sadie703 wrote:so wait, you bought the needles from another shop??
if he had his own shop shouldnt he have had that?? and how could he sterilize that shit properly from his home? if he had a autoclave was it in a seperate room away from any germs??
Just out of curiosity, where would you have to keep an autoclave in order to keep it away from "any germs"? Your home? A licensed studio? A hospital emergency room?
The answer is "AAAANNNNNNNNNGH": none of the above. Germs are everywhere, deary.
I do understand the sentiment behind your statement. Agreed that any competent tattooist will have his own needles, and an autoclave. And you can also bet you'd never get a quality tattoo for just the "cost of the ink", no matter where it is done. (you always get what you pay for.)
BUT there is no special magic about a tattoo studio that suddenly makes everything right. The only real difference between a home and a studio is that a licensed studio can be regulated. But, if one knows and cares what they are doing, a trained tattoo artist can tattoo safely anywhere: a tattoo convention floor, a hotel room, a ceremonial hut in the South Pacific, and YES, dare I say it . . . a home!
I'm not defending home tattooing in general, as it usually screams "scratcher". Indeed most people who tattoo in homes only do so because they are not good enough for a studio. But there are RARE exceptions.
I happen to know a very good tattooist who has worked in prominent shops all over the country. He owned his own street shop for years, but nowadays he tattoos only from his home, much in the tradition of Japanese irezumi masters. He just simply got tired of the hustle and bustle of a street shop and now prefers the anonymity and privacy of a home studio, which, by the way, his is a dedicated room setup as professionally as any licensed shop. He only does large custom work, mostly half-sleeve or larger, by appointment only, and clients are by special referral only. I have work from him myself.
I also know of real heavyweights in the biz who sometimes tattoo out of hotel rooms (Ms. Von D aside). I myself have made house calls for special clients when circumstances didn't permit them to visit my studio. Of course this is a rare occurrence and a premium is always charged.
But, just the same remember that 99.9% of those tattooing from a home are indeed nothing but garden variety scratchers. Just making a point.