If you are a doctor or mechanic, then there are many useful tools for your help. Each one of them functions differently and you must know how they work. The same goes for tattoo artists. The main tool of tattoo artists is their needles. However, there are different needles to ink the design at the best. So, if poking people with needles and ink is your chosen path, then you must understand how and what each of those needles does.

As a tattoo artist, you have to deal with ink and needles all day long. So, you must know the needles you are working with like what group and sizes to choose and how these needles work differently for designing. The knowledge of the right needle is a must, especially for fine-line tattoo artists of Melbourne or any other part of the world.

Different needles have different features, so let’s discover how they work:

Different types of needles:

  • Round tattoo needles
    These needles are joined in central shaft in a round shape. They are further classified as liners and shaders, depending upon how closely they are placed in the shaft. Round liners are perfectly fit for small technical work like fine lines and details. You may also see loose liners that are thick and bold and used in Japanese-style tattooing.

    In tattoo shops, round shaders are used for all purposes from filling colours to basic shading. Apart from that, they are used for scripting and lettering and tribal and neo-traditional work.

  • Magnum shader needles
    These needles are used for all types of shading work. Magnum shaders have a longer taper and they deliver a lot of ink, which is ideal to fill large areas of colours. These magnum needles also come in different varieties.

    Curved magnum shaders: Also known as soft magnums because of their soft edges and round magnums, also their pins are arranged to arch at the centre. The edges of the needles run along the skin so comfortably and allow better dispersal of ink.
    Double stack magnum shader: The pins on double-stack magnum shaders are joined tightly together. You will need these shaders when you want your work to spread out while using magnum.

    Further, magnum shader needles are commonly used for works like black and grey, tribal, colour realism, Samoan, traditional, etc., in any tattoo parlour.

  • Flat shader needles
    These shader needles are joined straight at the line on the needle bar. Mostly, flat shader needles are used for lining as their shape allows them to provide more ink on the skin. As a result,people who love getting inked get more straight and dark lines with just one stroke.

    Large needles also are used for filling colours more quickly. These needles are really good for geometric patterns and mandala work. Also, they are common in semi-permanent makeupin any tattoo studio.

Different tattoo needle sizes:

As types, the diameters of tattoo needles are also different. These diameters are known as gauges. These gauges are linked to the ink flow of needles. The smaller or narrow the gauge, the more refined lines, and controlled ink. These gauges are indicated with a number system like #08 (means 0.25mm). Similarly, other gauges numbers are 06(means 0.20mm), 10(means 0.30mm), 12(means 0.35mm), 14(means 0.40mm), and 16(means 0.45mm).

The smallest number 08 is also known as bugpins. They are used to slow the flow of ink for more detailed work. The 10th one is very common and referred to as double zeros. They are steady and controlled and popular with all types of tattooing. Just like this,the number 12 is also highly popular for needle grouping and all tattoo styles. Apart from them, some other sizes are 06, 14, and 16 are less common and used for specific works only.

Besides the sizes, needle count also matters which means the number of pins used for groupingby the artists. They are highly beneficial to fine-line tattoo artists of Melbourne too. However, it all depends upon the gauge. Therefore, if you are a tattoo artist, then you must have to take proper knowledge of all the needles.

Needles are one of the most important tools of any tattoo artist and its right knowledge must not be neglected. Hopefully, the above information helps you become the reliable tattoo artist of your town.