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if you want to give yourself a tattoo can you use india ink?...

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Answer by son
Submitted on 12/10/2003
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as long as you keep the needle sterile it shouldn't cause an infection make sure to clean it with something like bactine since alcohol has some effect on it that is warned against i forgot what peroxide can bleach it partially and make it come out weird. use a large sharp safety pin small once are flimsy and might bend or kink when your working and might go in too far or sideways ans if its too dull it might not get past the epidermis and it will come off with your dead skin safety pin tattoos tend to carry a bit more pride you feel better about it if you do it your self more likely just like anything else some might think differently but thats only a trait caused by an over sheltered and modernized society that is stunting its own evolution the more modernized and unnatural you are the closer you are to extinction

Answer by hot_kitten_babe
Submitted on 12/31/2003
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Hey i did my own tattoo of a blue star on my right ankle on the top of the bone stickin out..know what part i mean?..anyways...i used just a regular sewing needle and some blue ink from a blue pen..all i did was burn the end of the needle to disinfect it ..and i blew the ink out of the pin onto a piece of cardboard..then i just dipped the needle in the ink and just kinda stabbed it into my skin...to me it didn't hurt...and before hand you need to outline your tattoo before you start...just so you wont mess up..yes i did bleed in some spots but it totally didn't hurt...but i didn't wash all the extra ink off till the next day...i left it there till it was good and soaked in under the skin..when the skin heals the ink will be under your skin so the color lasts longer...but ive had the blue star on my ankle for about 2 years...ive done like two touch ups.. but thats it...i thought it was pretty cool...the hard part was just tryin to figure out what i wanted a tattoo of ..but since my last name is "Starr"..i decided to do a star...and its totally cool to use colored ink...well happy tattooing!!!

Answer by steph
Submitted on 1/19/2004
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well, we're both new at it, and until we get some decent advice, it's trial and error. i did it last night (same heart, same hand, same place)with pink ink, and i think it stayed, but the dots were very spread out. i just redid it, and instead of leaving it open, i covered it with one of those round band aids that have the stickiness on all sides, so it won't come off. I'vedecided to leave it alone for like, four days, then I'llwash it and see what happened. if that doesn't work, I'llhave to wait a while because it's really hurting to do the same thing over and over again for the fifth time in a row. i really think it would be cool for it to stay, and i want to tell all my friends, but i don't want to tell them if it won't stay, you know? how old are you, miss_bittersweet?

Answer by steph
Submitted on 1/20/2004
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well, when i did mine, i didn't go that far...i used fire and rubbing alcohol but i didn't use a safety pin, b/c thats huge and I'ma wimp (who doesn't like needles...)but i did mine five times (once a day for five days) and now i think i finally have it. i cant explain why it's puffy...is it REALLY puffy or like, oh, thats a lil puffy, b/c i went to school today and my friends were like, it looks puffy, but it wasn't really...i've decided that it's too painful to do again tonight if it needs more touching up, so i'mgoing to give it another week before i do any more damage. my advice to you, Zarboz, is if you can, go to the doctor immediately. if you're under 18 like me, and scared to death to tell your parents, wait it out...use rubbing alcohol to clean the place daily. if you used India ink, i would recommend telling your parents, or going to the doctor RIGHT now...thats really poisonous, and if you are trying it for the first time, you could have done serious damage. let me know how things work out, and don't make my opinion your opinion, use your own judgment about whats going on.

Answer by steph
Submitted on 1/21/2004
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well, see i have the opposite problem, miss_bittersweet. i didn't mind telling my friends before i knew for sure, i was going to make it happen no matter what. when i told some of them, however, they were like, "idiot" and one of my friends said "steph..." in her, 'I'mso disappointed in you' voice of doom, so, yeah that kind of sucks. my other, cooler friends were good with it, though. I'm14. as of now I'mwaiting for the final bit of extra ink to come off...people keep saying "i don't see a heart, but i see a big pink blob" well, I'llshow them! now, Zarboz, what kind of ink did you use? did you let the safety pin go too far into the skin? how many did you give yourself? hold old are you? did you clean the skin before you did the tattoo? let me know so i can help you (with my experienced wisdom ;))

Answer by oldenoughtobeyourmom
Submitted on 1/23/2004
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Please clean any area to be tattoed with alcohol. (Rubbing, not drinking) Do not leave the tatoo covered for more than one to three hours, it has to have air to heal properly and retain the ink as well. You should try a google search to see what type of ink to use. When I got my tattoo (professionaly) it did not bleed and certainly did not go anywhere close to 1/2 inch deep. The only thing I can tell you about the ink is that it was much, much thinner than the inks you have discussed (i.e. Bic). As you have been warned DO NOT use India Ink, it is toxic and does cause infertility and birth defects! Good Luck. P.S. My tattoo has not faded any and I've had it over 10 yrs. Try a professional.

Answer by element
Submitted on 1/27/2004
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hello all, i see that this q&a has been going on a while. i'm 21 and have a number of tattoos that were professionally done. now i understand that you are not old enough to go and do this yourself but you must consider why this is the case. tattoos are definately cool but i don't think that you appreciate what your doing. you're tattoing your hand?!? are you crazy, it is actually against the law for a tattoo artist to tattoo your hands, do you not think that there must be damn good reasons for this?i understand that this isn't going to stop you, believe it or not i'mnot trying to stop you, i want you to understand. it took me a long time to decide what to have tattooed permanently onto my body. I wanted tattoos when i was 14 and 15 but my ideas then were VERY VERY different to what i actually got done. you'll probably ignore me completely though, i know that i would if i wasn't me. at the end of the day please, please, just be careful

Answer by DragonflyandFairies
Submitted on 2/8/2004
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whoa, this is funny and crazy at the same time. Most of y'all are what 12-15, LOL, damn, well let me just tell y'all that my boyfriend(professional tat artist)saids indian ink is the worst ink you can use, a gun would hurt less than plain needle, you should not use "bic" because is not as thin as tat ink, buy tat ink is not that expensive, and as for the "Stabbing" LOL...Crazy kids! even if you use a needle -which you shouldn't- you should never stab, you can really hurt yourselves that way, just slightly scratch the surface of the skin. B4 i got with him i used to do my own tat and i never did have the stuff you guys say, and mine are still bright and infection free. But lucky me i get professional work for free! hehehe! take care guys seriously, be careful, don't hurt yourselves! if you have any questions I'll be more than happy to ask my man, and help you guys! later dudes!

Answer by written_image
Submitted on 2/9/2004
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Hello! Just thought I'd contribute my little story: When I was about 15 I wanted a tattoo and, much like you guys, I did it myself (on the ankle) with a safety pin and Bic ink. Apparently I didn't do it right, because the blue heart is gone. But, hey, it was cool while it lasted. I'm 21 now, and about to get a real tattoo, but I'm just here to say that trying to do your own tattoos isn't stupid. Experimentation is good thing. The art of tattooing wouldn't be here at all if nobody tried it out way back when. Anyway, if you guys are looking for tattoo gun plans, try here: http://www.diy-auction.com/diy/ under Piercing and Aftercare, or do a search for it there.

Answer by steph
Submitted on 2/12/2004
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bwa haha this sounds sooooo simple!! why the hell am i doing it this other, much more complicated way? ok, listen up!! this is the crest spinbrush pro version! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- so you want a tat gun but yer #@!in stupid and cant make one. heres a simple solution. buy a crest spinbrushpro[listen buy the #@!in pro with the removable head orelse yer gunna be fiddle #@!in around all day]. remove the head of the brush. now look down the shaft and turn it on. you should see a blunt metal object going up and down #@!in fast. expose the metal object[this means all you dum #@!s saw off the shaft the thing that shelters the metal object]. now heat an eraser up until its a little stiff. put it as centered as possible on the metal object. put a needle in the eraser off center and wahla. you can also put super glue on the part of the needle where it sticks in the eraser to keep the needle from jumpin al over and #@!in yer tat up now, keep in mind i got this from a website, and i didnt put the #*@! even though you can obviousally get the idea!! whoo hoo! if my tattoo gun doesnt work, i'mso doing it this way!

Answer by I did it!
Submitted on 3/6/2004
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So, i took my oral b cross action toothbrush, poped the brush off, got a small piece of the glue (gel like) used on glue guns, went to the kitchen heated the iron piece on the toothbrush inserted the piece of "hard" glue and it stayed like hell, burned the needle, to heated up and it could be placed on the toothbrush,then burned the needle again to sterilize, turn on some loud linkin' park and tattoo my way into a beautiful butterfly on the inside of my left ankle, i did it 3 days ago, no pain no fade, yet. I think this is why it doesn't hurt like hell like it does for others, because the crossaction toothbrush doesn't move a around in a crazy manner or up and down like a real tat gun would. This one move sideways, making it easy for you to scratch ina friendly manner a little below the surface of your skin. My friend actually try this about a couple of months ago and hers was not faded or nasty looking, so i did it, and so far so good, so i think this is a good way to go, if you want, if you dont, i really dont care!

Answer by Krayz satans evilnightmare
Submitted on 3/16/2004
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i have a total of 9 tattoos on my arm that i did with india ink about a yr ago they still look good , and i plan to do more.I took a walkman tape playerpulled out the motor atacted it to a spoon with the scoop of it bent down. The needle was made out of the spring from a bic lighter. Took a pen gott all the ink out of the shaft. to guid the needle.best to use a ball point pen just poke the ball out of the tip of it. Atached the needle to the motor be a little gear from inside the tape player. melted a screw into it so i could adjust the depth of the needle. Hooked it all to a home made foot pedle , and hooked it all to a 12 volt cell phone charger. Played some hard ass music and went to town. And ive had some of my friends want some work done. So i must have done some trhing right or else i wouldnt have the responces i got. So yes you can do it. Just dont be dumb with what you put on your bodyand you wont regret it.

Answer by nicoliepie
Submitted on 4/8/2004
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ok so i just gave myself a tattoo and i used a basic needle and ink from a black pen. and i waited a few hours and then removed the extra ink and i could tell only some of it stayed. so i went over it and over it. it really didn't hurt, only at first. and to the dude that said a half an inch- damn!!! no way would i do that. Listen to spike12291986@yahoo.com. 1/16 of an inch. scratch, don't poke. poking can get too deep, and hurts more and looks crappy. dont use indian ink. i had a very close friend get very sick because of it, and most of you kids are too young to die. and that is a stupid reason to die. luckily, my friend told her parents and they got her help, but if u think something is wrong, and can't talk to your parents, see any responsible adult. a teacher, counselor someone u trust. and legally, they cannot tell ur parents what u did if u tell them not to. just so u know. so good luck! and don't think i'msaying don't tattoo because then i would be a hypocrite. do it, just BE CAREFUL!!! ok sorry i wrote too much and now i will shut up.

Answer by Mom
Submitted on 6/19/2004
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Seriously think about it before you get a tattoo. I got a tattoo when I was 22, it's a very pretty tattoo, nicely done. I can't cover it up all the time, and it has caused some problems in my life. I'm 33 now, and a professional which I never dreamed I would be. There are tons of situations where it's not cool at all. I'm not against tattoos, just you kids think about your future, tons of situations. My husband's mother gave me hell all the time because I had a tattoo. At work and work-related functions. A large number of people that matter in my life for whatever reason, family, my job, my son's school, look down on people with tattoos. Even though I don't agree or like it, those people affect my every day life. Try to get tattoos that you can show off when you want and cover up when it's "inappropriate." Be safe guys!

Answer by Jester's Inc.
Submitted on 6/20/2004
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I am a professional tattoo artist out of Venice beach california...I've been doing tattoo'ssince i was 14,sure i tried all the different ways,India,Indian,sewing needle and a home made machine, i got my first professional tattoo when i was 16 and WHAM! I gave up the ole school and went for the gun. I don't think it's wise to do the food coloring thing or any kind of ink for that matter too many things can go wrong with a unsteril needle and ink,first of all,India ink(man made} will fade in about two or three years and being alcohol based it can easily get really infected depending on the skin and you kinda have to really push it in to get it to stay{ouch} LOL-however Indian ink{natural} can last a life time ,IF DONE CORRECTLY...i'm not saying it's a good idea...i'm 27 yrsold and I'mstill perfecting and honing my skill i do at least ten to twelve tattoos a week and i see all kinds of "jail house style" tattoos that they or there buddies did when they where about 15 but most artist{me included} like it when people do there own tattoos it makes business for us down the road. tattooing takes years of practice and a lifetime to perfect. so if you still wanna do it make sure it's something you can cover up easily peace out Jester's Inc. The Jester

Answer by TatMan83
Submitted on 8/6/2004
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Contrary to popular belief India Ink is not a bad Ink to use!! I have use one brand for three years an never had a problem!! I use Bombay India Ink!! BIC ink on the other hand is not a good tattoo ink!! India Ink was the first Tattoo ink used!! The BIC ink is actually unsafe to use as a Tattoo ink it is toxic to the body!! The Bombay India Ink is a non-toxic ink!! Yes the saftey pins and sewing needles work but are best used when in a Tattoo Machine!! I personaly make my own Machines out of home items!! The depth the needle needs to reach is no more or less than 1 millimeter into the skin!! Any deeper into the skin and it will cause more of a possability of infection and cause the Tattoo to not be as bright!! I do recemend that you truly think long and hard about the tat that you want!! I have a couple tats that I wish to remove or cover up!! The only downside to using India Ink is the fact that it is hard to remove from the skin by lasers!! If you would like instructions on how to make a quality homemade Tattoo Machine contact me via e-mail at jwp283@att.net with the words Tat Gun in the subject colum!!

Answer by bored*sleepy
Submitted on 9/15/2004
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um........yeah..........for all those ppl who r dissin this, i know yall cant tell me that yall aint ever done nuthin stupid or dangerous, and if u havent your a freakin loser, you cant run from fate, everyone will die eventually, anyway, im 13 ive tried to pierce my belly button twice, but it wouldnt go thru and i wuz still half asleep so that didnt help, ahaha, it was all crooked and swollen.i am gonna give my self a tat cuz i am bored and i have been readin this for a while and it sounded interesting, at first when i got home from school i hated everyone, as usual, so i wuz like, i'lljust slice my arm a couple times and fill it with sharpie, but then i got lazy and i was like, dang i wanna do sumthin worthwile, so here i am bout to give myself a tattoo,sry i wrote so much, i dont really have anyone to talk to cuz i cant trust any1 and my sis moved out a year ago to live with her b/f cuz she got pregnant, so im all alone, i know i sound whiney and im sry, but i CANT talk to anyone this seriously, theyll think im suicidal and look at me like im crazy, even tho i dont really care if i die, it would not be self inflicted. thank u if u have the patience to read this and reply bye

Answer by e~~~.:EM:.~~~e
Submitted on 10/17/2004
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hi, i just did my tattoo two days ago. i have always wanted one, but decided at fourteen, that i should do it now. i know it sounds stupid, but i did it because i was upset and felt like being rebellious towards my parents. childish, huh? oh well, i don't regret it, but i want to know what to use to clean everything. i used alcohol to clean the sewing needle and my skin, and i used a permanent marker. i poked my skin a little, then put ink on the needle and poked it again, used the needle to scratch it and put the ink over it and wiped it with alcohol (HELLA PAINFUL!!) its still there, but when i poked and inked again in a few places, it bled a little in some places. ummm, ... help?

Answer by Reader
Submitted on 10/27/2004
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I can't believe the people here commenting on India ink and how it's toxic. It's a load of b/s as usual I have had a tat with India ink for 7 yrs now with no side effects. My children are fine lol in fact India ink is used by doctors which is a relatively new procedure. Study a bit before you make under educated comments pls. http://www.endonurse.com/articles/271feat5.html http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1204.html There are plenty more professional sources that would agree with me but I choose not to waste my time. :) And to all that reads this a tat is for life what looks cool at 16, 17, 18 may not be appealing at 65. It something that should be thought about hard before you go ahead and do it.

Answer by kid_Sensation36
Submitted on 10/30/2004
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Yes you can use india ink I have done it multiple times but thats different but I would agree with most go to a Respected artist unless you know what your doing with the needle and hand skill dont do it either that or build a home made tattoo gun but believe me if you can go to a respected tattoo artist it may cost more but its worth it also on that fact you cant do as much detail with the needle and hand as you can with a tattoo gun and also if you dont know what your doing there will be very small but to a person who knows tattoos visible skin spaces in the tattoo and if you want a tattoo that bad you depending on the state you can get a tatto when your 16 and it also depens on the artist cause there are alot of artists that wont tattoo minors good luck oh yeah and dont listen to the retard telling you to use bic ink that can get infected or give you gangreen it will also give you ink poisioning and its not permenent i am currently aprentacing to be a tattoo artist

Answer by kid_Sensation36
Submitted on 10/30/2004
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Yes you can use india ink I have done it multiple times but thats different but I would agree with most go to a Respected artist unless you know what your doing with the needle and hand skill dont do it either that or build a home made tattoo gun but believe me if you can go to a respected tattoo artist it may cost more but its worth it also on that fact you cant do as much detail with the needle and hand as you can with a tattoo gun and also if you dont know what your doing there will be very small but to a person who knows tattoos visible skin spaces in the tattoo and if you want a tattoo that bad you depending on the state you can get a tatto when your 16 and it also depens on the artist cause there are alot of artists that wont tattoo minors good luck oh yeah and dont listen to the retard telling you to use bic ink that can get infected or give you gangreen it will also give you ink poisioning and its not permenent i am currently aprentacing to be a tattoo artist oh yeah and p.s tattoo ink is just a form of india ink i have been tattooing sense i was 11 and now am 17 soon to be 18

Answer by jaydude
Submitted on 11/4/2004
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im 15 and really dumb and im gonna get a tattoo done by bree one of my friends and we r gonna use a fountain pen that u dip into ink... (one of the older types) and she has to peirce my skin.. it worries me coz she has never done this before..but i will be straight with u's... im doing it 4 a jackass movie we r making. it is the second one coz we have already made a series 1.. and we have ran out of ideas so im gonna go through hell to get sum people to laugh at me coz we cant think of anything else.. and i want to no wut will help me to not get an infection on my back so if u no anything that will stop any chance of ink poising tell me please... just so u no, im going to do this... and no one will stop me! ?????

Answer by C R I P....H-town to Eagle Lake Tx
Submitted on 12/5/2004
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IM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU DIE OR GET ILL SO IF YOU DO YOUR SCREWED.JUST JOKIN I�ve personally used this so I know it works. Things you�ll need: bic pen (this is your tube that houses the needle) 4 or 5" section of guitar string ,second one from the smallest. ( this is your needle) tooth brush ( this gets bent like a "7" and joins the pen to the motor) an eraser from a pencil (this joins the shaft of the motor to the needle/guitar string) small battery operated motor (from a "walkman" or a hand held fan) some tape (to join everything together) Putting the pieces together: Take the guitar string and bend a little bit of the end down or up. Take out the ink tube of the pen, and cut it to about a 3 or 4" length, now file down the brass tip of the pen to get the ball out, make the hole big enough to allow passage of the needle. Insert the needle into the pen. Now take the tooth brush and cut off the bristles making it about 4" long. Heat it up in the middle with a lighter and bend it in to a "7" and hold in place untill stiff. Join/tape the pen needle assembly to the tooth brush. Now take the eraser from the pencil and shove it onto the shaft of the motor, try to get it as dead center as possible. Join the pen/needle/toot brush to the motor/eraser assembly, tape the brush to the motor. Take the bent part of the needle/guitar stirng and stick it into the eraser, IMPORTANT- the needle must be purposely OFF CENTER. Now all that is left to do is find a power source, I used the plug-in adapter from a cd player. I guess you could hook up some batteries to a switch and then to the contacts of the motor. IM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS OR RESULTS SO YOUR SCREWED IF YOU DIE.JUST JOKIN