distilled water a necessity?

[Alucard]

Hello everyone, sorry for asking such a dumb question. Can anyone tell me exactly why distilled water must be used instead of......maybe bottled water when mixing grey wash?:???:

[manicmike]

you might want to do a search. they just covered this pretty well.

[kellyink]

checkthe archives this topic has been discussed before

[Alvin]

Unless someone can prove to me otherwise it's a myth in my opinion.

The only thing that I would say is that if you will drink tap water then you can use it.

This is the same water that you run a burn under or a cut. It's the same water that MOST people will use to wash out the needles between colours (in an ultrasonic or under the tap).

Don't be under the impression that distilled water or bottled water is sterilised either.

With that said, I still use distilled water to dilute as my tap water tastes crap!!

So that's my point on it. I'm sure others will give you their take.

[Alucard]

I've actually searched the forum and the web for info on this question to no avail. Thanks to all the replies, and you've made some good points Alvin:) , however i am more concerned about the ink pigments being less succeptable to mixing with non-distilled water(has a flash back to chemistry class:p ).

[Angels Ink]

I thought distilled water was the process that took all of the harsh minerals and such out of the tap water?

[manicmike]

I've actually searched the forum and the web for info on this question to no avail. Thanks to all the replies, and you've made some good points Alvin:) , however i am more concerned about the ink pigments being less succeptable to mixing with non-distilled water(has a flash back to chemistry class:p ).

do a search (top blue bar) on distilled water. read the post about green soap and distilled water. it' about the fourth one down. it talks about a lot more than green soap. if you can't find an answer in the archives, you probably didn't look very hard. let's give these guys a break, there is too much good info already on here to have them repeat it. i am new here also, and i don't mean to sound rude.

peace, mike

[jjbbuzz]

do a search (top blue bar) on distilled water. read the post about green soap and distilled water. it' about the fourth one down. it talks about a lot more than green soap. if you can't find an answer in the archives, you probably didn't look very hard. let's give these guys a break, there is too much good info already on here to have them repeat it. i am new here also, and i don't mean to sound rude.

peace, mike well said.... read on folks...!:rolleyes:

[twistofcane2000]

well i just gonna give my opinion here take it as you will. well think about where youre tap water comes from? basically youre toilet, processed, filtered, yes by youre local water company, now everyday millions of people's bodies are filtering everything they take in. medications drugs etc. now all this is being reintroduced into the water system on a daily basis, ppm i know but, is youre grandaddys viagra ? compatible with the estrogen shots youre sister might be takent too? especially after i shoot that into youre skin? o yeah and the wash cup i dumped into the toilet from the previouse client. youre local water systems clean and process drinking water to a "acceptable" level for human consumption, then you send that through forty or more year old piping system, have you ever opened a old water line and seen the build up of crap in the pipe? or the crap you got into the faucet from cleaning youre tubes or dishes, well any ways i use distilled water for anything that involves tattooing cutting, mixing , keeps the corrosion down too due to lack of minerals, not great for drinking, but a safer cleaner option for me when tattooing. anyways food for thought.

[Alucard]

Well said twistofcane2000. That's basically what i was wondering, if the minerals in non-distilled water (bottled water) would affect the molecular formula of the ink itself in a negative way, thus causing premature fading of a tattoo. Not how or which liquid to mix into the ink. :)

[Slider]

one should mix ink with whatever thinning agent the manufacturer used to thin the ink...if the bottle says distilled, alcohol or witch hazel use the one it says. With that being said 'one should not be concerned with any breakdown of molecular properties of an ink if you follow the guidelines above and use the proper agent to thin quality inks'
btw as a side note, my tap water is not recycled from all of the above named sources and i can bet neither is anyone elses. All one needs to do is go visit a water treatement plant instead of speculating information as fact.

[twistofcane2000]

lol hence the term "WATER TREATMENT PLANT" mmm, most might not be on a direct water reclamation system but many major communities do combine fresh water and reclaimed waste water to conserve resources, but also sewer waste and everything else, landfills come to mind, is eventually seeps through the ground to the water table which in turn is processed by youre local "water treatment plant", sent right back down the pipe or "tube" in our case lol, water contamination is a fact. do some resaerch on it. But might point being $.99 for a gallon of distilled water is not even a feasble amount of money to have a reason to not use it. but hey we could all use piss too its 100% sterile, but why?

[Slider]

Even though we could argue about this shit and yer claims of flush, filter and drink...which is NOT the way water reclamation/treatment works at all..we wont. For one thing its not important because distilled is cheap and if you have any concerns about water, use it.

[Angels Ink]

one should mix ink with whatever thinning agent the manufacturer used to thin the ink...if the bottle says distilled, alcohol or witch hazel use the one it says.

Now that makes total sense to me, and is how I've always diluted anything actually.

[L_Pease]

one should mix ink with whatever thinning agent the manufacturer used to thin the ink...if the bottle says distilled, alcohol or witch hazel use the one it says. With that being said 'one should not be concerned with any breakdown of molecular properties of an ink if you follow the guidelines above and use the proper agent to thin quality inks'
btw as a side note, my tap water is not recycled from all of the above named sources and i can bet neither is anyone elses. All one needs to do is go visit a water treatement plant instead of speculating information as fact.I'm gonna' have to disagree with the first part of this post. I'm not saying your wrong, but the point in diluting the black with regards to shading is to reduce the amount of pigmentation per unit of total liquid. Whether you use tap water, bottled water, distilled water, witch hazel, or alcohol, your body is going to absorb and process the liquid portion leaving behind the colored portion of the ink. It's not like painting where reducers must be compatible with the chemical make up of the paint. Your skin isn't going to "blister", "wrinkle", or "lift" because your ink was cut with the wrong liquid. Hell, you could cut your black with beer if you wanted to.

[Slider]

I'm gonna' have to disagree with the first part of this post. I'm not saying your wrong, but the point in diluting the black with regards to shading is to reduce the amount of pigmentation per unit of total liquid. Whether you use tap water, bottled water, distilled water, witch hazel, or alcohol, your body is going to absorb and process the liquid portion leaving behind the colored portion of the ink. It's not like painting where reducers must be compatible with the chemical make up of the paint. Your skin isn't going to "blister", "wrinkle", or "lift" because your ink was cut with the wrong liquid. Hell, you could cut your black with beer if you wanted to.

Huh? its about what you SHOULD use not what you could use. I guess im missing your disagreement cause your just adding to my previous statement points i never made or would make...because something would thin doesnt mean im gonna tell anyone they can thin with it...use the right liquids and dont worry about what could work in their place. You have to remember your post are read by new people and artist who just might try to use beer to thin them inks if they run out of proper agents becasue l.pease said it was okay and wouldnt hurt em...

[L_Pease]

Exactly, there's so much mis-information out there (and here) that new people need to know the possibilities. I was making a point by saying you could mix it with beer. The point is (I'm guessing you missed it) that the liquid is absorbed into your body and it does not affect the look of the tattoo regardless of what you use to thin it be it tap,distilled, bottled water, or alcohol or witch hazel. They only serve to lessen the amount of actual black pigment that get's loaded into the tip of the tube when you dip into the cap. Tuchnique matters more than dilution so work on technique first.

[lowshovel1]

Exactly, there's so much mis-information out there (and here) that new people need to know the possibilities. I was making a point by saying you could mix it with beer. The point is (I'm guessing you missed it) that the liquid is absorbed into your body and it does not affect the look of the tattoo regardless of what you use to thin it be it tap,distilled, bottled water, or alcohol or witch hazel. They only serve to lessen the amount of actual black pigment that get's loaded into the tip of the tube when you dip into the cap. Tuchnique matters more than dilution so work on technique first.

I absolutely agree with the last sentence in the above post, the artist I apprenticed under could take straight black lineing ink and get 4 or 5 shades of grey without dilluteing it with any thing.

[Slider]

I can agree with that...I, myself would rather have the shades numbered and pre mixed, pre tested and ready to go. Eventually I may be able to eye the shade by the dip but until then I pre-thin in seperate bottles...for that i'll use distilled as is in my moms ink and nothing else...

[Inkit]

Distilled Water is the only way to go forget about tap water also you can get deminrelized water which can also be used as it's the same.

[inipi67]

I too use only my black, dilluted with water, but I have wondered since I have well water if there would be any effects from that, as in mineral deposits in the water. Doesnt seem like it would, its good clean mountain water from a deep bored well. But just the same , I have wondered. What most would consider clean water even in mountain streams may not necessarily be so.

As a side question, kinda relating to this subject...
What is the duration of a tattoo thats say, a b/g ,as far as the light shadeing thats done, I've seen and read where the technique as you graduate to the lightest area is a process of flicking up and away from the shadeing area to get that good fade into nothing. Isn't that going to result in no shading years down the line, because of depth changes. I dillute in several stages and keep my depth with the needle the same through out, another words I use the graduations in dilluted ink to get this. This other method seems to me ,like it would be almost a temporary tattoo like thing. Maybe some of you guys and gals that have done a lot of b/g's can clear this up for me. Thanks.



Peace Brothers R.:cool:

[L_Pease]

What you're referring to is that scooping motion I think? It works to a degree, but it's not a good way to go about shading 100% of the time. It works in small areas. You're kind of working more with saturation amounts rather than depth to create the fade when doing that. The end of the flick leaves more distance between the punctures than the beginning of the flick so it appears lighter. A well done B&G tattoo will soften a bit over time but should hold up great for many years. Sometimes they even deepen with age.

[voodoo]

Whip shading is what your talking about..