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Tattoo Machine Parts
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Tattoo Machine Parts.
If you’ve ever tattooed someone or even been tattooed multiple times you’ll know the difference between a properly operating, well maintained tattoo machine over an out of whack, poorly aligned machine. For the tattooist it becomes an ease of use issue. A poorly maintained machine can have a number of problems such as uncontrolled vibration, a sticky mechanism, weak connections and springs and a number of other ailments that can cause a significant amount of pain to the tattooed as well as the tattooist. Don’t even mention the scarring that can ruin a tattoo forever.
This makes it very important for a tattoo artist to have a well maintained tattoo machine, two are typical for most artists, and high quality spare tattoo machine parts such as springs, extra hardware, o-rings, coils, and grommets. The most often replaced pieces are the needles, tubes, and grips because of the possibility of contamination and the difficulty of properly cleaning them. Many of these parts are now one time use yet affordable and can be safely disposed of after the tattooing session is finished.
One of the only parts on a tattoo machine that should last a lifetime is the frame which should be made of high quality, easy to clean metal such as steel, nickel or copper. Forged steel frames are the toughest, longest lasting and thus the most expensive but for most tattooists this is the only way to go. The armature bar and yoke are likewise long lasting but are easily replaced when necessary.
Tattoo machine parts can be very difficult to find at times, especially on old machines which often had a very limited run and completely custom built machines of all ages. Luckily the design of almost every tattoo gun is remarkably similar so parts can often be interchanged between different machines. The internet is a great resource for finding specific pieces and if all else fails it is not very expensive to get the part custom machined at a local metal shop. Just be sure not to test it on any living skin.
There are fine tune adjustments that can be made in between lining and shading and there are set up adjustments that should be done before starting a tattoo. Setting up the machine is the most important part but should be followed by fine tuning. There are only two parts that can be adjusted during set up and those are the stroke length and the spring compression. The stroke length is the distance the armature bar travels up and down while the machine is running and the spring compression is the term used to describe the effect of the main spring and the timing spring.
The main spring return force is reliant upon the size, the tension, and the angle of the spring. Timing spring resistance is related only to the size of the spring.
The two fine tuning adjustments are the rubber band tension and the air gap. If a machine cannot run smoothly after completing these adjustments correctly new parts may be needed or simply further adjustment. A properly working tattoo machine makes tattooing and being tattooed much more pleasant, easy and quick.
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