Can't get single pass lines - second pass working every time

Hey tattoo-fans,

been following the YouTube channel for some time. Love it - thanks and keep up the good work.

One thing I always stumble over: I can't seem to get single pass lines in the skin. It seems like the skin need to be kind of prepared with the first pass and then takes the ink much better on the second pass. Nothing to major problematic about that - but I think I would be much more efficient and less traumatic to the skin, if I can get the ink in on the first pass. Any ideas, what to change?

I'm using a Bishop Wand Liner and Emalla 11RL-10 Cartridges. Maybe I should try out 12/0,35 mm for better ink flow?

Any idea is appreciated!

Cheers from Berlin!

Just wondering why you would choose #10 needles at that kind of size, a 9rl #12 would give round about the same line weight.

Lining problems are mostly down to inadequate or inefficient stretching, can be other things but aim to sort your stretch first. Rremember to stretch along the line (same direction) rather than across the line. You should be aiming for around 115-125 Hz for this size needle, which on your machine is 8-8.5V. Start at 8 and see if you need more, increasing your hand speed as you increase machine speed.

My own improvement in lining came when I slowed my hand speed down a little, keeping the needle tips high in the skin and allowing pigment to saturate the area. This should happen without putting much (if any) pressure on your machine, and the Bishop liner should drop ink in really easily without pressure. I have the packer…same motor but shorter stroke.

It can help if you tilt your machine slightly into (or along) the line…but not either side of the line as this will push ink out to the sides. Pulling towards or away from you, you can get better penetration with this simple technique and you reduce the risk of blowouts as the needle enters at a slight angle angle (stress again: tilt in the same direction of the line and not to the side of it).

I personally hook my first finger under the grip and against the cart to almost create a depth gauge that makes it easier (IMO) to control depth consistency, with enough flexibility to slightly increase or decrease depth as you pull the line.

While you might get away with double lining, there are some risks attached, especially with bugpin needles. Firstly you cn effectively miss the exact path of the first line, leading to what will look like variable line weights, which might tempt you to triple or quadruple line to smooth things out. The second risk, which is related, is that the more times you hit a line (assuming you are accurate), the more chance you have or cutting the skin, easier done with bugpin and/or long taper needles. You might not see it on the day, but these slices can easily scar and leave raised sections on the healed tattoo. I personally believe that bugpin (#10 #8) needles are specialist tools, and if you don’t know exactly why you're using them instead of #12 needles, then best to leave them alone.

I think power liners (#14 needles) are a great way to develop lining skills as they reduce the risk of blowouts while you’re perfecting your depth/speed techniques. RS can achieve the same but I feel these slow you down too much that it doesn’t really help when you go back to standard RLs.

Bottom line is that if you want to achieve crisp single pass lines you need to practise and then practise some more. while you can apply certain principles and techniques I think there is no known short cut on this one.

Thank you so much for your extensive answer! I will keep all your tips in mind for sure - and keep practicing Thanks again and kind regards from Berlin!

Sometimes I think it may be more of a confidence thing, worried about going too deep or worried about going off the stencil...is it a problem with all of the lining or just when you're starting off?

Big Pete said:

Sometimes I think it may be more of a confidence thing, worried about going too deep or worried about going off the stencil...is it a problem with all of the lining or just when you're starting off?

Click to expand...

That might be part of it. I think it's a combination of all the stated things. Trying to keep an eye out on the confidence! Thanks!

Thanks again for the help. I incorporated pretty much all the tips in my last session and had much better results Getting there! Cheers from Berlin!