Help me please

Can someone please help me I just started tattooing I know how to line but I’m having trouble colour packing for some reason doesn’t matter what I do u can alway see lines. I don’t know of it’s the fake skin I’m using or what but It’s not looking right I’ve tried slow little circles and little lines but it’s just not working I’m trying to use a 9rl

Use a mag, slow your machine to around 90hz, work off the tips and overlap as you mover forward. (Circles or shovel (back and forth))…take your time. Colour packing is a lot harder than people imagine, there are plenty of pro tattooers that won’t touch it.

RL are completely inappropriate for colour packing, and RS are aggressive on the skin and probably should be reserved for more experienced tattooers.

Really watch the state of your fake skin, if it starts ‘roughing up’ imagine what that would do to skin. Sadly fake skin will not give relevant signs for learning as you’ll get on real skin…in this way it’s one of the weaker aspects of learning on fake. Do invest in ‘reelskin’ if you’re relying on fake skin to learn how to tattoo properly…it can take you so far.

If and when you do get to real skin, it’s super important to see your healed work. Colour can look great on the day of application but heal patchy or dull, or both.

I’ve tried using a 7m but that was even worse. It’s not a big tattoo that I’m trying to do it’s just a Metallica M on the hand so it’s quite small what size needle would u recommend?

7m is pretty small. My rule on mags is the biggest you can use without compromising accuracy. I find I use from 9cm - 23cm, though 17cm is probably my most common (certainly the ones I re-order the most).

Maybe post some of images of where you’re at, its much easier to diagnose issues that way.

What’s your voltage? What machine are you using?
9RL should still pack pretty well… well mine does

Any needle will pack colour, but all needles are made for a purpose....9rl...that is 9 Round Liner....the key word being liner.
To get good saturation of ink I would recommend using a mag.

Hi,
There are multiple options when it comes to packing.
Some say you can pack at a low speed to avoid too much damage, some say you can keep an upped speed to pack more ink quickly.
Both techniques work, to me it's the motion and the patience which worked.

Try to do little areas, one at a time, instead of doing big ones in a row.
That way you'll see quick enough if you're really packing or not.
If not, you won't have to go back on big surface, which will damage too much skin.

Avoid everything which is not a magnum for the moment.

Try different angles, and different motions.
I try to pack with a first pass clockwise motion, then counterclockwise, from left to right then right to left, that way i know some ink has been inserted in multiple ways.

All this advice coming from someone who's actually having difficulties after 30+ tattoos tonpack Black! It's going to be ok, be patient

Peace,

DKJ

DKJ said:

Hi,
There are multiple options when it comes to packing.
Some say you can pack at a low speed to avoid too much damage, some say you can keep an upped speed to pack more ink quickly.
Both techniques work, to me it's the motion and the patience which worked.

Try to do little areas, one at a time, instead of doing big ones in a row.
That way you'll see quick enough if you're really packing or not.
If not, you won't have to go back on big surface, which will damage too much skin.

Avoid everything which is not a magnum for the moment.

Try different angles, and different motions.
I try to pack with a first pass clockwise motion, then counterclockwise, from left to right then right to left, that way i know some ink has been inserted in multiple ways.

All this advice coming from someone who's actually having difficulties after 30+ tattoos tonpack Black! It's going to be ok, be patient

Peace,

DKJ

Click to expand...

I’m a massive advocate of lower packing speeds (90-95Hz) after spending more than a year packing at higher speeds with pen machines, where in fact shorter stroke lengths meant (at least I believed) I had to up the Hz to move at a reasonable speed across the skin. Colour went in quick but almost always healed flat and dull, as the slightly increased bleed in application, and pigment being pulled out on healing, undid what I thought was good work.

Science alert: If you think about coil machines for a second, the higher wrap coils (most packers are 10 wrap, liners are generally 8) mean the force of the needle coming down is greater (like a bigger stroke length on any given motor), the 10 wrap coils also disipates the magnetic charge more slowly, and with a larger air gap and more flexible front spring, the speed of the machine is drastically reduced. Liners have a smaller air gap, lower wrap coils and a rigid and shorter front spring (softer back spring), which all contribute to a faster speed. With coils (pre rotary popularisation) no one ever ran their packer anywhere near as fast as their liner.

I knew all this before transitioning to rotaries and I kind of ignored it, choosing instead to take advise from more ‘experienced’ rotary users. Apart from with my Stigma hyper 3, a machine with a good give system (like a coil machine), my colour work went backwards.

For your own work DKJ, I’ve found you can up the Hz to around 100-105 for black work, as the viscosity of the ink is lower, BUT like you say, technique is key. I also work in 2 directions (2 passes) but I pretty much cross hatch with overlapping diagonals. I don’t worry that I can still see flesh poking through on the first pass, in fact a little bit means I haven’t gone too hard for a second pass. Funny thing is, the more my technique has improved, I’ve actually started using a 3.5mm stroke again and getting good results.

I put this short video up on measuring the Hz on any tattoo machine with a cheap phone guitar tuner app
I did this tattoo on the weekend (inner biceps) and double passed (or blended) all colour areas. This is literally minutes after completion and there is very little redness around it.

IW Tattoos said:

What’s your voltage? What machine are you using?
9RL should still pack pretty well… well mine does

Click to expand...

I’ve got a dragonhawk and I’ve been trying all voltages

DKJ said:

Hi,
There are multiple options when it comes to packing.
Some say you can pack at a low speed to avoid too much damage, some say you can keep an upped speed to pack more ink quickly.
Both techniques work, to me it's the motion and the patience which worked.

Try to do little areas, one at a time, instead of doing big ones in a row.
That way you'll see quick enough if you're really packing or not.
If not, you won't have to go back on big surface, which will damage too much skin.

Avoid everything which is not a magnum for the moment.

Try different angles, and different motions.
I try to pack with a first pass clockwise motion, then counterclockwise, from left to right then right to left, that way i know some ink has been inserted in multiple ways.

All this advice coming from someone who's actually having difficulties after 30+ tattoos tonpack Black! It's going to be ok, be patient

Peace,

DKJ

Click to expand...

Could it be the fake tattoo skin I’m using because I’ve done everything I’ve even tried mags I just can’t do it haha

Raquel said:

I’ve got a dragonhawk and I’ve been trying all voltages

Click to expand...

Work out your Hz (cycles per second) and go from there. Voltages mean very little from machine to machine. For example, I have 2 bishops and I get the same hz with the machines 2v apart.

I’ve done a tattoo on myself today and tried to colour pack it so I’ll see how it turns out and if I lose my arm I’m sure I’ll be back

Just jokes