what is the difference between magnums and round needles?

Question

i use 5 and 8 round shader needles when i tattoo, i have no problems at all, even when its healed, i just take my time..which i have plenty of, i tired 9 flats and it didn't work as good, with flats you can only go in specific directions w/out damaging the skin right?

Answer 1

8 round is good for small pieces, but for large areas of solid color or large shading and delicate gradients, they're too small and take way too long.
A 7 magnum is a very versatile needle. It's small enough to get relatively tight places, but covers more ground thoroughly than a round needle can. I've seen up to 15 needle mags for some huge solid pieces...that takes a hefty machine to drive.

Round needles are self explanatory...they're assembled in a round group. Magnums are similar to flats but the tips of the needles are staggered....here's what I mean:
Flat
oooooo

Magum
.o o o
o o o o

Where it makes a difference is that you can go in circles, or like brush strokes, or even sideways, depending on the desired effect, and not cut the skin like a flat can. Also, as you can see, they cover a broader area so that they fill more efficiently with less skin trauma (think spray bottles...spray versus stream) and can achieve softer gradients with graywasy and shading because of the neeedle arrangement.

I'm guessing you buy pre-made needles and don't make your own. That's one of the benefits I got from apprenticeship was making all the artists' needles. Gawd is it tedious, but it really gives you a perspective on what you're using, why, and the differences of each artist and their style by how they like their needles. There's an art to making a nice tight 3 needle liner. I will concede that it's nice to have pre-made needles as cheap as they are these days. I've gotten a little lazy in my old age :)

Answer 2

Round Shader Needles

Answer 3

Are you happy with how your coloring looks when you use rounds? Some artists work quite successfully with them. Others have trouble with them, since the needles at the core of the group always have to pass over areas that the needles around the outside of the group have already passed over. Because of this, it can be difficult to achieve solid fields or smooth gradations with a large round. Flats have their drawbacks too, since the needles are laid out in a straight line, almost like a little razor blade. It can be easy to accidentally leave all kinds of choppy little corner marks in an area that's supposed to look smooth. It's also hard to pack in solid black or color with a flat, since the layer of needles is so thin. I have come to prefer magnums for shading and coloring, since they seem to create a good compromise between rounds and flats. They have the added advantage of having their needles spaced further apart than a round or a flat, which makes it easier to control the layering of color, allowing multiple passes without trauma. I am referring to a spread mag, basically a seven flat with a razor woven between the points before drawing the solder up, as opposed to a stacked mag, essentially a five flat and a four flat stacked on top of each other. Because a stacked mag is more densely packed, it's easier to cause damage with it. Using a spread mag, we want to work in overlapping ovals, overlapping forward brush motions and any other motion we want. Overlapping is an important part. A magnum is a versatile tool that can be used for almost any kind of job, including making fat lines, as you mentioned. The chewing you experienced in those early tattoos may have had to do with the fact that you had so little experience at that time. Maybe the spring tension was way too high and the power cranked to maximum. I would recommend giving them another try.

Answer 4

Are you looking for more ammo for a gun you currently own? Basically these two rounds are for different weapons. For example if you have a. 22 pistol you definitely need to shoot .22 LR ammo. Like I said, a .22 Mag is a different gun in all. If you are looking to buy, then I would go with the. 22 LR. It has plenty of powder for anything that you would be able to kill with the Magnum. Plus the ammo is usually much cheaper. Hope this answered your question?

Answer 5

No that is not true. the mag needles are great for larger pieces, they take some time getting used to them, but they work great to fill in large tribal pieces and to do shading they are the best. Just keep practicing.

Answer 6

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magnum is pretty much a long .22lr, its a hair thicker too and just packs a bigger punch, .22lr is WAAAAAYYY cheaper than anything to shoot.