Understanding the various types of tattoo needles can be confusing. What's the difference between a standard round liner, round liner BCN, loose liner, Liner BCN, a magnum, Loose round, or a bug pin tight liner needle? And how do you know which needle to use for different tattoo styles and techniques?
This guide explains everything you need to know about tattoo needles, from sizes to uses, and helps you understand the options available.
Tattoo Needle Types and Their Uses
Round Liner Needles
Round liner needle groupings are arranged in a circular pattern and are ideal for creating clean, sharp line work. They’re usually used for outlines and detailed work. The size 12 sharps (0.35mm) have always been the standard outline go-to needles. Although liner needles come in a range of sizes, from 000 (.25mm) (very fine) to Size 11 (0.40mm) thicker, allowing for precision in different line thicknesses. Round liner needles are perfect for lining and colouring small intricate designs and dot work.
Loose Liner Needles
Loose liner needles are similar to round shaders. Typically, the needles are soldered back further from the points than ordinary liners, usually about halfway between a standard liner and a round shader. However, this can vary depending on the artist's preference. This allows for slightly more ink flow than tighter soldered round liners.
Round Shader Needles
Similar to liner needles, round shader needle groupings are soldered further back from the points than liners, which allows them to deliver more ink. They are traditionally used for colouring and shading, and they are also used in larger groupings for bold outlines.
Loose Round Needles
Loose round needles are similar to standard round needles, but with the needles soldered back even further from the points than usual. This unique configuration allows for slightly increased ink flow, making loose rounds ideal for colour packing and traditional old-school shading techniques.
In the past, many old-school tattoo artists soldered their round shaders almost all the way back to the needle bar. The elastic band would then pull the loosely soldered needle grouping towards the back of the tube tip, causing the needle group to form an oval shape. This technique was perfect for packing in bold, vibrant colours, resulting in bolder shading with a more scattered appearance.
Magnum Shader Needles
Magnum shaders are designed to shade larger areas of a tattoo. These are similar to flat shaders, except the even numbers are raised as you count across the needle width. This allows a greater ink volume to flow, which is ideal for covering bigger spaces. These needles are perfect for full shading or solid colour fills.
Curved Magnum Shaders
Sometimes called "soft-edge" magnums, these needles are similar to magnum shaders but with a curved configuration that makes them ideal for smooth, soft shading. The curved shape helps distribute the ink evenly, reducing skin trauma and ensuring more delicate shading.
Flat Shader Needles
Flat shader needles are arranged in a straight, flat line and can feature an odd or even number of needles. The smaller sizes are ideal for bold, wider line-work and dark shading. These needles are commonly used for solid outlines in smaller needle widths, black and grey shading, and can achieve the distinctive 'Old School' shading style.
Double Stack Needles (Double Magnum Needles)
Double-stack needles, also known as double-magnum needles, consist of two flat needle groupings stacked on top of each other. This design offers greater ink flow and is ideal for shading and colour-filling large tattoo areas. The needles in a double-stack configuration are positioned closer together compared to a standard magnum, allowing for smoother and more even coverage, especially for solid colour fills and soft shading.
Typically, double-stack needles come in an odd-number configuration, with the broader stack placed at the bottom. For example, a 13 magnum would feature six needles on top of 7 needles, used with a 7-flat tube. This configuration makes double-stack needles ideal for heavier ink flow, allowing the tattooist to cover large sections quickly and efficiently. However, precise control is required to avoid over-saturation, especially when working with delicate areas. Double-stack needles are commonly used for larger designs. Some old-school tattooers use the double-stack for bold power lining.
Big Centre Needle Round Liners (Round Liners BCN)
Big Centre Needle Round Liners are a variation of round liners but are designed with a larger central needle in the middle, surrounded by smaller needles. This configuration allows for thicker lines and more ink flow while keeping the needle formation circular. BCN needles are often used for bold outlines and large-scale designs where you must create heavy black lines without losing precision. They’re beneficial in traditional tattoo styles that demand thick, bold outlines.
Big Centre Needle Round Shaders (Rounds BCN)
Similar to the Big Centre Needle Liners (Round Liners BCN), Big Centre Needle Rounds are round needles with a larger central needle surrounded by smaller needles, but the application differs. Round Shader BCN needles are designed to create thicker, fuller lines and colour fills while maintaining a smooth flow of ink. These needles can handle large line-work or shading areas, making them suitable for bold outlines and colour packing. The larger central needle allows more ink to be deposited onto the skin, making them ideal for traditional, neo-traditional, and tribal tattoo styles. Many tattooists are using BCN rounds for lining work.
Tattoo Needle Codes Explained
Tattoo needle codes help identify the type and configuration of each needle. Here's a breakdown of what each code means:
Round Liner (RL)
- RL - Round Liner: Used for traditional outline and fine lines.
- Example Codes:
- 1203RLL - 3 Liner with size 12 needle with a long taper
- 1003RLL - 3 Liner with a size #10 needle with a long taper
- 0803RL - 3 Liner with a size #08 needle with a long taper
Flat (FL)
- FL - Flat: Used for colouring large areas and for old-school shading.
- Example Codes:
- 1207FLL - 7 Flat with size 12 long taper needles
- 1011FLL - 11 Flat with size #10 long taper needles
- 0813FLL - 13 Flat with size #08 long taper needles
Magnum (MG)
- MG - Magnum: Used for heavy shading and colouring large areas.
- There are three versions: MGL, MG2L, and MG3L.
- MGL - Standard straight magnum shaders
- MG2L - Double-Stack Magnum
- MG3L - Curved Magnum Shader
- Example Codes:
- 1205MGL - 5 needle magnum shader with size 12 long taper needles
- 0811MGL - 11 needle magnum shader with size #08 long taper needles
Round Shader (RS)
- RS - Round Shader: Similar to round liners but for shading.
- Example Code:
- 1209RSL - 9-needle round shader with size 12 long taper needles
Round Liner BCN (Big Centre Needle Round Liners)
- Round Liner BCN: A variation of the round liner with a larger central needle for thicker lines.
Round BCN (Big Centre Needle Round)
- Round BCN: Similar to BCN Liner, but for creating fuller lines, larger fills, and smoother colour packing.
Tattoo Needle Gauges and Diameters
Needles come in different gauges (thickness), affecting the ink flow. Here are some standard gauges:
- Size 000 #8 Gauge (0.25mm): Small and delicate, these needles are perfect for detailing and are sometimes referred to as bug pins. The original bug pin size is 000.
- Size 00 #10 Gauge (0.30mm): This size sits between size 000 and 12. It offers a steady ink flow and works well for various tattoo types. The original bug pin size is 00.
- Size 12 #12 Gauge (0.35mm): The most common gauge for general tattooing, suitable for shading or colouring areas. Original size 12 tattoo needles.
- Size 11 (0.40mm): The largest needle diameter commonly used by tattooists that solder their own needle groupings. Originally used for flat shaders to pack in the colour.
Choosing the Right Tattoo Needle for Your Design
Selecting the right tattoo needle depends on what you aim to achieve with your tattoo. Here’s a quick guide:
- For Lining: Use round liner needles, including Loose Liners and BCN Liners for bold lines. For wide lines, use small-width flats or double stack.
- For Fine Lining: Use Single needle size 12, or bug pin liners #10 (0.30mm) 3L00 and #08 (0.25mm) 3L000. The larger bug pin groupings liners were used for a blacker line compared with an equivalent thickness size 12 liner.
- For Bold Lines: Use larger round liners, 9RL to 24RL. To create wider outlines, use flat or double stack. Big Centre Needle Liners (BCNL) and Big Centre Needle Rounds (BCNR) are perfect for bold, thick outlines without sacrificing precision.
- For Shading: Choose round shader needles, flats, magnum shaders, or double stack. Magnum shaders are great for larger shading areas, while round shaders are better for soft shading and colour fills. Magnums pack the colour in and can do fine gradual shading.
- For Soft Shading: Use curved magnum shaders. These allow you to create smooth gradients and gentle transitions. Bug pins mags can be used for fine grey shading and colour blending.
Conclusion: Tattoo Needles Explained
Choosing the right tattoo needles is a crucial step in mastering the craft of tattooing, but it’s not always straightforward. There’s often some overlap in the capabilities of different needle groupings. Whether you're working on fine line details or shading large areas, understanding the sizes, types, and uses of needles will help you achieve optimal results. Experimenting with various needles allows you to discover which ones suit your technique and the specific tattoos you're creating.
Every tattooist has their preference; some "open up" their needles with a flame to spread them out more by melting the solder. As the solder melts, the needles open up and spread wider apart. This gives more space between the needles, holds more pigment, and provides smoother shading. It can pack the colour in faster and more solid with less damage to the skin.
Some old-timers spread their flat shaders out with a scalpel blade. Again, this would cause less skin trauma and give a more subtle shading effect. Round shaders can create strong, bold outlines and are often used for tribal work in larger diameters.
Double stack needles have been used for power lining for larger tattoo work.
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