powder pigment ( stable color ) vs predispersed ( starbrite, millenium )

Anybody care to give some insight on this topic?

All tattoo pigments are just that pigments.pretty much everthing has Powder pigments that is were the color comes from.Just like oil paint, airbrush paint, and acrilics are all the same powdered pigments but they have different bases like oil or water and so on.The difference is mostly what is added to that. Tattooing uses a sterile base.The best thing i found to do is try them for your self every one has a slightly different style as fare as acually putting the ink in the skin.Some people like a thicker pigment some people rather a thinner viscousity.I am pretty shore when you are finished you will like a certain color from almost every company.The predispersed tend to be very consentrated.Remember sometimes you want subtle sometimes you want complete saturation.I personally like them all i like the stable for more earthy subtle look.I like the unique reds and oranges and the starbright canary yellow and intense opaque white and so on there is really no certain answer.GOOD LUCK..........

Hey thanks a lot for your input dude.

Powder is louder. You just have to know how to put it in.

No problem.And 1 more thing .Alot of it is saturation of pigment .If you take and air brush and stay in 1 spot it concentrates more.Also the way you work with color.For instence if you have the best yellow in the world and you put it next to yellow it dont do shit.But if you take a crappy yellow and suround it with black the yellow will jump out at you.Focus more on how you utilize the tones of color thats really the difference.

Can anyone tell me where I can buy the powder pigments? I have been searching forever and havent come up with anything. If at all possible i am online once a week. contact me by email, myspace (myspace.com/inkgirl) or call 269-998-8163 asap

I bought the complete set of stable colors and i can tell you one thing,,, THEY SUCK!!!! I wont even use them . I did 3 tattoo's with them ,and threw them away. Im not kidding , i threw them away. I gotta say i kept some colors, Dead leaf being the only one i found to go in with any ease. These made my tattoo's take at least 25% longer to do because I had to move so slow to get them to go in. If you want my opinion, stay away from Stable Color's , Star Brite, or Intenze will give you better results.

That's a pretty harsh statement about an ink you only tried 3 times! How could you honestly judge it at all? I went from Star Brite to National (awesome inks) to Stable and I couldn't be happier. Yea it took me close to six months of using them before I really figured some things out, but they taught me a different way of applying the ink into the skin. The most resplendant awards are the most difficult to acheive. I can credit SOBA's inks with teaching me alot about technique. Both reds are not very good, that is my only complaint. If someone has a suggestion of strong red that they prefer (other than Star-Brite) please let me know.

Jacqsun...Have you tried the national reds and millenium...I have godd consistant results from both.

Jacqsun...Have you tried the national reds and millenium...I have godd consistant results from both.

Oh SHIT!!... Crocketts gonna bust me for double posting again. DAMMITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...TAz

InHawaii you threw away a set of ink after trying it 3 times, you have to be stupid. i have a set of stable and it took me a wile to figure it out. it's really thick so i thinned it a bit and it lays smooth. you must still be a NOOB. jacqsun have you tried intenze red, thier bright red is bright and bold, you'd love it. i prefer intenze inks to most others, but as with any ink they all go in different, and you just have to play around til you get it right. don't try it 3 times and throw it away like a NOOB

waverly crimson and regular red... great powders. dermaglo reds from eikon work great for those whom cant use powder... never ever had a red reaction with powders... ive used stable powders i like a few colors. anyone tried skin candy yet? they look like they have a few tones id like to try..

I presume, I will either buy 1 bottle of red from every brand available, or refuse to add red to my work anymore. Blue roses for everyone!

UNIQUE OR ETERNAL,THAT'S ALL YOU NEED!

i tried a set of eternal and some colors just looked real dingy after they healed. but some of the colors rocked. i did pawn them of on someone else and stuck with intenze.

i'm a tattoo artist from mexico . and i being using star beite ink for the last 5 years an they are so easy to apply! the las week i get one set of stable pigmens, and is a little bit difernt to apply but they a re grate! i think that all depends of the tecnique are u using. the thickness of the neddles, and the speed in the machine thank's ckeck out my site!! http://www.fotolog.com/superflytattoo/

Does anyone know how I can contact Unique to get some colors...? IF you tried these inks, what do you think?

Does anyone know how I can contact Unique to get some colors...? IF you tried these inks, what do you think?

yeah, alot of it is how you put the ink in. obviously for thicker pigments you need a stronger hit, and better saturation you need a soft machine to work an area for a bit. you cant try anything in this business once or even three times and give it up. be persistent. thats what its all about. i love eternal, it goes in super fast. Which results in faster, cleaner healing. Intenze is nice too. Their red is great, and i love the White. I just found StarBright was hard to get in quick. it does heal nice. But i hear alot of "Starbright is good if you know how to use it" THat comment is irritating. If you have a good flow and a certain style of working and StarBright doesnt fit it. then dont Change the way you work to accomodate that Ink. If you love the Colors Then Thicken it up or Thin it out. If not try something else out. New ink is always coming out and something will suit your style. But dont give up after three tries. I havent used stable or Dermaglo or that other company Eikon sells, but id try it. Work with it, Try Different consitancies. When you get into something like that you have to think about how you work and how your machine is running to get the right thickness. Its alot of tweaking im sur eto get that perfect medium for fast application with awesome saturation.

i totally agree with the earth tone comment, it looks like a great selection. but their warning kinda freaks me out. Is this a common disclaimer on ink? "the ink sold by Stable Color Company and/or Pulse International Inc. is sold "as is" and without representations or warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied. Stable Color Company and/or Pulse International Inc. expressly disclaims and excludes all warranties, expressed or implied. Including the warranties od merchantability and fitness for a paticular purpose, and also disclaims and exudes all liability for incedental, consequential, indirect or any other special damages, including lost profits, for breach of warranty or of contract or otherwise. The ink sold by Stable Color Company and/or Pulse International Inc. Does not include any pigments that are certified for the use of tattooing by the United States Food and Drug Administration or any Federal State or local regulatory agency."

Yep its common

Ok I got a question.. You all say to use UNIQUE BRAND INK/PIGMENT. I have yet to see anyone actually answer the questions about where to get it. am i missing something? please help a fellow artist trying to give their customers a quality product. :) thanks and if you have any brains you guys will not listen to someone telling you all brands of ink are come out the same. haha

I bet if you were an artist in an actual shop, you'd know where to get it.

I hear Scream Ink is good.....

You cannot purchase Unique unless you are a TRIBE member

thank you taz!! you are awesome. thank you for sharing your knowledge and not being a jerk like some people on here. why do some feel the need to pick on people who are looking for help? some people arent that bright. haha thanks again!

Powder pigment simply is not for everyone...I'll admit it...I have gotten lazy and use only predisbursed pigments.I have recently started using Tommys' Iron Butterfly...I HATED it at first but after a few tattoos I really got to like it...Ya can't just use something once or twice and make a logical decision...EXPERIMENT!!!!

Stable has it's pros and cons. I really fell in love with all of the green hues that they have. As far as the reds and the oranges they heal a little light unless you get total saturation. I also use eternal.. Intenze reds are better than starbrite... Starbrite red... ewwwwwww... Perma pro are the fucking shit If you work in a shop and have the cash try them out. Intenze white is the best white in my opinion... but the best ink of all has to be SCREAM!!!! Haha... I also make my own pigments from powder directly.. anyone else in here know the grind on that? If you do it right you can get some great results...
7

'bout time you showed up..

That's very true, the only thing that changes paint from ink or tattoo pigments is the vehicle. paints have a solvent vehicle, tattoo inks can vary from a glyceryn, alcohol, distilled water/powder mix, to an acrylic with glycol EB, which is a coalessing binder that holds it all together, thats why you tend to see the powder stuff separate more. At the end of the day, it's the lightfast quality or color strength of the pigment that separates the good from the bad, having some mixing experience helps too.. Every ink maker including myself has it's good colors, and crappy ones, the only difference is color variation and who can get their hands on the best stuff. Using a drop of green soap with the powders will help the thicker stuff go in easier.

Damn, Skincandy, that's probably the most intelligently and proper ways of explaining pigment that I've ever read on the net. As an old timer who broke in when mixing pigments was a normal part of the job, damn, do I know and agree with what you stated. Hell, I STILL mix some of my own although, I too use and enjoy the 'new, predispersed stuff'. Anyone who's ever mixed from dry pigment knows how messy a job it is and how sore your arm can get. At 60, I don't miss that 'fun' one bit but, again, I do have some I do mix from powder, some of 'em colors no 'new' company has and mixed right, go in smooth, heal beautifully and hold up as well. And Skincandy, I haven't heard of the green soap thing in 15 years! You're either fairly 'experienced' or you've been around some of the old timers. Great and accurate post...Doc

I personally like the Iron Butterfly, all the colors go in awsome but the plum purple. As far as i know it's a starbright product. In my opinion " you get what you pay for!" If yo buy cheap ink, you will get shitty results.

If you need to ask other artist what ink is better than another...WHY ARE YOU TATTOOING ??

That seems unfair, to say If you need to ask why are you Tattooing. Even very experienced artists may not have tried everything out there. And the opinions of your peers are often a way to weed out those that you don't need to try. If everyone, for example, said dont ever touch eternal, would we bother or trust our peers?. Lets progress through our experience, passion, and technique. Not by keeping those around us down. Thanks.

Whats up, I ve been tattoing a year already and I started with Starbrite. They pack really solid and fast. I just started using stable and I need to know if I can layer the two, in the same session. Say I lay in all the bright yellow in starbrite, and I wanna go in with some stable orange, Is it recommended to mix the two in the skin, please let me know,

Yeah why not. In the end they are all inks. I use colors from 3 brands Intenze Starbrite and a Dermaglo (thanks Danny for the hookup) I just happen to like certain colors from certain manufacturers.

i have to disagree on mixing them in the skin fk. stable will even tell you not to blend them with predispursed inks on there label.

THANK YOU!!! You guys answered my question, and I didn't even have to ask it. Living in a place called Yogaville (seriously, it does exist), and tattooing almost accross the street from an Ashram, recently I was asked if my inks were Vegan. To tell the truth, I hadn't even thought about that. So I did a little research, and landed here, and was going to ask about Stable colors. It turns out that they can be as good as any other brand ink, although most of the opinions seem to bee that they are good pigment but they take practice (duh) to learn how to work in, and that I won't really know for myself UNTIL I TRY THEM. I think I will. P.S.- YES, Unique ROCKS, and so does National. And BTW there's also Fantasia, which was an offshoot of Unique.

THANK YOU!!! You guys answered my question, and I didn't even have to ask it. Living in a place called Yogaville (seriously, it does exist), and tattooing almost accross the street from an Ashram, recently I was asked if my inks were Vegan. To tell the truth, I hadn't even thought about that. So I did a little research, and landed here, and was going to ask about Stable colors. It turns out that they can be as good as any other brand ink, although most of the opinions seem to bee that they are good pigment but they take practice (duh) to learn how to work in, and that I won't really know for myself UNTIL I TRY THEM. I think I will. P.S.- YES, Unique ROCKS, and so does National. And BTW there's also Fantasia, which was an offshoot of Unique.

most inks aren't vegan friendly, Glycerin comes from horses or cows, and its fairly common in tattoo inks to keep them a certain thickness.

Can you use dry pigment that you get at the art supply stores. The most of them say that they are non-toxic. I was figuring that it was the vehicle you mixed them with that mattered (glycerine, propolene glycol, vodka, and maybe some green soap). Hopefully someone out there can help.

Fantasia....makes some excellent Reds, and all their colors are outstanding

Fantasia's not an offshoot of unique...and as far as vegan friendly....starbrite is made with Food Grade Glycerin....so it's vegan enough....ya dig

GOLDFIELD POWDER PIGMENTS 404 Broadway, San Francisco, Ca 94133

For anyone who knows, I just found 20 lbs. of 7 yr old Spaulding Florida O powder. leftover from Skincandys powder making days. This pigment is no longer attainable and is the brightest orange pigment for tattooing period! I'm limiting the sale to 10 lbs. the rest I'm making for friends when and if I ever get time, If interested call 818-567-1848 no haggling $100 1/2 pound, 2 lb minimum August

who ever said scream ink is good has not tried it!!!!! i started with it when i started tattooing and i've had major problem with it. it fades fast and it just sucks. thanks to your comments i am sticking to intenze, starbrite, and skin candy.

Waverly hand mixed powder pigments are VEGAN.

JOKER !!! NEED SOME INFO HERE !!! how to use waverly powder pigments ??!!! damn i tested on my legs, hand even stomach.. its still fade away after healed !!!! errrrrrrr i heard some dudes @tattoo now and @all or nothing tattoo - atalanta.. they mention something about the machine tuning !!! its been 2 month now kinda frustrated with this thick ink so called waverly. well if you feel you GUYS a pro tattoo artists .. its time to help your other fellow ta2ist. powdered pigment the experiment continue !! cheers.

you have to go a little slower with the thick inks, than you do with the thin stuff. thin stuff you can go faster. also if you find waverly to thick, use a drop of green soap in the ink cap to thin it just a bit.

eternals are the best ink to ever hit the seen. I tried moms,stable, starbright, kuro sumi, stable was the worst ink I have ever tried and it heals up terrible and yes I know how to pack in color. eternals heals absolutily amazing. the yellow and all the light colors go in like butter and heal more vibrant then all the other brands I'v tried. the only problem is you need to be in a shop to order eternals.

JUST SO YOU KNOW YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE IN A SHOP TO ORDER ANY INK. SOME SAY THAT BUT NOT REALLY. JOKERTATTOOSUPPLY SELLS ETERNAL DONT HAVE TO HAVE A SHOP. ETERNAL THEMSELVES WILL SELL TO ANYONE. LUCKY SUPPLY WILL ALAO SELL, AS WILL ALL OF THEM. that only sell to artist stuff is only to draw more artist to them, think we are buying stuff scratchers cant get, but not true.

My tattoos with Waverly (VEGAN) pigments are incredibly bright and crisp and just plain gorgeous. I'm thrilled that my artist only uses Waverly!