tattoo needles

HI I got an apprenticeship at what was supposed to be a great shop. But as I have been there for a while I have been noticing some really fucked up things. One of my most concerns is I just learned that my mentor was using tattoo needles then autoclaving them and using them over and over. I think this is wrong but I am having a hard time finding out if this is against the law. Can someone please answer this for me.

no .....he should not be reusing needles at all! Needles are dirt cheap and should only be used once ........

Nope.DOes he own the shop? if not let the owner know wtf is going on.U can get 3 boxes of needles for a bill.Insanity.

Yes He does own the shop

How is he cleaning them? does he scrub off all the ink then putem in the clave,Ultrasonic? Thats nuts, that whole clave could and probably is screwed with cross contam.As for what u can do, its kinda awkward cause ur the apprentice and hes ur boss and all, but just ask something like " I didnt think you could re use those" or "why does the package single use only"...o,O

The thing is the apprenticeship cost me 8,000 I really do not want to loose the money also the spores test has been falling for the last 4 months

so you don't think the right thing for me to do is just pack my shit and leave. there are two tattoo artist that already packed there shit up.

I feel what this man is doing is really wrong and the best thing to is walk out and contact someone that can take the proper action on solving this problem. Its people like this that give tattooing a bad name

Sorry to be negative in here, but I think you are just trying to dig for some info so you can happily reuse the needles that came with your kit. I haven't heard of any shop that does that. Needles are cheaper than running them through Cidex, Ultrasonic, scrubbing, Pouching and running the clave. It makes no sense and it's wrong dude. And return that kit to that ebay supplier in China. No one will pay 8k for an apprenticeship without getting solid references of the shop and mentor. I hope I am wrong. BTW. You just created another post asking for the same under another name BUT SAME IP: Posted by [email removed] from IP: 68.196.95.100 on 06/03/07 Your Other post here

FK, the poster did use the same email for both posts... Its good to be paranoid, but in any event, the answer is the same, re-using needles is pretty nasty. I have heard of artists in professional studios re-using their needles, but I know of only one (and they may have switched by now). It is against the health regulations in Mass to reuse needles, I imagine and hope it is in New Jersey. Look up the health codes for your city and the state. 8k is a lot of money to give up, but if you are learning and working under dirty conditions where two other artists packed up and left, I wouldnt plan on staying there for a long time. Can we see your portfolio somewhere online?

And what is the shops name / website?

I dont feel too comfortable with people encouraging "outing" behavior on this forum. Its not professional in the least to take ones private problems and make them public. If the artist feels that the studio is breaking the law and wants to take action they should confront the owner, and then the health department. Ratting people out online is useless, we have no idea who any party is and it just causes unnecessary drama. If the poster points to an online article that reads "Health department condemns studio XXX as unclean" thats one thing, some apprentice asking about health concerns should most certianly not start slinging shit in public when their duty is to go to the healt board, or at the least explain to the mentor their health concerns and choose a course of action from there. I guess if you want to "out" the studio and artists based on rumors and anonymous posts and see what internet harassment can reap, by all means go to other boards... Lets keep this one as professional as possible while still being public.

First off,reusing needles is assnine.You are putting someone's life in jeopardy.Needles are cheap and making your own is even cheaper.Besides you can't sterilize dirt.Also 8 grand is insane!Sounds like someone is out to make a buck.I have apprenticed several people and never charged a dime.If you are a good artist and have somewhat of a good portfolio someone would be more than happy to teach you.The first thing you should have learned is making needles and how to properly clean your equipment.Just ask Krystof or Tony(Anthony Turrini).Neither one of them tattooed until after a year of making needles and scrubbing tubes and setting up and drawing and making stencils and breaking down machines and so on.Check out their work.They are both on this site.Nuff said,get out! good luck,Jamie Cross

Listen to Jamie Cross.....especially if the autoclave at the shop has consistantly failed spore test...that is unconscionable! And very VERY dangerous to clients AND artists! Sounds like you got screwed for 8 grand man! Although I agree with Gabe that outing a shop on the net is wrong it would be much worse to allow this situation to go unchecked...you should contact the health departments of both the state and counties where the shop is located...have a copy of the failed spore test if possible...you could be saving some unsuspecting clients life!!! 8 grand is a ridiculous price unless he is Paul Booth or Guy Aitchison ...or Jamie Cross for that matter!!

"I haven't heard of any shop that does that. Needles are cheaper than running them through Cidex, Ultrasonic, scrubbing, Pouching and running the clave." I agree with the logic here, but unfortunately there are shops who do reuse needles. I have seen many a tatto done with used needles come out of shops. The problem is that the line between the "scratcher" and a "shop" has become so blurry. Let's face it, any asshole can rent a spot, order up some "gunz" and those bogus "dispersions", some premade needles, and a second hand 'clave and volia! you have a real "shop." You haven't been seeing this, too? Such places often have pool tables, pinball machines, a recording studio in the rear, a bunch of underage kids hanging around, and "gangsta rap" playing at ear-splitting volume. Some may use new needles and still be scratchers in my opinion. I actually worked for such a place for a short while. It was walking distance from my home and owner politely invited me to work there so I took the job. I lasted about three months and then had to leave. I refuse to work for anyone who never mixed his own pigments, never soldered a needle, and can't even change a capicitor on his "gun." Mention the name "Sailor Jerry" and the so-called "artists" there would just stare at you dumbly in silence. Can you belive these people takes apprentices? To their credit, they did use new needles but many such places do not. On this forum, too much has been said about being in a shop and not working out of one's home. I don't think it has much to do with geography or a business license, but with knowledge, experience, professionalism, and ethics. During the ban on tattooing in New york City, I got every tattoo I have from Mike Perfetto in his basement. He was winning awards for the work he was doing down there. In fact, he's still there. The only difference is that he has a liscence and probably pays a lot more tax. Much better than a lot of shops that have sprung up in the past few years. - Paul