# DIY / Traditional Tattoos



## RnJ

OK, this thread is long overdue. While stick and pokes, which I know are probably pretty popular with you kids, can be discussed here, the topic is in fact much broader. I think we can discuss any tattoos which are not done with modern machines.

I have only one tattoo, which was done by machine. I am very interested in getting more, I am just not feeling the whole pay big money to get a friggin photograph painted on arm. No thanks. Personally, my taste in tattoos leans towards simple, symbolic, iconic or text (not image-based), non bright colors, and traditional style.

I've been researching some of the alternative tattoo methods. Anything from home-deal stick 'n' pokes and homemade tattoo machines using an electric toothbrush or cassette player motor, to traditional Mauri style (with the multi-needled sticks tapped into your flesh) and Thai style (with a stick with a needle used like a pool cue on your arm).

To be most honest, and this is perhaps why I started the thread, the kind of tattoo I have most obsessed about getting lately is a charcoal tattoo. If I'm not mistaken, charcoal can be used in various tattooing methods, but it has often used to rub into cuts and left to heal.

I'm wondering, what kind of DIY or traditional tattoos do you have?

And has anybody here experimented with charcoal, either injected it as usual or rubbing it into cuts?
It's been hard to find solid info about this online.


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## L.C.

-I have a tombstone on my arm with home on it. my palms are tattood with "pay up this sucks". so when i pan handle i can just put my hands out begger style. It works sometimes, but not the greatest. I have others,but those are my favorite.


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## RnJ

What method did you use? Stick and poke?


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## MrD

I have a few Stick-and-poke tattoos I have given my self. Stick and poke tattoos are easy and pretty fun. I gave myself a white one, It looks badass, kinda like a scar.

As far as I have seen, The charcoal method has worked pretty well. I have seen it done once, and given one using charcoal. 
The method I used was:
Use the soot, the shit thats been in the fire pit for a while, then for whatever reason, mix it with it with some water, vitamin c (orange juice, lemon, lime) and some sugar (or sugar substance found in the wild if you are going that way). I guess the Vitamin c and sugar makes it healthier for you, not sure, but it works pretty well!


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## UrbanNokizaru

I have a few stick and pokes and one shop tattoo. A friend of mine has a scarification tattoo that's DIY. Him and a friend went to the park and just cut it into his back with a knife and then when it was healing irritated it to make it scar, it came out pretty nice considering he probably treated it like shit. Sounds like a fuckton of pain though...


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## headwound

I've heard using a clean rig for stick in poke works really well, just draw up a little ink and you have a constant drip and a fuck-off sharp needle. I've only ever used three sewing needles taped together, then taped to the end of a pen or pencil for stick in poke though.


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## sons of vipers




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## sons of vipers

sorrry for the huge pictures... but theres a few of my stick n pokes


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## headwound

That's a sick ass sail boat


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## katbastard

i have lots of tattoos, most are diy home made gun tattoos, the gun was made out of a c.d. player the needle was a spring out of a bic lighter















the last tattooed i got on my face, was with a real tattoo gun hard wired to a car battery in slab city
View attachment 24224
View attachment 24225

i have more of my tattoo pix on my profile page


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## crazy john

this is my only poke and stick to date. i drew it on when i was drunk and my skin buddy tapped it in. i cant draw, but when im drunk, everything is worse. i studdded my vest drunk yesterday and now i have to redo it. dont draw your own tattos when your drunk is the moral of this story


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## crazy john

although i do like the design, it kinda looks like shit. o well, i guess its "unique"


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## plagueship

i've wanted to make one of those maori-style lateral needle array thingums cause i really like blackwork, but didn't really figure out a good way to rig it. so i just wound up tying a bunch of needles together. i would also be interested if anyone has figured out an easy-ish way to do this or any other way to tattoo opaque areas without a machine.

i've known a few people who did the razor method for tattoos - is that what you're talking about with charcoal? i know sumi ink is usually made from soot which is very close to the same substance (carbon).


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## RnJ

plagueship, yeah, I feel like I've heard of rubbing of ash into cuts.
I experimented a bit with it by using India ink, and it works provided you pull the cut apart a bit while you put in the ink, and bandage it up until it scabs over. It doesn't show up very dark, kinda like a gunmetal grey. I just have a 1cm line right now, I might extend it to circle around my ankle eventually.


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## happyearthhomes

man i got some shit tats when i was a kid cut my initials in my leg w/a razor nd rubber permant marker over it got infected and faded but still got it 20 yrs later mixed blood cigerette ash n weed ash n gave myself party dots on my hand never infected and stayed dark 20 yrs now very lite fading tried removing a party dot by cutting it w a razor nd rubbing fake lemon juice in it barely faded it probably shuda tried real lemon juice for more acid content didnt know that tho was only like 14 at the time got into fight and a dude had a knife and i blocked with my arm that has a big celtic cross on it got cut pretty deep a few times and the ink came rite out when it healed now there is scars in the tat with no ink in em so i know if u go deep enough u can cut a tat off


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## acrata4ever

http://tvad.biz/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/1300048507-60.jpg


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## crazy john

hahahahahah ^^^^^^^^^^^^


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## 40 Hands

acrata4ever said:


> http://tvad.biz/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/1300048507-60.jpg



They shoulda put a culvers or jack in the box instead of subway lol

My friend has a pretty badass stick n poke tat of a logo he came up with. Its a cross hair with his tag initials. I was about to do one myself outta a chicken bone i hot glued 2 sewing needles in, but never got around to it and lost my chiken bone. I was waiting to do a shamanic ritual of sorts. I still plan on doin this sometime, just havent gotten around to it.


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## Vonuist

I've been doing this one on myself for the past few years. It's a work in progress, especially as I've got to do it in the mirror so I can only manage about an hour and a half before my eyes go funny and I can't tell left from right anymore.
I use an odd little three-needle group that I learned from Purotu on Moorea, it's like the reverse of a machine 3 liner. Two '00' points are soldered together with the points drawn tightly in and a third, reversed, needle soldered along the spine to add stability. It sounds like shit but it works like a dream for handwork, or at least for this kind of dot-work.
For a handle I use an exacto-blade holder that's been slightly machined out with a Dremel to give a good purchase for the needle group.
Ink-wise I still have some kuro-sumi left, but Rotring technical pen ink is absolutely fine.
Technique-wise it's just basic hand picking, using denser fields of dots to create shade. It heals really quickly.
Should only take another four or five years at this rate.




BTW It's really difficult to photograph yourself from this angle, so apologies for the wierd gut-thrusting pose.


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## crazy john

dude thats fuckin awesome!!!!


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## 40 Hands

crazy john said:


> dude thats fuckin awesome!!!!



Agreed


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## Vonuist

Thanks.
Next time I have a session I'll see if I can video it and post it, then anyone who's interested can see how it's done.
If anyone seriously wants to learn how to tattoo by hand I'm only too happy to help.


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## trash diver

Native americans used charcoal and also ,Otzi,''the ice man'' had several charcoal tatoos.Does anyone do scarification?


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## Sydney

L.C. said:


> -I have a tombstone on my arm with home on it.



nice.


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## Teaandcigarettes

I have all my toes done with stick n poke that I did myself and they turned out well. I also did some for some friends of mine and they like them a lot.


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## train in vain

All black is is carbon and water and may e some vlycerin or something else to kind of hold it all together. Lots of drawing ink will have other stuff aded to make it waterproof or glossy you dont really want to use that shit for a tattoo. Unless you feel like you need some good old shellac in your body. So the whole can i use charcoal thing would be yes you can no problem addind anything other than some DISTILLED water like oj or whatever else some suggested seems pretty pointless. I rarely do stick n pokes these days but on the rare occasion i just use a tattoo needle and tattoo pigments. I was pretty good with three sewing needles though. I thnk about the stick n pokes i did in the past and im glad i dont have fuckin hep now. Usually a bad idea. Did a hand poke job a couple weeks back drinking wih friends and dude was flipping out when i busted out gloves green soap the works haha. Fuck your diseased bloods!


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## KittyFlipper

My first tattoo was done at a shop with a machine and it's a piece of shit. I got ripped off and the artwork is wrong. Basically I drew up a magpie for myself and the guy traced it wrong and totally fucked it up. It overscabbed, scarred and yeah I hate it.

The rest I have done myself stick and poke.
I have an anchor on my thumb and a diamond on my wrist done with a sewing needle and india ink. They faded and went blueish but I like them. I also have an apple I did on my left thigh using a piercing needle (I find these are great because of the hollow centre, they hold your ink!) and tattoo ink. It's my favourite tattoo.

I definately want more , both pro and stick and poke but I am nervous to go back to a shop and recieve another shitty tatto that I will hate for the rest of my life..


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## suntines

I've had stick'n'pokes with sewing needles and a stick'n'poke with tattooing needles. My boyfriend did this one on himself, his technique is not half bad. [The extreme close-up doesn't really do it justice though.]


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## Born into this

- Vonuist; wow that's amazing o,o


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## TheHawk

i have 1 shop tattoo i got at 17- however i only went and paid bc 1.i was in fl and i knew the artist from md - 2.i got high as shit and watched simpsons the whole time.
everything since then has been self tattoos/barters i have about 30 or so now i lose count because i keep adding more...on that subject, yes i do my own tattoos, and i'll do yours too. so private message me about said things if you need to.

**** don't expect some fucking koi fish flash bullshit tho my ink only ranges from haggard ass shit, to punk as fuckin fuck! ******

a little about my views of tattoo- To me, tattoos are an expression of myself, they are not meant to be perfect portraits or works of "traditional art"...
what art is to me- is whatever the fuck i want it to be. and that's what it should be for everyone... however so many people worry about what's gonna look cool or what they are trying to portray in the work that it's not really their true style. i guess what i am trying to explain is better described through pictures.. since actions speak louder.

check it....

first one's for kat haha- this thread inspired me to finally drag up the pic of my forearm gonzo- a little modified, lots of bats, and it's sheathed "in my skin" and through the words "metal" ..... bc i bleed metal mother fuckers!!!

2nd an 3rd is me chiefin a blunt doin some work on myself (dk) and tank- then the 4th is some tim burton type shit my friend wanted me to draw her it says "live happily" on one side "ever now" on the other. the next one i walked my friend through doing his first tat on my leg- shit came out fuckin great and just wanted to show it off!

I'm proud of each and every one of my tattoos i regret none. they all represent me, my life, the pain it takes to earn each meaning to myself, and whatever the fuck else i want em to mean! some are haggard as fuck, some look clean- the point is,

D.I.Y. FUCKERS!!!


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## plagueship

vonuist - that's beautiful and very inspiring! not just the result or the time but the creativity of the method.

what do people use for other colors? i've only ever used india ink, which seems to come in only black. how does colored acrylic ink work?

another question i have has to do with getting the design on the skin. i'm pretty good at following designs, not great at drawing them out on skin unless they're pretty simple. what about some kind of bootleg version of the transfer paper they use in shops? the only other idea i have is making stencils, which can be pretty difficult to make and might not work too well for some spots..

oh yeah there's also this, might provide some inspiration, or just lols:
http://fuckyeahsticknpoke.tumblr.com


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## Rainbow Warrior

ive used red india ink before, just made a little star on my ankle. the red ink rejected tho and it's just a red scar now lmao


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## Cardboard

plagueship said:


> vonuist - that's beautiful and very inspiring! not just the result or the time but the creativity of the method.
> 
> what do people use for other colors? i've only ever used india ink, which seems to come in only black. how does colored acrylic ink work?
> 
> another question i have has to do with getting the design on the skin. i'm pretty good at following designs, not great at drawing them out on skin unless they're pretty simple. what about some kind of bootleg version of the transfer paper they use in shops? the only other idea i have is making stencils, which can be pretty difficult to make and might not work too well for some spots..
> 
> oh yeah there's also this, might provide some inspiration, or just lols:
> http://fuckyeahsticknpoke.tumblr.com


You dont really need transfer paper at all, a hand drawing, quickly covered in ink (as in, take your time to draw what you want, then redo it quickly with a pen so that the ink is fresh enough), or a fresh page printed out from and ink printer, and some speed stick should transfer ink to flesh.


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## train in vain

i laugh at people who brag about not paying for tattoos. ive only seen a few that were any good and those were just friends of good tattooers. i havent paid for a tattoo since my first 2 but i trade tattoos for tattoos.


plagueship said:


> vonuist - that's beautiful and very inspiring! not just the result or the time but the creativity of the method.
> 
> what do people use for other colors? i've only ever used india ink, which seems to come in only black. how does colored acrylic ink work?
> 
> another question i have has to do with getting the design on the skin. i'm pretty good at following designs, not great at drawing them out on skin unless they're pretty simple. what about some kind of bootleg version of the transfer paper they use in shops? the only other idea i have is making stencils, which can be pretty difficult to make and might not work too well for some spots..
> 
> oh yeah there's also this, might provide some inspiration, or just lols:
> http://fuckyeahsticknpoke.tumblr.com


 
go find a ghetto shop. theyll sell you some transfer paper. paper with ink drawing on it will work ok. use a ballpoint and it will transfer. kinda dab it with a paper towel and it will help it dry faster. let it set on there for awhle so it doesnt wipe off while youre working. id just go score a sheet or 2 of transfer paper though. it lasts forever. 
using deodorant = cross contamination. if youre using the actual sitick. you shave the spot and and put the deodorant on. BAM. contaminated. just throwing that out there. you can use a tongue depressor for that though


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## jelly

I've done a bunch of stick n pokes and am learning all the time how to do them better. I have had a tattoo with a home-made tattoo gun before but it tore my skin up and mostly all faded away; I ended up stickin and pokin the scar tissue years later. I have a couple of small tattoos that I made when I was real young, by cutting with a razor and rubbing india ink in it, they've stayed really well and are still there 10 years later. I haven't tried using charcoal instead of ink yet but I know some people who do stick and poke with charcoal or ash mixed with vodka as their ink.
Stick and pokes are my favourite right now, when I think about the one 'professional' gun tattoo I have it just seems weird.. takes like 15 mins and the machine does all the work for you. Stick n poke can be just like that except your hand is the machine, that feels more personal to me or something and I dig it.


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## Vonuist

plagueship said:


> vonuist - that's beautiful and very inspiring! not just the result or the time but the creativity of the method.
> 
> what do people use for other colors? i've only ever used india ink, which seems to come in only black. how does colored acrylic ink work?
> 
> another question i have has to do with getting the design on the skin. i'm pretty good at following designs, not great at drawing them out on skin unless they're pretty simple. what about some kind of bootleg version of the transfer paper they use in shops? the only other idea i have is making stencils, which can be pretty difficult to make and might not work too well for some spots..
> 
> oh yeah there's also this, might provide some inspiration, or just lols:
> http://fuckyeahsticknpoke.tumblr.com



India ink can be problematical because much of it contains shellac which can be toxic. The best idea is to go to an arts and crafts store and pick up some technical pen ink; Rotring comes in a range of colours and is ok, Pelican black drawing ink is fantastic, holds it's tone well and very popular among tattooists.
To be honest I've only used black technical ink myself and have no experience of coloured versions. I know that the tattoo inks that cause the greatest incidence of allergic reactions are red and green, so it might be best to steer clear of them.
There's always the option of buying tattoo inks online, you can get sample packs which aren't too expensive.

For the stencils use carbon paper and fine greaseproof paper from the supermarket. As a rule the thinner the paper the better as you will find that stiffer papers are more difficult to spread out over undereven places like the backs of hands. I use a spray with Dettol (a disinfectant solution) to fix the stencil to the skin,but I'm not sure if you have that brand in the US.

Vaseline is essential. Smear a very small amount on the skin, as little as possible, just to provide a slight barrier that prevents the ink from staining the skin, so you can see what you are doing. 

Use a dampened piece of kitchen towel (wet it with a mild solution of antibacterial soap and warm water), wrapped around your little and ring fingers, as a wipe to keep the area clean and legible while you work, there's nothing worse than a dry wipe, it hurts like hell and makes the skin sore which, in turn, makes it more difficult to work.

Someone has promised to send me some shark's teeth from Australia, so I'm looking forward to seeing if I can do something with them.


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## Bizarre Odor

All you need is to know some dude that went to prison basically..ha. I'm definately interested in getting more tattoos but without the parlor bullshit.


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## ayyyjayyy

I'm definitely not interested in prison style tattoos and contracting HIV.(amongst other things)...haha


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## jelly

It's pretty easy to not contract HIV while giving tattoos, like, don't share your needles or have someone bleed on you while you're being tattooed and you're probs okay..


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## BluExplorer

Whenever I do stick n poke the ink bleeds out onto the skin after I poke covering what I'm tracing. Then when I wipe, the design I'm tracing wipes away with the ink. Any ideas how to avoid this?


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## ayyyjayyy

jelly said:


> It's pretty easy to not contract HIV while giving tattoos, like, don't share your needles or have someone bleed on you while you're being tattooed and you're probs okay..



No shit...I was just being an asshole...And I know plenty of idiots who share and reuse needles because jailhouse and otherwise tattoos are "cheap/free"...


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## ayyyjayyy

Unfortunately not everyone has the foresight and common sense I'd like to hope we all have.


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## ayyyjayyy

I was not making a stab at you jelly, just some of the idiots on here talking about bullshit. I am a scratcher myself, I just happen to use an actual machine and proper equipment. Not doggin anyone otherwise as long as its being done safely...


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## keg

you can just cut the art into your skin and pour ink on it rub it in and its good to go.but as you get older if you use this method you will also get a white scar under?alongside?whatever,the older you get the lest nice this method looks,as i guess it should be.


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## Vonuist

BluExplorer said:


> Whenever I do stick n poke the ink bleeds out onto the skin after I poke covering what I'm tracing. Then when I wipe, the design I'm tracing wipes away with the ink. Any ideas how to avoid this?


 
A little bit of vaseline (just a tiny amount) will help to stop that, what are you using to apply the stencil to the skin?


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## daveycrockett

why would you want shitty tats its gointo be with you forever go to the shop get t done right or got to a friend i thin k i paid 17 bucks and a cheesburger for the one on my leg and still owe money for a couple but at least there not 'totally' shitty or infected. ive also seen some really fuckin stupid ones (sigh)


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## BluExplorer

Vonuist said:


> what are you using to apply the stencil to the skin?



I used a pen on my first and sharpie for my 2nd. Vaseline helps? What if it rubs off after I wipe the excess ink?


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## daveycrockett

you can use a sharpie i fyou can draw


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## derailed

I love traditional tattooing, but I'd be very careful about what kind of ink you are putting into your body. "Traditional", doesn't always equal "safer". A lot of primitive pigment is full of heavy metals and other toxic substances. For example, traditional Yakuza "body suit" tattoos, when done with the same inks they were using 100 years ago, is said to take 20 years off your lifespan. Most modern ink has plastic in it, so you gotta watch out for that too.


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## ayyyjayyy

derailed said:


> I love traditional tattooing, but I'd be very careful about what kind of ink you are putting into your body. "Traditional", doesn't always equal "safer". A lot of primitive pigment is full of heavy metals and other toxic substances. For example, traditional Yakuza "body suit" tattoos, when done with the same inks they were using 100 years ago, is said to take 20 years off your lifespan. Most modern ink has plastic in it, so you gotta watch out for that too.



That is so true about materials used to make the ink, (very interesting about the yakuza ink too). I use starbrite ink personally. Which is vegan (who cares) and is supposed to be made of good materials. I hate hearing about people using random garbage for tattoo ink, or making their own, which is obviously much worse. Hah. good ink is pretty pricey though.


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## derailed

Fusion and Stable are both good safe inks. A trick is to look at the ingredient list on the back of an ink bottle. If it lists an ingredient as "proprietary" (which means that it's a protected trade secret), 99% of the time that ingredient is plastic. Also, if an ink company refuses to disclose a full list of their ingredients, you can bet there's some toxic shit in there. Your body will either reject, or have a bad reaction, to a lot of this stuff. It's worth looking into, because it's serious business.


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## derailed

jelly said:


> It's pretty easy to not contract HIV while giving tattoos, like, don't share your needles or have someone bleed on you while you're being tattooed and you're probs okay..


 
HIV is a little more difficult to contract, but Hepatitis is fairly easy. It can live outside the body for longer than a week. If you're tattooing out of your house I would recommend taking a bloodborne pathogens class and learning everything you can about cross contamination. There's no such thing as being "too clean" when it comes to tattooing. Literally, your life is potentially at stake.


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## CXR1037

derailed for the win.

cxR - also, check to see if that ink is vegan or not (Assuming you're into that kind of thing)


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## ipoPua

i just make my ink by taking a candle and charring up the side of a chunk of wood, scrape that into a bottle cap and mix it with a tiny bit of veggie oil. vegan, diy, cheap and easy as fuck. i've only given myself a handful of really tiny simple things, most of em have stuck around though. i've done razor/rub and stick/poke, theyve all lasted but for the heart on my middle finger. i've redone that a few times and it keeps fading away, i dont think i'm jabbing deep enough for that area.


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## Vonuist

ipoPua said:


> i just make my ink by taking a candle and charring up the side of a chunk of wood, scrape that into a bottle cap and mix it with a tiny bit of veggie oil. vegan, diy, cheap and easy as fuck. i've only given myself a handful of really tiny simple things, most of em have stuck around though. i've done razor/rub and stick/poke, theyve all lasted but for the heart on my middle finger. i've redone that a few times and it keeps fading away, i dont think i'm jabbing deep enough for that area.


 
The traditonal way was to take the candle and burn it inside a tin can to get the lamp-black, so, much the same method.


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## tyler harmon

anarchy on ankle using 3 wrapped needles and india ink. i did part of this at night with a flashlight


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