Mag Use Tattoing
A mag is a tattoo needle with two rows, one on top of the other. They're stacked as you would stack soda cans laying on there side, four on the bottom and three on top for a seven mag. The two rows are spread apart more than a round so the pigment dispersal is a little smoother. It would be like comparing a fine point pen to a magic marker. The little detailed stuff is for the pen while the magic marker is for larger jobs. The mags are made by soldering your needles in a row and laid out flat....
Needles and Tubes
Needles come in many shapes and sizes, and each does something different. Tattoo needles are really two pieces, a needle head and a needle bar. The needle head is the part that sits down at the end of your tube and punctures the skin, while the needle bar is a needle shaft that has a circle bent into it called a needle loop or eye loop. This is where the needle attaches to the machine. A common misconception of a tattoo needle is that they are hollow like a hypodermic needle from a shot. This...
Tattoo Meanings
Over the years tattoos have become little more than decaling the human skin. Most people get a tattoo and spent there whole life never knowing the true meaning. Others are confused on the meanings of tattoos and get something that might have a completely different definition. Tattooing has been a part of every culture known to date, and each culture has its own meanings for different images. Here is a list of tattoo images that have meanings you may be surprised of. There are so many images to...
Liner or Shader
need to put a grommet on the armature nipple. Black is the best color because you can see it best as it moves. Barely loosen your set screw. Make sure it's still tight enough so that you have to use a little bit of pressure to turn the contact screw. If it's too loose then when you turn on the machine the contact screw will unscrew its self and you'll have to start over every time you let go of it. Now, hold the machine sideways so your looking at the coils and the armature bar is standing...
Tattoo Aftercare and the Healing process
After the tattoo is complete you may want to bandage the tattoo. Basic First Aid teaches us that denying a wound of oxygen will dramatically slow the healing time. Since the invention of the plastic wrap, people have been putting it on there tattoos. Don't do this. What is a green house A green house is a building with a frame and glass so the sun can get in and make things grow. Your giving people a bacteria farm by putting plastic wrap on a tattoo. Light can get in and heat up the tattoo...
Tattoo Sterilization
Sterilization means by definition, that you make any object, including surfaces, free of germs or bacteria. Technically this is impossible. There are so many germs out there that as soon as something touches the air it is contaminated. Something only remains sterile if you never remove it from a sterilized packaging even then it's only good for about three months. If you autoclave sterilize something and leave it alone, after a period of time it becomes un-sterile again. What this means for you...
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Hepatitis is a viral disease that affects the liver. It is mainly characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the liver. Acute Hepatitis is when it last for six months and chronic is when it last for much longer. Any Infection of the liver or inflammation of the liver is known as hepatitis, but the ones we need to be worried about are specific viruses that affect the liver differently. Some of the symptoms of liver failure are muscle and joint aches, fever, vomiting, loss of...
Starting a Tattoo
Lining a tattoo is one of the more difficult things to do properly. Most artists just assume you tattoo over the purple. This is true but it's like saying you just step on the gas and clutch to drive a standard transmition vehicle. To properly line a tattoo you have to choose your weapon of choice. Lining will most often be a five round or an eight round. Look at the original picture and see if the line work is a thick line or a thin one. Thinner lines need a five while thinker takes an eight....
Machine Tuning
Machine tuning is hands down the most important thing you will need to know about machines themselves. I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone say, I don't need to know how to tune a machine. I just use it out of the box and its fine. This kills me. If you are going to operate any kind of tool you need to know how to do so properly. The theory behind tuning your machine is to get the machine running as smooth as possible. The less vibration the easier operation will be. If you want...
Advanced Tattoo Technique
There is nothing better than taking a talent and honing it into something better then you ever thought you could. In this section I want to cover a few advanced techniques to better help you become a true artist. The problem is never seeing it inside your head, just putting it on skin. One of the best ways to improve your skill is to set up in your color work. Custom colors will defiantly make your mark in the tattoo field. Tattoo pigments mix very well together. Play with different color...
The Tattoo Setup
The set up of a tattoo should be very ritualistic. Every thing you do should be the same every time you tattoo. This way you always know where everything is and where everything is not. If something is missing you know exactly what. Here is the best way I have figured out over the years feel free to come up with what is most comfortable for you. This is a list of what you need for every tattoo. 2. 2 hand sized plastic spray bottles 3. Three non-locking plastic baggies 5. One wooden tongue...
Glycerin
Glycerin is the grey wash artist's best friend. You can purchase 100 pure glycerin form any pharmacy. It's used in many, many, many things so it should be easy to find. Pure glycerin is way too harsh to use, so you will need a separate spray bottle for this. You want to mix the glycerin 50 with water. It's very thick so you will need to shake it very well to get the proper mix. Once mixed use this mixture instead of water to do your grey washing with. It's much thicker than water so you have...
Bugpin Needles For Tattoo Advantages
In the tattooing industry, the individual needles are referred to as pins. There are a few different types of pins, and each configuration again, does something different. The needles used in tattoo originated from bug pins, sewing machine needles, and beading needles. Each of these of these types have different tips and sharpness. The most common metal used for tattooing is 304 stainless steel wire with a diameter of .33mm to .36mm and an average length of 30mm, each type can be polished or...
Lining and Shading
Lining isn't as easy as you may think. You need to put a lot of time and consideration into lining. Lining is not a race. Usually the lining of a tattoo will take you longer than shading or coloring it. Now that your machine is set up you can attach the clip cord. It doesn't matter which way. Run the machine and check the tuning. You may have to do some last minute adjustments, but your machine should have been tuned before hand. While running the machine, check to see if the needle tip is...
Grey Wash and Color Shading Basics
There are two sides to shading a tattoo, the technical side and the artistic side. The artistic side takes many years of practice, which I suggest you study art books that cover pencil shading, color blending, color matching, and light reflection. The best way you can practice art is by repetition. Look at every thing, and then try to draw it. Pay attention to lighting. One rule of shadowing is that in light reflection the shadowed part of the image will be in the direct opposite position of...
Steel Wool Inside The Tattoo Coils
To understand a tattoo machine better let's break it down to nothing. The first things you need to look at are the coils. The tattoo machines heart is the coils. They are nothing more then electro-magnetic coils. A steel shaft wrapped with usually .022 gauge copper wire that has a thin nylon coating on them. The electricity flowing through the wire around the coils pulls the particles of the metal shaft into alignment causing a magnetic field. The steel shaft is solid with the exception of a...
Solid Color and Black
The first tattoos you will be doing when you are ready will be tribal and solid color work. For the most part, you're going to be lining with an eight or a five. The idea of solid color is like the sponge I explained earlier. The longer you hold the sponge in the water the more it will get wet. The only problem is a tattoo needle can damage the skin to the point of scarring if you're in the same spot too long. Scar tissue gets is characteristics from having a lack of elasticity like normal...
Other Supplies
During a tattoo you will be using a few other supplies. Green soap is the most common chemical of tattooing. If you hear someone talk about the smell of a tattoo, that's it. You can order green soap from any tattoo supply company but I have never found it in a medical supply store. Green soap is an anti-bacterial soap that comes in a gallon jug and is very concentrated. Go down to your local buy everything store, in the back of the health and beauty section you will find hand sized plastic...
Frames
Machine frames are made out of cast iron, copper, brass, bronze, stainless steel, and aluminum. Each weighs differently and each has a different level of electrical conductivity which affects the strength of your machine. The weight of your machine will come from the frame so you need to decide what kind of machine you will be running. Cast iron frames are molten metal poured into a cast for the shape. Cast iron machines are made of one piece while machines that the side arm is attached with...