Whether you use ROUND or FLAT tube tips, all tattoo tube tips need maintenance. All tubes and tips need to be cleaned and inspected thoroughly. 1. Tube and Tip Cleaning After soaking your tubes overnight in the disinfectant of your choice, I use a small nail brush to scrub my tubes and tips. After scrubbing the outside of the tubes and the tips, I use a pipe cleaner and a Q-tip to clean the inside of the tubes and the tips. This cleans out all excess ink that may be left inside. If you don't remove this ink it will stain your tubes when you sterilize them. When finished cleaning you will need to put them in the ultra sonic. 2. Tube and tip maintenance Check the tips of your tubes for wear and tear. If you notice grooves inside of your tube tips then you will need to get out a jewelers file and do some filing These grooves are caused by the rubbing of the needles against the inside of the tube. The amount of wear and tear depends on how many rubber band you use to hold your needle bars in place. You can use a flat file for your flat tube tip, and a round file for your round tube tips. If you don't file these tips the ink will start to spit and the grooves will make your needles wear prematurely.You must be careful not to create a sharp edge of the end of your tube tip. If the tube tip is warn beyond repair then it is time to replace the tip with a new one.