Making Needles…some tips

There are a few items that will be required to make tattoo needles
and quality does matter when it comes to these materials.
The first item required is the needle bar. Stainless steel is the
preferred needle bar. Needle bars come in multiple styles as
well. The next item that is required is flux. The preferred flux to
use is liquid electronic soldering flux. Paste flux will work, but it
is more difficult to manipulate than the liquid kind. The next item
that is required is a silver based solder, usually sold in different
gages on a spool. Needles are also needed. Needles that
are used for tattooing are typically sold in what is called loose
needle packs. “Bug Pin” needles can also be used. These packs
can come in different gages as well and different tapers on the
ends. A needle jig is also required for round configurations,
made of ceramic or Teflon coated metal. The jigs resemble
drill-bit gages with different numbers of variable holes tapped
in them. It is also recommended to have a straight razor blade,
and a mirror for your work surface. The final piece of required
equipment is the soldering iron. There are many types of soldering
irons. I prefer the butane type with a small tip to the electric
with a cord. This will allow the artist to work anywhere, and not
have to be concerned with the cable from the iron. The iron will
typically have a sponge and water to clean its tip off.