Hey. I've got the ReproFX Spirit Classic for my stencils and some Electrum gel.. I've had this problem for some time now. My stencils wipes off when I'm working. Both on my skin, the clients skin and on fake skin. Even on fruit. So obviesly I'm doing something wrong? I've tried to let it dry for about 10-15 minutes. Adding less gel, but for some reason the stencil wont stay on the skin, when I'm wiping away ink. Any advice?
Stencil wipes off easily
- Starter CasperEGL
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Hi , do not use green soap mix on your tissue to clean skin until you don't need that stencil any more , use a dab of water on the corner of tissue if necessary and wipe away from stencil very carefully , even better again use a dry tissue and just dab ink off as you go along ...
- Starter
- #4
Thank you! Another problem I have is, that the ink "falls out" when I'm tattooing - making it difficult to see what I'm doing. (I might make another thread for this subject, but if you have a tip for what to do, It would be cool!)
Do you use cartridges or traditional needles
,shave skin ,wipe with alcohol,let dry apply thin layer of Electrum,let dry ,apply some more Electrum thin layer ,let it tack off ,apply stencil , then blot stencil with paper towel to remove excess carbon ,this will dry a lot quicker ,leave for 10-15 mins to dry ,and as mentioned don’t use green soap to wipe just distilled water
- Starter
- #7
Traditional needles. And killer ink diamond tubes..
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If you are using tincture of green soap then that could be your problem, also dab, dont wipe your lines
Stencils are a bitch.
Ooo I might have to try anchored ????
You must be doing something wrong if you can’t get Electrum to work
I use electrum and hulk, both work well if you prepare the skin properly, have enough carbon transferred to the paper, allow to dry for long enough, be aware of things containing alcohol you will be using during the process which will wipe the stencil away, aware of tattooists balm which again can wipe the stencil away, dabbing and not wiping and you shouldn't have a problem ?
It's all in the skin prep, as already mentioned, you need to clean the skin properly, use rubbing alcohol to get all the oils off, apply the stencil with whatever solution, then once on, let it dry while you setup your station...i've used all sorts of stencil solutions, even just plain water based lubricant and never had issues with the stencil coming off early, dab the ink and don't use too much vaseline and avoid any water (or GS) until you've finished your outline
My shop today also recommended Anchored over Stencil Stuff.
I didn’t get to use it but their stencils seemed to be on solid and they raved about it!
As regards to the ink falling out ,do you touch the tip on the surface of the skin as this will make the ink come out ,also do you bend the needle bar and use rubber bands ?
- Starter
- #21
I've tried different things. Nothing seem to work consistently. It's like I've got too much ink when I'm starting a line, and then after a little time, there is a sweet spot where I can make lines without any ink falling out.
I suspect stencil stuff, anchor, electrum, hulk, dettol, deo stick, plain water based lubricant, pretty much anything.....works. We should stop being so obsessed about finding the holy grale, is it the machine, or the needles or the stencil solutions.....
Last year's I heard no one saying stencil was worth even mentioning, hulk and anchor is da shit.......then I got tattooed by I L D O 일 도 (@ildo_tattoo) • Instagram photos and videos and what did he use, if not Stencil Stuff?! And it worked perfectly!
His equipment was so basic. Partly due to him travelling and not wanting to carry too heavy luggage. But I think partly also due to a habit not focusing so much on his equipment.
I'm not sure about this, but I'm thinking it may have to do with the circumstances of tattooing in a country (South Korea) where tattooing is forbidden.
All he had on his set up was a cup of Dynamic ink, some coconut oil, and two needles; a 7rl and a 11rl. Not even water. And as said, stencil stuff for stencil. Nothing else. And it worked PERFECT!
WE MUST FOCUS ON OUR WORK, NOT OUR EQUIPMENT!
❤???
Last year's I heard no one saying stencil was worth even mentioning, hulk and anchor is da shit.......then I got tattooed by I L D O 일 도 (@ildo_tattoo) • Instagram photos and videos and what did he use, if not Stencil Stuff?! And it worked perfectly!
His equipment was so basic. Partly due to him travelling and not wanting to carry too heavy luggage. But I think partly also due to a habit not focusing so much on his equipment.
I'm not sure about this, but I'm thinking it may have to do with the circumstances of tattooing in a country (South Korea) where tattooing is forbidden.
All he had on his set up was a cup of Dynamic ink, some coconut oil, and two needles; a 7rl and a 11rl. Not even water. And as said, stencil stuff for stencil. Nothing else. And it worked PERFECT!
WE MUST FOCUS ON OUR WORK, NOT OUR EQUIPMENT!
❤???
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Well said, practice, practice, practice ??
Possibly over filling the tip with ink ,try to adjust how much you draw up to see if it makes a difference
If it is purely too much ink pooling when you touch the skin then ...
1) make sure the tip/tube is the right size for the needle ( if using diamond VT tubes you go down a size)
2) bend the needle bar very slightly to keep the needle at the back of the tube
3) use 2 proper fitting elastic bands
4) once you dip in the ink cap, before you touch skin just dab a paper towel against the tip to remove the excess
One of the above will definitely work, i went through exactly the same with our trainee recently ?
1) make sure the tip/tube is the right size for the needle ( if using diamond VT tubes you go down a size)
2) bend the needle bar very slightly to keep the needle at the back of the tube
3) use 2 proper fitting elastic bands
4) once you dip in the ink cap, before you touch skin just dab a paper towel against the tip to remove the excess
One of the above will definitely work, i went through exactly the same with our trainee recently ?
I agree with Malin....There isn't a magic solution out there. It's about knowing how to use what you have and making it work. I use Stencil Stuff every day and most times the stencil is still there after i've finished with the tattoo. As with any stencil solution, skin prep is "key". If you do not get the lotions, oils, or soaps off the skin they will act as a barrier and no matter what the stencil is going to wipe away.
The method I use is I saturate the area with green soap, shave it, wipe the area with a dry paper towel (kitchen roll) then I saturate a paper towel with alcohol and clean the area. The important part that i've found helps.... I run my gloved finger across the skin and if i don't feel dragging or resistence, I clean again with more alcohol..(you want the skin to be free of any oils, lotions, etc.) when i feel the skin is completely dried, I put on a small amount of Stencil Stuff. Just enough to cover the area. To much is bad. I rub that in and once i feel it get tacky my stencil goes on and i leave the stencil there for a good 30-40 seconds sometimes up to 1 minute while presseing the stencil on making sure all parts are touching the skin. remove stencil and at that point I set up my machines, lay out my inks. Basically finalize my setup, which usually takes 15-20 minutes. At that point 98% of the time that stencil is dry and it isn't going anywhere......
The method I use is I saturate the area with green soap, shave it, wipe the area with a dry paper towel (kitchen roll) then I saturate a paper towel with alcohol and clean the area. The important part that i've found helps.... I run my gloved finger across the skin and if i don't feel dragging or resistence, I clean again with more alcohol..(you want the skin to be free of any oils, lotions, etc.) when i feel the skin is completely dried, I put on a small amount of Stencil Stuff. Just enough to cover the area. To much is bad. I rub that in and once i feel it get tacky my stencil goes on and i leave the stencil there for a good 30-40 seconds sometimes up to 1 minute while presseing the stencil on making sure all parts are touching the skin. remove stencil and at that point I set up my machines, lay out my inks. Basically finalize my setup, which usually takes 15-20 minutes. At that point 98% of the time that stencil is dry and it isn't going anywhere......
Good tip about running your gloved finger across the skin Tom ?? That is something I have never done. I have always had problems with my stencil coming off (absolutely no matter what solution, and I've tried dettol, stencil stuff, electrum and hulk).
yea sometimes just spraying alcohol and wiping isn't sufficient enough to get any oils, lotions, etc off the skin. I see a lot of artist just doing a quick wipe with the alcohol thinking its good enough and then complaining that the stencil is wiping away...
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