How best to wipe the tattoo?

Newbbb · 1 Feb 2021

I get so much ink everywhere! I done my first stencil the other day and just used water and vaseline but its so messy, iv seen people on youtube just wipe it once.

before the stencil iv done plenty of touch ups which i used green soap/paper towels for wiping which isn't much better.

if i use just a paper towel thats a complete no, il be wiping it for days

gadsden1776 · 1 Feb 2021

practice skin or real skin?

practice skin is notorious for being hard to wipe from what I understand.

When wiping skin I find it best to apply lube very lightly. If I am lining I try to not wipe until I am done & if I do need to wipe I try to just blot or touch the area. Sometimes that doesn't work & I have to wipe. While I'm packing or shading I try to do as much as I can without wiping. The reason I do it this way is that constantly wiping the area can remove the stencil & more so can irritate the skin more.

I have 3 rinse cups. I dilute my green soap by eye in the bottle. before i start i fill 1/2 a cup w/soap solution, another 1/4 way, & another clear distilled water with a little witch hazel added. I mostly blot with a dry towel. I keep the 1/2 full soap one primarily for a wiping solution. just dampening the towel when needed. When it's time to really clean the area between colors or to get a good look... i will dampen a full towel with green soap from the bottle... apply the towel in a single layer over the area so it sticks, apply more green soap & let it set several seconds. I gently wipe that away then clean with distilled water with a few drops of witch hazel added. green soap can irritate & remove stencils... so until my stencil is committed I try to use it as little as possible. I still try to avoid it when possible to keep the skin more calm. witch hazel can keep skin calmer longer.

I'm interested to see how others reply.

DKJ · 2 Feb 2021

Hi,
What worked for me so far:
I use vaseline (haven't tried anything else yet).
I put a very very thin layer, like if it's wet, not greasy. Like the minimum so the skin looks a little bit shiny, but you couldn't tell there's vaseline. It's sufficent for my ink not to darken the client's skin.

I put vaseline just on the part where i'm gonna tattoo. Not much outside.

Then, i don't swipe, i dab.
Meaning, i put my folded paper towel, over the lines i just tattoed, and push to the skin. No wide movement on the sides.
Yhen when i take the towel off, still pushing it to the skin, i turn it over itself by a rotation of the wrist (like with your spoon when eating some icecream from a bucket, do it in the air, you'll see what i mean), then off the skin.
That way, most of the ink is trapped on the towel when i push, then i take the excess left when rotating. The convenience is that you only clean exactly the part meant tobe cleaned, and not anywhere else.

I don't have any other tips.
I try to line in a way which helps me keeping from a soap wash as long as possible (usually from bottom right to upper left).
I often tattoo the most important lines first, the ones i won't be able to guess easily if my stencil goes away.
Even if the place is dirty, i'll keep on without soap wash until i finish those.
After that, i do a soap wash on the whole tattoo, and see how much stencil is left.
The less liquid (vaseline, ink and soap) hits your stencil, the longer it'll stay.
Give yourself a treat and rub the area you're going to tattoo with alcohol (70% minimum), it will make your stencil stay very much longer. Rub it hard, not like a sweet natural yoghourt.

All these ways are for real skin, i don't have any experience with fakeskin.

Peace,

DKJ

Newbbb · 2 Feb 2021

gadsden1776 said:
practice skin or real skin?

practice skin is notorious for being hard to wipe from what I understand.

When wiping skin I find it best to apply lube very lightly. If I am lining I try to not wipe until I am done & if I do need to wipe I try to just blot or touch the area. Sometimes that doesn't work & I have to wipe. While I'm packing or shading I try to do as much as I can without wiping. The reason I do it this way is that constantly wiping the area can remove the stencil & more so can irritate the skin more.

I have 3 rinse cups. I dilute my green soap by eye in the bottle. before i start i fill 1/2 a cup w/soap solution, another 1/4 way, & another clear distilled water with a little witch hazel added. I mostly blot with a dry towel. I keep the 1/2 full soap one primarily for a wiping solution. just dampening the towel when needed. When it's time to really clean the area between colors or to get a good look... i will dampen a full towel with green soap from the bottle... apply the towel in a single layer over the area so it sticks, apply more green soap & let it set several seconds. I gently wipe that away then clean with distilled water with a few drops of witch hazel added. green soap can irritate & remove stencils... so until my stencil is committed I try to use it as little as possible. I still try to avoid it when possible to keep the skin more calm. witch hazel can keep skin calmer longer.

I'm interested to see how others reply.

(Real skin) What you've said at the beginning is like what i do but by doing that for shading i end up loosing where i am on the skin, think its ok if its a large area of just shading and accuracy isent a problem but this has been the most successful inregards to getting the ink in the skin

as for the lining, i also try that but i end up finding out at the end that most of the lines dident go through properly making me having to go over them that can make the lines wonky

TexasPT · 2 Feb 2021

shave with soapy water
alcohol to pull all the oils/ residue off the skin (this is the key)
take your stencil stuff and rub it in..not just surface, but rub that stuff into the skin
apply stencil.
Here is a trick I learned last week...with stencil in place take a wet papter towel and moisten the entire stencil sheet on the skin. Let it dry...then remove the stencil.

when I tattoo I put a thin layer...super thin...of A&D on the skin. I wipe, dry towel, very gentle nearly every line. I don't lose stencils. The lube is a barrier between stencil and wipe and I wipe so gentle that the stencil doesn't go anywhere.

as far as your lines not going in...that's you, not the stencil. If you can't put the needle in the same spot twice you don't need to be on real skin yet. My opinion.

gadsden1776 · 2 Feb 2021

TexasPT said:
Here is a trick I learned last week...with stencil in place take a wet papter towel and moisten the entire stencil sheet on the skin. Let it dry...then remove the stencil.

Just distilled water or you got goodies in it?

you using good ole "Stencil Stuff" or another one of the newer fancy pants ones?

TexasPT · 2 Feb 2021

stencil stuff...love it. I'm neither fancy or pancy...LOL

I use my green soap/water mixture on a paper towel.

MalligaMallan · 3 Feb 2021

TexasPT said:
Here is a trick I learned last week...with stencil in place take a wet papter towel and moisten the entire stencil sheet on the skin. Let it dry...then remove the stencil.

I will try THAT! I've tried moistening the stencil on the skin but never let it dry. But do you really use soap water for it, like you told Gadsden?

TexasPT · 3 Feb 2021

MalligaMallan said:
I will try THAT! I've tried moistening the stencil on the skin but never let it dry. But do you really use soap water for it, like you told Gadsden?

Nah, I just told him that because the American market is pretty saturated with artists and I'm threatened by his learning process. ?

yes, really do. Soap doesn't penetrate the paper. I'm sure you could use regular water but the way I was taught was just using your green soap mixture.

LJones · 3 Sep 2021

How can u make ur own green soap type mix at home

Pzychotixx · 4 Sep 2021

I have trouble too but what helped me was using a bottle of mostly water and a little bit of green soap almost to the point that the water is slightly colored by the soap. This is for when I need to wipe (dab) while lining. I try to get the lining in without having to wipe but if I have to I use this bottle because it takes more wipes to remove the stencil. Then I use another bottle of the green soap mixed like it should be to clean the skin during shading and packing. Though using a lubricant like vasoline , a&d, hustle butter whatever u use thinly makes the excess ink bead up on the skin so it is a bit easier to clean

LJones · 4 Sep 2021

I don't have green soap so I'm wondering if I can make a mixture like the green soap with stuff I have here

MalligaMallan · 4 Sep 2021

LJones said:
I don't have green soap so I'm wondering if I can make a mixture like the green soap with stuff I have here

How do you mean "what I have here "?

MalligaMallan · 4 Sep 2021

Pzychotixx said:
Then I use another bottle of the green soap mixed like it should be to clean the skin during shading and packing.

"Mixed like it should be to clean the skin"? Does everyone use soap water during tattooing? I've always used only water. Shouldn't I do that?

Pzychotixx · 4 Sep 2021

Post in thread 'Green Soap Recipe'
Green Soap Recipe

Pzychotixx · 4 Sep 2021

MalligaMallan o think the ratio is like 10% soap to water I’ll take a picture of my bottles I tend to do it by eye tho lol

KyleBl4ck · 4 Sep 2021

Dab.... Dab.... Wipe.... Dab.... Dab... Wipe.

20% Green soap, 80% water. Minimal vaseline.

Dab... Dab... Wipe... Dab... Dab... Wipe...

Always wipe away from your stencil, not inward or upward but away from it.

Big Pete · 8 Sep 2021

Everyone does it differently......the most important thing is to get a good clear stencil....a well applied stencil should be difficult to wipe off.
During the tattooing procedure I apply a very thin coat of petroleum jelly...i.e Vaseline or similar. I find that the thin layer makes any excess ink sit on top of it and is easily wiped away. I wipe using a paper towel which is wet with my washdown mixture, I have never used Green Soap, I make up a mixture of Dettol, Liquid Detergent and water in a wash/spray bottle. only a light spray on the paper towel is sufficient, I never wipe with a dry towel, that makes for extra pain for the client. I have tried dabbing but I find it doesn't clear away excess ink enough.
I tend to wipe everytime I recharge my needle, not because I have to, I think it's just a habit.

Pzychotixx · 10 Sep 2021

Damn malliga I forgot to take that pic mb man

MalligaMallan · 10 Sep 2021

Pzychotixx said:
Damn malliga I forgot to take that pic mb man

Time for punishment.

KyleBl4ck · 11 Sep 2021

MalligaMallan said:
Time for punishment.

lol my new boss kept threatening to fire me because I forgot to take pictures for 2 months xD

lydtattoo · 14 Sep 2021

Big Pete said:
Everyone does it differently......the most important thing is to get a good clear stencil....a well applied stencil should be difficult to wipe off.
During the tattooing procedure I apply a very thin coat of petroleum jelly...i.e Vaseline or similar. I find that the thin layer makes any excess ink sit on top of it and is easily wiped away. I wipe using a paper towel which is wet with my washdown mixture, I have never used Green Soap, I make up a mixture of Dettol, Liquid Detergent and water in a wash/spray bottle. only a light spray on the paper towel is sufficient, I never wipe with a dry towel, that makes for extra pain for the client. I have tried dabbing but I find it doesn't clear away excess ink enough.
I tend to wipe everytime I recharge my needle, not because I have to, I think it's just a habit.

What's your ratio for dettol, detergent and water? I've been using two seperate bottles for dettol and soap water maybe i should just combine the two

Big Pete · 14 Sep 2021

lydtattoo said:
What's your ratio for dettol, detergent and water? I've been using two seperate bottles for dettol and soap water maybe i should just combine the two

I just do it by eye, in a 500ml wash/spray bottle I add about 2cms of dettol, then fill the bottle with distilled water and then squirt a little detergent in, if just using dettol and water, the mix will become milky, the detergent will make it clear, I use dishwashing liquid, and prefer a green one because it makes the mix green. I use this mix to wipe down the tattoo during the tattoo as the dettol is an antiseptic and the detergent is a soap. I read this recipe on another forum I was on years ago.

NewlineTa2 · 22 Sep 2021

I typically use just water also Malan. I have green soap and will use if necessary but I typically don't have to except when I need to clean up.

MeatMadMick · 29 Sep 2021

Pzychotixx said:
Post in thread 'Green Soap Recipe'
Green Soap Recipe

Most green soap that people get is "green soap tincture". It's a concentrate, and the manufacturer instructions say to mix dilute with distilled water at a 1:8 ratio. in 20 years I've never seen a different ratio from a manufacturer, and I can't recall ever actually seeing green soap sold in any form other than the tincture.

Just thought I'd throw in my $0.02

Ashvir · 29 Oct 2021

DKJ said:
Hi,
What worked for me so far:
I use vaseline (haven't tried anything else yet).
I put a very very thin layer, like if it's wet, not greasy. Like the minimum so the skin looks a little bit shiny, but you couldn't tell there's vaseline. It's sufficent for my ink not to darken the client's skin.

I put vaseline just on the part where i'm gonna tattoo. Not much outside.

Then, i don't swipe, i dab.
Meaning, i put my folded paper towel, over the lines i just tattoed, and push to the skin. No wide movement on the sides.
Yhen when i take the towel off, still pushing it to the skin, i turn it over itself by a rotation of the wrist (like with your spoon when eating some icecream from a bucket, do it in the air, you'll see what i mean), then off the skin.
That way, most of the ink is trapped on the towel when i push, then i take the excess left when rotating. The convenience is that you only clean exactly the part meant tobe cleaned, and not anywhere else.

I don't have any other tips.
I try to line in a way which helps me keeping from a soap wash as long as possible (usually from bottom right to upper left).
I often tattoo the most important lines first, the ones i won't be able to guess easily if my stencil goes away.
Even if the place is dirty, i'll keep on without soap wash until i finish those.
After that, i do a soap wash on the whole tattoo, and see how much stencil is left.
The less liquid (vaseline, ink and soap) hits your stencil, the longer it'll stay.
Give yourself a treat and rub the area you're going to tattoo with alcohol (70% minimum), it will make your stencil stay very much longer. Rub it hard, not like a sweet natural yoghourt.

All these ways are for real skin, i don't have any experience with fakeskin.

Peace,

DKJ

Great

Patch72 · 31 Oct 2021

Surly you got to find out why your getting so much excessive ink over the stencil?
If you have had this problem from fake to real skin then you should have sorted it out before.
Do you lose the stencil at any point of tattooing?

How best to wipe the tattoo?

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