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I have a mentor helping me out, but he’s teaching is limited.
Im having troubles with proper needle depth.
I have my needle sticking out 1.5mm with the armature bar at idle. I know it will be different with more or less throw but my mentor has shown me all this.My problem is getting the hang of sticking the needle in with out riding the tube.
my grip is quite fine and I can hold a good depth but I like to know a good way to know Im ready for skin what can I do to show myself Im good enough…any tips
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First off, let me say that I am not an apprentice, and I dont do tattoos all the time. But I have been tattooing since I was about 12, in one way or another. I am now 31. I have had professional equipment for about 12 years that I have been working on, and seriously, just got them to tune right in the last 6 years…So first off, you have to have your machines tuned to you. Once you get that right, if you’re not going to ride the tube, then you work off of the tips of the needle. What I mean by this is that the points of the needle, the “v” shape, is all you want to penetrate. talk to your mentor on how to hold the machine properly, as well as all the info I provide, but when you do lines, never go in the direction that will make the needles push against the rubberbands and off of the bottom of the tip. If you do, go half the speed you would normally go. hold the machine firm, but not too firm so that you hurt and cramp your hand. Hold it so that you have to move your whole hand instead of your fingers when doing long lines, and also so that the depth will remain the same throughout. hope some of this helps and good luck! I have heard that honeydew melons mostly resemble real skin than any other practice method. I have not tried this because where Im from, its kind of expensive when we can get it. So if you can get some cheep, try it. If you see a cut in your lines, you either went too deep, went too slow, or machine just too fast. adjust machine to your hand and then adjust the depth so you dont cut and drag your needle across the surface, hence the name, “scratcher.” so again, good luck and post some results!
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Regarding needle depth, I’ve heard that it’s supposed to be between 1.5 to 2 mm.
What I don’t know is does that mean maximum with the a bar pushed down, or is that beforehand protruding from the tube when the machine is at idle.
And what exactly does ride the tube mean? I assume it means set the needle flush with the end of the tube and put the tube flat against the skin. Is that right?
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i never really went by measurements
but some say a nickel IN the skin. so if you’re riding the tube a nickel is sticking out of the tube
personally i let my needle stick out and i just barely kiss the skin
i can feel when the needle is penetrating, and depending on which of my machines I use i can actually hear the needle penetrating the skin.like JT said get your machine tuned properly. you can learn how to do this by purchasing the Basic Fundementals of Modern tattoo. there are also videos on youtube and such
the tuning is very important.
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@Infamous wrote:
And what exactly does ride the tube mean? I assume it means set the needle flush with the end of the tube and put the tube flat against the skin. Is that right?
Riding the tube is just that, letting the tube help guide your needle so that you go a preferred depth with your strokes. Some do it some don’t. but tuning your machine is a must must must….my personal set-up is a long stroke with my needle coming out of my tube well past the 2mm mark, my tips seldom touch the skin at all. I judge my needle depth by feel and sound, hence why a tuned machine is a must! These are things that are almost impossible to show or even tell someone, this is part of tattooing that comes with experience. No other way to put it really. But basically when it comes to how your needle is set-up you just have to do the trial and error way, try a way, if it doesn’t work for you adjust and try again. Good luck.
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For tuning your machine, keep records on what you did to the machine that day.
In the beginning of my tuning endeavour, I just did stuff to the machine, not quite sure what I did. And then one day, I hit the perfect tuning for me. And I didn’t record what I did. And it took forever to get that sweet sweet tuning again. Now I have my personal tuning records, on what does what, and when. I cant give them to you, as it is a personal preference, your just gonna have to find it for yourself.
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I caught a youtube video on how to tune a machine and so far its worked pretty well for me. All the guy did was turn it on and turned the dial until the machine sounded right in his hand, then he held it by the grip and added a little more voltage to get that hum right again. So basically I tune my machine by ear, the same exact way I tune a guitar.
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I am not just talking about tuning the voltage. I’m referring to the contact screw length, the armature bar, the front spring, the back spring. Those little tweaks you can do to differ your machine. I have three machines. One of them, is an all rounder, I can use it for lining, shading and coloring. The second one, I tweak, so it does lining with ease. (But all in all, its down to your hand speed)
And the last one, is just my shader, I tuned it really soft, and is my number one machine. There is quite the science in the tuning of a coil machine. ;) -
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