Ink wont suck up tube

[steve wills]

Can you tell me why my ink has stopped going up my tube please.I can only a manage a line about 1inch long then its empty. thanks guys :oops:

[tadt]

what size tube and needle grouping are you using? and how far out the tube is the needle? Your not giving us much info to help you out. And are you diping the needle or the whole tube? when im doing the outline i run the needle out about 1/16 of an inch with the machine off and when i need ink i run the machine and dip with the needle letting the needle suck the ink up not letting the tube touch the ink(i run the needle when outlining), when im filling i usually run the needle out the tube less than 1/16 of an inch and dip the tube to fill, i usually run the tube when im filling, havent had any problems getting ink in the tube that way.

[steve wills]

I doing it just the same as explained really puzzling me .i have needle about 16th showing to and still wont bloody work.How long do you dip for ?

[Inkster]

Do you have disposable or steel tubes / tips, are the needle groupings right for your tips for example the needles are too tight in the tip, have you had this problem before or just now, is it on all your tips and needle groups or one certain tip and grouping. Regarding dipping there has been an article about it recently, if you dip then press the footswitch particular if your needles hang out the tip you run a risk of bouncing the needles off the bottom of the pigment cup, you only need to do it once and the needle tips will bend and then not put ink into the skin. Me personally i dip for the first time, press the pedal, release, dip again and away I go. Every time I then dip I can see the capillary action of the tube and needle grouping drawing the ink up the tip into the tip cut out. Try a different tip and grouping. Just an after thought is it on all colours or only since you changed brands of ink, does it happen on outlining ink as that is the thinnest of the thin and should be the easiest.

Just had another thought, do you use pre soldered or do you make yourself.

[tadt]

i dip until i see the ink get sucked up the tube, you might want to try dipping the tube in the cup almost all the way down but make sure the needles dont hit the cup, leave it there for a sec, pull it out of the cup and turn the machine on and see if its getting sucked up the tube, but like inkster says make sure your using the right size tubes for the needle groupings your using. i like a snug fit for my groupings ill use a 5r tube for a 8r needle grouping just means it wont hold as much ink so i have to dip alot. let us know what kind of tubes and size your using along with needle grouping and what ink is giving you problems along with the brand name of the ink.

[steve wills]

Im using presoldered needles it was 3rl in a disposable tube .The needle did bounce off the bottom didnt look bent though i will try again. The machine is only crappy one which i use on grapefruits still puzzling though.

[Papa Gee]

There are a couple of reasons you might be having trouble getting the ink to flow. The first one that comes to mind is that you may have clogged the tip with vaseline. (If you use vaseline on grapefruits) Especially if you're riding the tube. You said that you have 1/16 of the needle sticking out of the tube. Is that with the armature bar pressed down to the coil? Or with the machine sitting normally?

The second would be a tuning issue. Most likely attributed to the stroke length of the armature bar. Try lengthening the stroke just a little.

The third would be a mis-alignment in the tube or a needle head that does not fit the tip properly.

[urmindsi]

Anything can possibly obstruct the flow of your ink...if papertowel somehow gets stuck at the tip of your tube or in your needles...obstruction, if a hair gets caught up in your tube tip or needles...obstruction, if your needles get hooked due to mishandling and u tattoo with them, they will enter the epidermis, possibly ripping skin up into your tube or stuck on your needles...obstruction. Dried ink in the upper areas of your tube tip will cause this. Hope this helped.

[steve wills]

Thanks guys will start investigating

[needlemark]

could be vasaline clogging or not enough stroke