The rubber band offsets the bend in your needle bar on the curve. I would have to post pix of my bend and then in the tube.

      I honestly dont know anyone who doesn’t bend their bar? I cant imagine tattooing and getting clean line work without bending the needle bar, unless its already got a bend in it or the need grouping is tilted downward …that ones puzzling to me.

    • #17471

      @xDreamerx wrote:

      Just as Canvas stated.

      The rubber band offsets the bend in your needle bar on the curve. I would have to post pix of my bend and then in the tube.

      I honestly dont know anyone who doesn’t bend their bar? I cant imagine tattooing and getting clean line work without bending the needle bar, unless its already got a bend in it or the need grouping is tilted downward …that ones puzzling to me.

      As above, when I did my first tattoos, it was with needles un-bent, 100% as they came out of the packaging, and I did clean linework. I then read about bending the bar, and tried adding a gentle curve to the bar. The result of this, was powdery/uneven/inconsistent lines. I stopped bending the bars, and now use the needles 100% as they come out of the packaging, and the linework is clean again… :shock:

    • #17472
      Viper65
      Member

      Ive tried it and didnt really notice any difference………what i have notice is how tight that damn rubber band is and selecting the correct size to use… :lol: :lol:

    • #17473

      @Viper65 wrote:

      Ive tried it and didnt really notice any difference………what i have notice is how tight that damn rubber band is and selecting the correct size to use… :lol: :lol:

      Definitely :lol:

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