Some new posts from the new book!
http://learntattoodvd.com/2013/04/tattoo-machines-and-electricity/
Tattoo Machines and Electricity
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
welcome tattoo DVD
Here is a bit from welcome tattoo DVD – Disk 1
You NEED this DVD if you want to learn how to tattoo… Just buy it already!! (Or burn a copy from your friend, and upload it to the internet…you know you wish someone else would make a boot leg already!)
When you attach the armature bar screw, and the flat washer to the armature bar, make sure not to tighten down the screw until you have inserted both springs. On a typical tattoo machine, both springs will slide right under the flat washer.
Remember, the rear spring will be
You need to be logged in to see this part of the post. You can get a free membership if you Purchase a copy of Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo! Login using the box in the sidebar. Not registered? Click here to register
Tighten the armature bar screw.
Lastly, the O-ring slips on under the front spring, and depending on the size of the O ring, [00:44:00] it either pulls over the armature bar screw or stretches behind the armature bar itself.
Now we’ll attach the armature bar assembly to the frame. [00:46:00]
This is a sample clip from “welcome tattoo Disk 1″ Tattoo Apprentice Training series DVD. You can get this DVD from many vendors online, or you can find it on Amazon.com -
If you purchase “Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo” You can get a discount from Tattoo Books Online.
When attaching the armature bar assembly to the rear spring mount, check that the rear spring is flush with the mount area, specifically, the clip cord lead input. The clip cord will actually insert into the input hole, making contact with the rear spring and completing the electrical circuit.
Now, the rear spring mounting screw with the flat washer is attached, but not tightened.
Keep in mind that the greater the amount of rear spring overhanging from the frame toward the coils, the less resistance will be needed for the coils to pull down the armature bar. This plays a role in tuning, also the width and gauge of metal used in the rear [00:48:00] spring will play a role in tuning.
You need to be logged in to see this part of the post. You can get a free membership if you Purchase a copy of Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo! Login using the box in the sidebar. Not registered? Click here to register
welcome tattoo DVD
Monday, March 18, 2013
Tattoo Machine Assembly (from welcome tattoo - DVD Disk 1)
Again, with an Allen key, remove the rear spring mounting screw from the rear upright of the frame, setting it aside with the flat washer. Next, he will remove the armature bar screw separating the rear spring, front spring and the armature bar. If you use an O-ring, this will separate as well.
The rear binding post is next. Removing the rear binding post mounting screw will allow the rear binding post, insulating washers and flat washers to separate from the frame. [00:36:00] The capacitor wire lead and rear coil wire lead will also separate.
This is a sample clip from “welcome tattoo Disk 1″ Tattoo Apprentice Training series DVD. You can get this DVD from many vendors online, or you can find it on Amazon.com -
If you purchase “Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo” You can get a discount from Tattoo Books Online.
Now, he is removing the tube vice screw and setting it aside. The coils will be removed shortly, but before that, here’s a look at a one and a half coil setup. You will notice that the yolk is used on the frame base between the frame and the coils. This is because the frame he is working with here is made of aluminum and electricity will not flow through the base of the frame.
The yolk creates a horseshoe magnet effect giving the machine a stronger magnetic field, stronger than if each coil were to be working independently. Beware if you have shim washers between your yolk in the bottom of the coil cords. They might be used as a way to create a proper gap between the armature bar, and the top of the coil cords. Ensure you do not lose them and the coil mounting screws are removed.
After removing the front and rear coil mounting screws, the coils can be removed from the frame, then the yolk and shims. [00:38:00]
Again, he has shown here keeping the pieces together as a way to make the reassembly much easier.
This is a disassembled aluminum framed, one and a half coil tattoo machine.
[00:40:00] Use plastic wrap on your workstation to keep it clean. You will need to have several rolls of this stuff handy. Do not skimp on paper towels, plastic wrap and disposables. You will need to get it in your mind that no matter how small the tattoo, these things are factored into the initial set up costs.
Within the armature bar assembly, there is the armature bar, front spring, rear spring, optional O-ring, rear spring mounting screw, armature bar screw and flat washers one for each screw.
Tattoo Machine Assembly (from welcome tattoo - DVD Disk 1)
Basic Fundamentals on Sale
Check this out, I found the popular book Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo book for sale for $15.00
How long will that price last? I don’t know – check it out though.
Basic Fundamentals on Sale
Join the Tattoo Army
So, here is a bit more information on working with me on a project called TattooRadar.com
If you are interested…
Thank you for your interest in the “Tattoo Army”.
The goal of this project is to help build the tattoo education open source community, and to spread the word about tattoo to new and experienced tattoo professionals.
I have several projects in the works (as usual), but I am drowning in the level of content that is needed to get these things going.
What can you do?
TattooRadar.com is a website that I am working on bringing back up to snuff. This website got really popular, but Joe Lucero and I just didn’t have the time to maintain it. It is a tattoo equipment review site. Think of it as the consumer reports of the tattoo industry. We are looking for “Bloggers” or writers who are interested in writing reviews ontattoo equipment.
How to get involved in TattooRadar.com?
1.) Prove that you know how to write.
2.) Show me you are dedicated.
3.) Get free stuff (books / DVDs / Equipment)
You need to write me Five (5) Professional reviews for tattoo equipment. You can see sample reviews on the website. They need to be in depth, and have a “star rating” like 1/10 stars or 3 out of ten stars. Ten out of Ten being bad ass. One out of Ten being (stay away).
Once you have done 5 reviews then you will become an official writer for the site. You will be required to do at least two reviews a month. You will be given either money to purchase the equipment to review or you will be given the product for free.
You should be working in a tattoo studio, or be an apprentice in order to review any professional equipment.
If you are not yet working in a tattoo studio, then you can review practice equipment and educational materials. (Books / DVDs / Practice Skins / Art Materials etc.)
Remember, I need 5 solid articles from you w/ photos of the product you are reviewing. You should also consider making a video review of the product w/ your web cam (in addition to the article). Article is the important part – the videos are icing on the cake.
Sound like something you are interested in? Let me know.
There are many more projects and websites that I am working on, but TattooRadar.com is my main focus right now.
Like the Wiki (Tattoo Encyclopedia) that is getting built out. And the Online Tattoo Training Programs (which we will need people to test the platforms).
For the top article writers, you will not only get free stuff from companies that want gear reviews, but you will be paid by me per article written.
If you are interested in becoming a TattooRadar.com author, please eMail me ASAP!
Thanks! And keep checking TeachMeToTattoo.com (search for Tattoo Army) Tag for more related posts.
This is also a good way for you to get your name out there in the industry.
You must submit a photo of you (like a portrait) that will be your “mug shot” next to each article you write.
Please try to refrain from profanity in the articles – try to keep it somewhat professional!
Be sure to introduce yourself (First and Last Name / Country / if USA: State)
Also include why you think you would be a good addition to the Tattoo Army and what types of products you would like to review!
Join the Tattoo Army
Monday, March 11, 2013
Some reviews of The Tattoo Book
Check out these reviews for Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo (on Ama on.com)
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!!!, March 8, 2013
By Jimmy – See all my reviews
Ama on Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Basic Fundamentals Of Modern Tattoo (Paperback)
I am in the process of opening my own shop with gifted artists and basically doing an apprenticeship as an owner. I purchased this book as a basis for tattoo theory and machine familiarity. I also purchased my equipment and machines 2 weeks later. Upon receiving my equipment…I could easily identify all parts of the machine, do a complete breakdown along with tuning. Set up and take down of the work area along with awareness of cross contamination and many other aspects was very insightful. I was educated with different perspectives while the author remained impartial and lets you choose what works for you. There are also many recommendations for making purchases from reputable manufacturers of tattoo supplies and equipment. I highly recommend this book for anyone curious about the basic art of tattooing, starting out in a venture or seeking general knowledge before you trust someone to decorate YOUR body.
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED IT, March 7, 2013
By christopher hundt – See all my reviews
Ama on Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Basic Fundamentals Of Modern Tattoo (Paperback)
I’m a person that can read something an do it. That’s just how I learn. I can pick up anything I want. This book was everything I was looking for an more. Would love to see more from the same author. If he would like to look me up on facebook an give me pointers that would always be welcome. Other wise thank you for a good intro book.
Christopher A. Hundt.
Some reviews of The Tattoo Book
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Register your Tattoo Book to get access to the Video Tutorials!
Click Here if you need help with the Portal or the Forum (specifically registration)
Register your Tattoo Book to get access to the Video Tutorials!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Tattoo Army is Recruiting!
Soldier tattoo from ArmyTimes.comI need some volunteers who are interested in working on some side projects w/ me!
Let me know if you are interested! Some of the projects will earn you money, some will earn you free tattoo equipment.
Requires posting gear reviews online, and writing gear reviews and some product promotion stuff. Also working on a Tattoo Encyclopedia, and a Free Online tattoo training program (book work stuff – no actual tattooing) just as a supplement to an apprenticeship.
I am looking for people who do not tattoo yet, people who are apprentices, and people who are pros!
Let me know if you are interested!
eMail me ASAP, I only have a few positions open.
JoinTheTattooArmy @ TattooBooksOnline.com
Tattoo Army is Recruiting!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Tattoo Needle Configurations
This is some information from CR Jordan’s new DVD Training series for Tattoo Artists. The following is a rough transcript from “Welcome Tattoo DVD 2″ (which is the second part of the series). Welcome Tattoo and Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo (the book) are a MUST have for any tattoo artist.
CR Jordan talks about tattoo tubesIf you are going to be a good tattoo artist and not just a tattooist, you have to know the tools of your trade. That is why I emphasi e that it is so important that you are able to not only tune your tattoo machine but repair your tattoo machine and pick the right types of needles as well as building your own needles, so you are going to need a lot of supplies to do that. Before we go into building your own needles, I want to talk a little bit about the types of needles. If you are brand new to tattooing or you are an apprentice and you are still just trying to figure things out in this industry, it might be a little bit confusing to see all these different types of needles available for sale.
There is four major types of needles that you can purchase. There is going to be rounds. There is going to be mags. There is going to be flats and then there is going to be tight rounds. Now, there is couple different variants of mags. There is going to be woven mags and stacked mags and curved mags. When you talk about rounds, you are going to see loose rounds and tight rounds. Flats are pretty much flats. They are what they are.
Now, it gets even more complicated than that because after we look at the needle configurations, we can talk about the actual needles themselves that make up the needle configurations. Now, I am not going to emphasi e too much.
Okay. Once upon a time when I became a tattoo artist, apprentices were the ones in the shop that had to make the needles. It was very tedious. There is fumes. You burn yourself and it is a pain in the ass. However, now it has gotten so cheap with all of the needle suppliers typically coming from overseas that it is very hard to find tattoo artists these days that have the time or even the knowledge on how to make tattoo needles, so I am not going to go too far in depth with the needle building right now but we are going to go ahead and talk about the actual needles themselves that you are going to buy prepackaged. It is really important that when you buy needles prepackaged that they are blister pack sealed. This is going to ensure that those needles are sterile and that they are certified.
All right. Let us talk about what exactly is a tattoo needle. When we say tattoo needle, we are not really talking about a needle, a single needle like when you go get a shot from the doctor like an injection, hypodermic needle. What we are talking about are more along the lines of what a sewing needle or a pushpin needle is. When tattoo artists say I am grabbing a tattoo needle out of this box, they are really talking about a group of needles that are soldered together on a needle bar, so when you will hear me talk about a needle, I am really talking about the group of needles.
The needles themselves are different diameters and different tapers and different lengths. When I talk about diameter, I am talking about how big the actual individual needle is when you look down the needle at the measurement of the radius of the needle. When we talk about taper, we are talking about the very tip of the needle, how it is sharpened essentially, how blunt or how sharp the needle is. There is also textured needles, needles that have been hit with some type of a sandblast material that puts little pits into the needle. Some say that when you have these little pits in the needle that it is going to carry a little bit more ink in those pits when it punctures the skin and it is going to put the ink in a little bit better. A common needle that has gotten a lot of popularity in the past couple of years is called the bug pin needle and these are just really small diameter needles and there is also, I think, long and short tapered bug pins.
This is some information from CR Jordan’s new DVD Training series for Tattoo Artists. The following is a rough transcript from “Welcome Tattoo DVD 2″ (which is the second part of the series). Welcome Tattoo and Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo (the book) are a MUST have for any tattoo artist.
Tattoo needle example from welcome tattoo DVDOnce you have figured out what type of needles you are going to use then you have to figure out what type of needle configurations you are going to use. The configurations are going to be the rounds, the flats, or the mags. Now, diving deeper into the round types of configurations, you have the loose rounds and you have the tight rounds. Loose rounds are typically going to be also referred to as shaders and tight rounds are going to be referred to typically as liners. When we talk about mags, we have a couple of different options there. We are looking at woven mags, stacked mags, and curved mags.
Let us talk about flats. A flat needle configuration is typically going to be several needles placed side by side next to each other and then soldered together onto a needle bar. They are flat. They are all just laying flat in a row next to each other.
When we talk about mags or magnum needles, we are talking about woven or stacked mags typically. Now, a stacked mag is going to be a flat needle configuration soldered on top of another flat needle configuration. Typically, the configurations are going to be one less needle on the top of the stack than what is on the bottom. An example would be ten needles on the bottom and nine on top. The top needle stack is staggered so that the top needles are in between the bottom needles.
When we talk about woven mag configurations, it is a flat needle configuration where typically a ra or blade is stuck in between every other needle and it is woven in and out between that flat configuration and it is then soldered so that every other needle is a little bit higher than the one before it. This simulates a stacked configuration. However, it uses less needles and you can get a little bit more ink in with a little bit less trauma. The gradients on a stacked mag compared to a woven mag are going to be a little bit finer or a little bit better blended on a stacked mag depending on who you talk to.
Then that brings us to curved mags. Curved mags are either
You need to be logged in to see this part of the post. You can get a free membership if you Purchase a copy of Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo! Login using the box in the sidebar. Not registered? Click here to register
Traditional tattoo rules of thumb for mags or flats are if you ever use a flat or a mag on its side or at an angle that you are going to cut the skin like a ra or blade. Now, that is actually true and not true depending on how you tattoo and depending on your hand pressure. You can actually cut the skin like a ra or blade with a round configuration just as easy as with the mag. I can tell you that there are many artists who use mags and flats and they line with them all the time on their side or they will lift the needle up a little bit and get into a sharp or a hard to reach spot of the tattoo using the corner of the mag and it does not cause that much trauma but you have to be really careful and you have to really practice this.
How do these tattoo needle manufacturers actually get a group of individual needles into a configuration like a round and once they do get them in that configuration, how do they make it a loose or tight? The loose or the tight needle configurations are accomplished by the jig. Now, jig can be something as simple as a drill bit si e tool or there are custom jigs that are actually specifically designed for tattooing. Since you are going to be using solder and heat and flux when you are building your needles if you are building them, then you have to have a type of material for your jig that the solder or the needles are not going to stick to, so it is really important to make sure that the material that your jig is made of is going to cooperate with the soldering process.
Once the needles are laid out, they are put into this jig and the initial solder is done. Now, if the needle configuration needs to be tighter, for example if you are trying to build a liner configuration, that initial configuration will be taken out of the jig and then it will be put into a smaller or tighter hole which will then compress that same group of needles a little bit tighter together and then it is resoldered. That is the best way to create a loose or a tight configuration.
Also, how far down the needle grouping that the needles are soldered will also control how the needles react as far as being loose or tight meaning if a needle configuration is soldered farther up the needle grouping, then those needles are going to have a little bit more flexibility and they are going to have a little bit more give and the outcome of the tattoo will be a little bit softer, so a looser soldered grouping is going to have a softer effect because the needles are going to be a little bit more free to move than a grouping that is soldered closer to the tip which will keep those needles stiff and together and tight, so typically a liner is going to be soldered little bit further down the grouping with a little bit more solder and flux than a shader or a loose grouping.
Now that you have purchased your needles, let us talk about how to identify what the needle configurations are just by looking at the blister packs that the needles come in. Now, on this example I have a 1214RS and that is in red ink. The 12 means that the needles are 12 gauge. The 14 means there is actually 14 needles. The R means that they are in a round configuration and the S means they are in a loose configuration or a shader configuration, so this will be a 14 round shader.
CR Jordan’s Welcome Tattoo DVD seriesLooking at this example of a mag configuration, we can see 1215CM. Once again, the 12 is for the gauge of the needle, 15 means there are 15 needles and then the CM means curved mag. Now, it does not say anywhere on here if this is a stacked mag or if it is a woven mag, so that is where you have to know the difference and you have to be able to look at it inside the pack or know when you are purchasing them what type of needles you would like and those are the ones you are typically going to stick with.
A lot of artists actually are only going to use maybe five or six different types of needle groupings. I know some artists who only use three or four different types of groupings because they tattoo the same style over and over. It is always good to have the whole variety of needles and matching tubes on hand just in case somebody walks into the shop and you have to come up with something that is a little bit outside your comfort one and you need that tool that is going to make your job faster.
A long time ago, the rule of thumb for tattooing was you have to use a liner. You would outline your tattoo and then you would use your round shader or your flat shader and you would color in your tattoo. You would use some gradients possibly but tattoos were pretty much the same no matter where you went and almost all the artists tattooed the same style.
As the tattoo machine and the tattoo pigment technology has improved over the years, so have the needles and so have the artist skills. Now, there are really no
You need to be logged in to see this part of the post. You can get a free membership if you Purchase a copy of Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo! Login using the box in the sidebar. Not registered? Click here to register
Okay. Now, we know what needles are. We know that the actual needle is not just a single needle. We know that it is a group of needles. They are soldered together in configurations. Now, you have to have that needle sitting inside of a tube. The tube is going to attach to the tattoo machine. The tube itself is typically made of three major parts. We have the tube tip, the tube stem, and then the tube grip.
(so this was just a teaser of what is coming on DVD2 – next month!) Stay tuned. You need to get DVD1 and the Book Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo if you are thinking about becoming a tattoo apprentice!
Tattoo Needle Configurations
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)