Provided you have been keeping up with the previous articles, as I know a lot of you have, the chain of discussions started at the electrical outlet on the wall and moved though the machine, to our previous stop at NEEDLES, NIPPLES, AND STEEL.

Though I'm from the old school, my eyes and ears and brain are always open to new and plausible ideas, and believe you me I've tried most, in the (real tattoo world). For example: A lot of tattooers today use nipples or grommets. With the grommets, as it may seem to be the answer to be all answers accomplishing two things, first too achieve a nice snug fit to the armature bar, the other to give a soft shock absorber at the point of contact to the needle bar.

Throughout the day of continuous tattooing, the grommets sponginess fades unnoticed, and the accuracy of skin penetrations becomes less adequate, to a degree. Also understand that polyurethane and rubber are materials that not only shrink in the sterilization procedures, but also it gets harder with each pass through the heat. "Yeah, Yeah", you can just change it out for a new one, but, WHEN? The nipple is by far the easier shock absorber to use, and never goes in to the heat. Not every needle bar loop is exactly like the last one, or the one that follows. Each may require a little lube to force it on, or a piece of tissue paper or what ever to take up the slack. Years ago tattoo artist used a variety of shocks, such as chamois cloth cut into small squares, wet with water and placed on the armature bar and left over a night to dry. Another choice was model airplane gas hose, but still the most accurate solution may just be the ol' cloth tape method, i.e. adhesive or cloth type duct tape. Admittedly these tapes aren't as clean or kool looking as the grommet and nipple, yet use what works best for you. If you have never tried these tapes give it try just for "shits and giggles."

Moving downward, the needle bar itself, usually stainless steel, (which in and of itself is somewhat of a broad term) meaning, there are many different grades and hardness and there's a trade off. The harder materials are stiffer and the result is a more uniform strike at the skin with the needle. The trade off often is the softer needle bar that allows better heat distribution, and in return allows a much smoother weld of needles to the bar. Also with larger multiple needle configurations, surface tension/ skin resistance, could cause needle bar bowing, resulting in a less than full load of pigment to the desired depth.

Just a little tip here for of you who may not know: Always use Cadmium/lead free solder when building needles. On that note, in the same prospective when soldering electrical connections use rosin filled solder as not to cause the splash of liquid flux on the other parts of your machine frame. It will pit the finish.

I've notice over the last few years today's tattoo artists using a variety of stainless steel needles, most being of the extra long taper type. Also with a very high polish finish. While I can find no problems with this type of needle for lining, for the life of me I can't digest the logic when using these slicks for color. Then again, most of the work I see being done today the color is just "BALLS ON". I've got to ask; will this color last and for how long? The old guys that I've asked, most seem to agree with the idea, that a reground bullet nose carbon needle, (with all the hard scores and grid marks) tend to grab on to the mini-granules and feed a more pigment filled medium into the hole. It makes sense to me. Whadda ya think?