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At one time every tattoo artist made their own tattoo needles. Each artist had a secret technique and style for needle making. Today most artists buy pre-made tattoo needles.
Tattoo needles are made by soldering a “needle grouping” onto a “needle bar”. Needle bars come in 4.5, 4.75, and 5 inch lengths. All needle bars made for artistic tattooing have a loop at one end. The most common size needle bar is 4.75 inches long.
Tattoo needle groupings can be made in several sizes and shapes. Common groupings are rounds, flats, and magnums (mags). Rounds can be used for lining. Flats are useful for shading. Magnums are great for color filling.
Rounds are soldered together in a circular pattern. Tight rounds make better lines while loose rounds are better suited to shading. Flats are soldered side by side in a row. They are good for making the “whip” stroke and are excellent for shading. Flats can also make the very sharp and tight ends that we see on tribal work. Magnums can be single or double stacked. Like flats, magnums are soldered side by side. BUT they are either separated into an upper and lower row or they are “double stacked”. Magnums are good for color filling, working large areas, and some shading.
