Let go of armature bar so it springs back up against the contact screw. Needles should not stick out from tip of tube at all, or just ever so slightly. Make sure tube opening is facing squarely forward and tighten the set screw. The machine is now set-up for some serious tattooing. The machine should be hooked-up to run and needles checked for correct movement.
(See previous chapter on machines for proper instructions on hooking up a machine.)
Good tattooing can only be done if the needles are strictly up and down. Sometimes they wobble and quiver sideways when machine is running and this is what should be checked for and remedied.
With machine running, use a power eye loupe to check the needle movement. If there is a sideways motion or a double image of the needles moving side to side, don’t tattoo until it is corrected. The rubber band tensión and a snug fit of the looped end of the needle bar is the way to stop the side wobble and this is done with either tape or rubber grommets. Sometimes a slight voltage reduction will also help. If there is a snug fit at the looped end of the needle bar and there is still a side wobble, move one or more rubber bands in a different position along the top of the needle bar until the right tensión is achieved to further stop the side wobble. Never bend the needle bar. Keep checking with machine running always using the eye loupe to make sure the needles are running just up and down. Any side motion has to be avoided. Each needle should be clearly seen with no blurring or double side to side or up and down images.
When using an eye loupe to check for correct needle motion, it is also a good time to check the needle tips for bad points. (See Section on needles.) This should be a habitual thing because this entire procedure has to be performed before each and every tattoo on both the outliner and the shader. If you tattoo with a side wobble, the needles will rip up the skin pretty badly, tearing it and doing damage that will make insertion of the ink difficult, and while it’s healing, scabbing and loss of color will result. With experience, this total operation takes only about two minutes and it will save a lot of time and aggravatfon Jater when putting color in and when it’s healing.

Posted on August 1st, 2008 by admin
Tags: butterfly tattoos, free tattoo designs, Tattoo designs, tattoos, tribal tattoos

Assembly instructions are about the same in reverse as the disassembly instructions, but let’s go over a few important detaüs.
Slowly insert sterilized needle bar into sterilized tube. Be extremely careful not to bump the tips of the needles against anything, including inside tube walls or edges. Then insert tube (with bar inside) into the frame hole. Finger tighten the locking screw.
At this point, let’s recall a couple of facts. For sanitary reasons and ink clogging, the tube tip is semi-cut away. This is an open-sanitary tube. This opening must always be facing forward of the machine, not to the rear of it or sideways. Make sure when inserting tube into frames that the open section of the tube is always facing squarely forward, then finger tighten the set screw.
Notice that the needle bar has a loop on the end. This loop slips over a piece of tape molded onto the end of the armature bar. (If the tape needs replacing, use a piece of white surgical cloth tape about one inch long and mold it around the bar.) The loop has an “open” end. When machine is facing left (tape on left, coils and frame to the right), the open end of the loop is always away from you (or when held straight front view, the loop is always to the left).

Posted on July 30th, 2008 by admin
Tags: butterfly tattoos, Tattoo designs, tattoos, tribal tattoos

Now that the machine set-up has been explained, needles and tube disassembly will be discussed. Begin by loosening the machine screw which is located where the tube meets the frame. This will loosen up the tube by easing the pressure on it by way of the machined slot in the front of the frame. If tube is a little snug, a light prying in the jaw gap will open up the hole. This screw can be in all different varieties, according to the machine: Wing nut, sunken head, alien or even “quick-release” models, but their function is still the same, to apply adjustable pressure on the tube to cause it to lock up.
The next step after the lock screw is loosened is to lift the rubber bands up off the needle bar. Pick them up and over the needle bar and place them around the contact screw, out of the way.

Next, pop the needle bar loop off the taped armature bar protrusion. When this is done, work out the tube with the needle in it. When tube is free of machine, lift out the needle and place it in a steel tray. Once again, when handling needle bars, use caution at all times. Whether inserting needles in tubes or removing them, be extremely careful not to touch the points to any surface so they won’t be damaged. The needle bar and tube are now free to be sterilized.

Posted on July 25th, 2008 by admin
Tags: butterfly tattoos, tattoo art, Tattoo designs, tattoos

Holding a tattoo machine correctly entails much more than just getting a good grip on it and digging right in.
All needle tubes should be stainless steel and all correctly manufactured stainless steel tubes come complete with a knurled grip on them. Knurling is a machinist’s term used for pieces of metal with lathed on “crisscrosses” engraved in the metal, commonly used for grip-type surfaces. This is what the needle tubes should have on them. Metal knurled grips are much better than plastic or tape. With plastic type grips, the hands seem to stick more to them, and shifting of the machine can be erratic. Metal knurling provides a sure grip but also allows readjustment of the fingers much easier in case some shifting around of the machine is necessary.
The basic hold on the needle tube (already set-up in the machine) is the standard pencil-grip. A tattoo machine is held very much like a pencil or a pen, but with a few differences.
When first holding a tattoo machine, you will notice that there is a certain heft to it. Some say they are downright heavy. Don’t let this disturb you because in due time they will feel quite natural. The muscles in the hand have to-get used to working with the machine. Remember, you will be handling and using these machines for a living and tattoos can take time to put on. Large pieces can take many hours of handling a machine without much rest in between. All of this can be quite tiring at first and this is why you must build up muscles in your hand so you won’t get cramps or muscle aches. Before even tattooing, practice holding the machine as much as possible. Try to constantly hold the machine and “air practice.” This can be done while watching T.V., talking or just about anything. Several hours a night of practice will have your hand muscled up in no time. Muscles build up fast and get used to a routine pretty quick. Still, it might take several weeks to properly break in the muscles.

Posted on July 25th, 2008 by admin
Tags: butterfly tattoos, tattoo art, Tattoo designs, tattoos

If the tube is tight in the frame jaws, the slot gap will have to be widened. This can be done by dismantling the machine and clamping the frame in a vice and sawing through the gap with two fine tooth hack saw blades. Screw the coils to the frame base and use a straight edge to see whether the centers of the coil cores are in a direct line with the center of the tube hole and the center of the spring hanger. If one or both are slightly off center, loosen screw and insert a thin piece of copper shim on the low side under core. Tighten screw and see how it looks; you may have to shift shim several times to get it right.

When the machine is running, the armature bar strikes the front core of the first coil, but must not be allowed to touch the rear core. If it does, file a bit off the rear core surface.
Whenever filing, first mark the surface with Prussian blue (available at art supply shops) so you will see just what you have done and where you are going. Afterwards, remove filings with a Q-tip dipped in glycerine. On some frames, it’s necessary to remove coil to file.
Also, on most machines, you can move the spring-hanger slightly from side-to-side or back-and-forth a bit. Clamp the frame base in a vice and grasp spring-hanger with vice-grips and bend gently. Armature bar can be lowered slightly by filing surface of spring hanger, which you will have to do after you bend it in order to level the surface.
If points don’t meet to make a perfect contact, you can move side-arm in or out and on most machines fore or aft a bit - be sure the base is tightly gripped in vice when doing this. The significance of this is that shading machines perform better with longer fore and aft springs - even 1/8 of an inch can make a remarkable difference.

Posted on July 24th, 2008 by admin
Tags: butterfly tattoos, tatto, Tattoo designs, tattoos

Tattoo machines run on direct current. In the beginning, you may want to use a battery set-up. They are simple and cheap at first. The drawback is they have to be maintained and charged.
You can get a good Power Unit for less than the price of two batteries. A Power Unit is handy because it can be plugged into the wall socket, and is fairly trouble-free. Excellent units are available on the Market today. Even if a Power Unit is used, a battery set-up is a useful piece of spare equipment to have around.
Also, if you have a cellar, you may want to use two 12 volt auto batteries and a trickle charger. If so, use caution as overcharged batteries are highly explosive, and you don’t want any battery acid around the area of your work.
A rheostat mounted on a bakelite panel provided with connecting posts may be available from your tattoo supply house.
Power Units come in different sizes. Buy the best one that you can afford. A good power supply is very important.

Posted on July 22nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: butterfly tattoos, cross tattoos, design your own tattoo, fairy tattoos, tattoo art

One thing to keep in mind is that you are in business for yourself, and your goal is to offer the public a service of beautiful artwork in return for making a living. This means contact with a lot of people and a lot of people spells profít. Never let the public and your fans down. They will increasingly respect and trust you as long as you give them quality work. they rely on you to be competent and professional and are paying good money for that service.
Tattooing is unique because of that mysterious element of permanency involved. This draws some people to it and also may keep some away. As it is, when a piece of work is fínished, it cannot easily be removed. One good mistake and you’ve had it. The customer’s artwork is a living testimony of your skill as a tattooist and more than likely they will be sporting it around for the rest of their lives.
A TATTOO IS AN ART FORM AND THE CUSTOMER IS THE CANVAS.
The quality of your work will depend largely on knowledge of the trade, techniques and how to use them the right way. “Practice makes perfect,” and with the right equipment, practical knowledge and a good attitude, you will eventually have one hot setup and this swings the odds in your favor. Through all these efforts, you will fínally be able to say you are a “tattoo artist.”

Posted on July 22nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: butterfly tattoos, tattoo art, Tattoo designs, tattoos