Tattoo Machine Theory

General tattoo discussion

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Mon Nov 13, 2006 4:15 pm

Before i get slammed by anyone... i'm not trying to be a fly by night tattoo artist or anything. I just love the culture and the process and want to give something back to the community.

I couldnt post this in the Artists section because i'm one of the unwashed masses, so i put it in here.

BadWolf, and anyone else who's an artist. What is it that makes a good machine, what makes it run good, what are the qualities you look for in a good liner and a good shader.

I am a machinist by hobby and training, i've been in a machine shop on and off for the past 10 years and i'd love to make a machine that is a little more adjustable and suited to customization than the average tattoo machine.

Anyone willing to help me out with this, maybe even collaborate and test a few designs for me i'd build them a couple machines and work with them to make a "perfect" customizable machine.

Just the best way i figure i can give back to the community with what i know how to do and enjoy.

anyone know any good resources to start doing research on my own, or buying coils/springs/etc.
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BadWolf
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:08 pm

A well built machine, by someone who knows what they are doing is already totally adjustable within the parameters you would want it to run. There is no need to come up with anything. The electromagnet coil machine, when built by a professional who understands it's intended purpose, is a mousetrap you can not improve upon.
No offense, but I have yet to see a machine built by a machinist that came close to rivaling a machine built by a tattoo artist. The machinist lacks the understanding of what the machine must do to get the desired results. So, if you truly want to give something back to the industry, you could offer your assistance to someone who already is a tattooist, and builds machines, but other than that, it's already a done deal. There is only so much you can do to improve upon an electromagnetic circuit that is small enough to fit in your hand...and rest assured, every stone has been turned. At this point, machine building is at the same place as the rest of tattooing....One hundred bazillion "machine builders" competing with each other to sell machines that look and work exactly alike, ripping each other off, and basically still utilizing the same two origional designs...because those designs have always, and will always work.
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:18 pm

its all good

thats pretty much what i figured, i want to find someone who needs help finishing off a design, i'm not trying to redesign the wheel. I'd love to find someone who has a decent design and would want to start producing them or selling them and help them out like that

i don't care if im an innovator i just want to give back

do you know if anyone has tried a solenoid type arrangement where there arent any electromagnets? i know just a pipedream i'm just a dork by trade so i think like that sometimes.

lol..interested in a badwolf machine line? :twisted:
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BadWolf
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:20 pm

And to make the machine more adjustable is not only overkill, but can cause certain weaknesses...as we have come to learn from a great man named D. Fowler. As a machinist/tattooist/whacko scientist, he built some really nice machines, with great components, and put a great deal of thought into it...but went too far, and made certain things a problem...like the rear spring saddle coming loose while tattooing. I own several machines he built for me, and all have been modified to be LESS adjustable...just adjustable to the degree they NEED to be.
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BadWolf
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:25 pm

lol..interested in a badwolf machine line?
I'm gonna wait until the next cycle...when tattooing has been made illegal by all the scratchers jumping in, and the "flash in the pans" have gone back to flipping burgers or working at "Hot Topic" and then I'll build machines for the next wave.
I'll keep you in mind! :lol:
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:43 pm

:idea:

aighty then ... back to building klystrons and laser wigglers...

science geeks need more tattoos... make the sting of the bright white skin and the skinny arms a little less at the gym.
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BadWolf
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:46 pm

Skinny arms=cheaper sleeves! :lol:
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 6:11 pm

BadWolf wrote:Skinny arms=cheaper sleeves! :lol:

true dat...

i'm no where near skinny though ... guess i'm fucked!!!

do you work at a shop or are you taking a hiatus from the scratchers? if so where are you located?
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BadWolf
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Mon Nov 13, 2006 6:27 pm

I own a studio in PA, and work by appt. only. I have other guys there.
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Tattude
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Tue Nov 14, 2006 4:06 pm

BadWolf wrote:Skinny arms=cheaper sleeves! :lol:
Tell me about it... I'm 6' 220lbs. and have I big shoulders and back... My back piece is taking forever!
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Schism
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Tue Nov 14, 2006 4:32 pm

BadWolf wrote:I own a studio in PA, and work by appt. only. I have other guys there.
That's the good life. :wink:
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BadWolf
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Tue Nov 14, 2006 4:50 pm

That's the good life.
YEA! I traded some of my workload for a truckload of stress, it would seem some days. There are pros and cons, I assure you. It has allowed me to get more into my second passion, which is the Martial Arts, and I get to spend more time with my family (although the girlfriend does get sick of me sometimes.) When she complains about me sitting around, I keep telling her, "The hardest thing in the world to do is NOTHING...and I have been struggling with it all day!" :D
I don't think she finds the humor in that, though.
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