How to Attach Tattoo Shaders
- 1). Put on a pair of latex gloves. Protection from germs is important when touching all of the tattoo machine's components.
- 2). Insert the shader tube into the hole at the base of the tattoo machine. Tighten the nut to secure the tube to the rest of the machine's casing.
- 3). Slide the shader needle into the shader tube, then attach the looped end onto the needle arm. The needle's point should be sticking out of the bottom of the shader tube.
- 4). Adjust the length of the shader needle by turning the contact screw attached to the top of the tattoo machine to the width of a nickel. This allows the machine's spring mechanism to function in a way that is conducive to shading a tattoo properly.
- 5). Double-wrap a rubber band around the length of the needle and the back of the tattoo machine. This will hold the needle onto the needle arm, so that it does not slide out of place while tattooing.
Source...