
Bronze tattoo machines are quite popular among tattoo artists. The reason is actually relatively simple. Bronze is a soft metal, as far as metals go. This makes it easily machine able. An easily machined metal makes for a less expensive product than say… a stainless steel machine.
Bronze is also easy to engrave, or even stamp with an image. This makes bronze tattoo machines easy to customize once an artist has them. In a practice as individual as tattooing; nothing is a bigger let down than feeling the same as everyone else. If it’s going to take a diamond bit to scratch your machine, it’s not very easy to customize.
Cost is the final reason bronze tattoo machines are so popular. It’s much cheaper to make a machine out of bronze than from an iron based metal mix- like steel. It nearly goes without saying that it’s cheaper than jeweler quality metals such as sterling silver; although those are an actual option in the tattoo machine market.