# Ive been given a tattoo machine...



## Wanderlusting

Although I have many tattoos myself, I guess I failed to ever watch the process.
Now, its a given that im about to give myself a bunch of real shady scratchers type tattoos,
but was hoping that anyone would be able to give me some advice, any little things you can think of.
Mainly, how many needles go into the gun?
At what angle, if any, do you hold it to your skin?
Do you really just drag it through your skin as you would say, drawing with something sharp?
How deep about should the needle go?
How many times should you dip it into the ink?

Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time!
I did take a course on cross-contamination, and no worries, this machine will only be used on myself, as I have no means of cleaning the thing. 
Cheers!


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## CXR1037

Not advised! There's a lot that can go wrong and it's a whole lot more difficult to tattoo than it is to draw! The best advice is get an apprenticeship and/or have an actual artist spend a lot of time to show you. There's a ton of tips and tricks that would take a long time to explain here.

cxR - enjoy your fucked up skin and shitty tattoos


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## scum

skin is just paper, only problem is you are drawing with indelible ink, not a pencil.
its a tricky tricky trick.
at least start on your legs, you see those less than your arms, right? hahahaha


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## ayyyjayyy

Wanderlusting said:


> Although I have many tattoos myself, I guess I failed to ever watch the process.
> Now, its a given that im about to give myself a bunch of real shady scratchers type tattoos,
> but was hoping that anyone would be able to give me some advice, any little things you can think of.
> Mainly, how many needles go into the gun?
> At what angle, if any, do you hold it to your skin?
> Do you really just drag it through your skin as you would say, drawing with something sharp?
> How deep about should the needle go?
> How many times should you dip it into the ink?
> 
> Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time!
> I did take a course on cross-contamination, and no worries, this machine will only be used on myself, as I have no means of cleaning the thing.
> Cheers!



You need a lot more equipment than just a machine and there are a lot of specific details when it comes to using tattoo equipment, not to mention you can infect yourself with all sorts of stuff without proper sterilization shit... Pm me and I can make you a long list of additional necessities that you will have a hard time tracking down unless you have friends that tattoo that are wiling to sell you equipment and supplies...


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## Wanderlusting

ahhh shit everyone. I wasnt expecting this sort of thing.
Obviously, im going to do it anyway, and yes, I did plan on starting on my legs.
Because of my life, im unable to start an apprenticeship at the moment. 
I was just hoping someone could give me some tips, so I can go a little less blindly into this. 
But yeah, umm I guess thanks for replying anyway. Didnt need to be schooled about it though. 
Was just hoping for some bits of advice on the parts of the process i did not understand. 
ehh.


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## CXR1037

My girlfriend is a professional/certified/legit tattoo artist and the amount of work she put in to get to where she's at is extensive. It's truly an artform: colors to use, voltage to run the machine at, what needles to use, amount of pressure to apply, angle, etc. Then there's the sterilization stuff...they take blood borne pathogen certifications for a reason.

cxr - not to be a dick but tattooing isn't just drawing on skin.


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## Mouse

I'm gonna ignore my instinct to say "don't do it, you fucking idiot" because I seriously hate when people do that. Yes, tattooing is complicated and permanent BUT I'm sure you're aware of that. And like ya said, yer gonna do it anyways...

have you ever given yourself a old fashioned stick and poke? I'd suggest starting there so you can get a feel for what's going on without the potential of doing yourself a lot of harm. Tattoo guns can and will really chew your skin up if you're not careful! If you do a few poke tattoos by hand you'll better understand how the needle needs to go into the skin and how much ink to use. 

It's like learning to sew by hand before you start playing with a sewing machine. It helps you not run your hand through the damn thing and stitch your fingers together.

spend the money and get yourself some fake skin or fruit to test the gun out on. there's synthetic skin, pigs skin from the butcher, and I've heard of people using things like oranges and fruit like that. DO NOT DIG INTO YOURSELF WITH A TATOO GUN WITHOUT PRACTICING FIRST. 

youtube the hell outta it. google search the hell outta it. it's all pretty commonsensical once you get the gist of what you need to understand. 

Making GOOD tattoos and GOOD art, now that's a totally different story. That takes years upon years of practice. 

and PLEASE, dear Dog, PLEASE do not go around getting random people to volunteer. You obviously do not have access to the right kind of sterilization equipment and you have no right to put people in danger. Fuck yourself up, not others.


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## derailed

I agree with most of that, but would add..expensive sterilization equipment is only necessary if you're reusing tubes etc. Get yourself some disposable tubes, never reuse needles, wrap EVERYTHING that could come in contact with blood in plastic wrap, always wear nitrile gloves (never latex, as vaseline eats through latex), and fuck around with fruit, practice skin, and yourself before you start wrecking other people. It's a lie that if you're unlicensed you can't get access to proper equipment; with a credit card and a mailing address you can get anything online. www.elementtattoosupply.com is a decent place to start. Approach everybody you tattoo like they have AIDs and you'll find yourself taking the necessary precautions.


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## CXR1037

From what I've been told you shouldn't be using Vaseline in the first place?

cxr - clogging pores, etc


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## derailed

Using vaseline while you're actually in the process of tattooing is very useful and almost every tattoo artist out there does. It lubricates the skin, allows the ink to not pool as much, and is entirely safe. You might have been told to not use it as an aftercare product, in which case you would be right.


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## dharma bum

depends on the artist. some use vaseline and others use A & D ointment.


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## CXR1037

Indeed, derailed, you appear to be correct.

I think the reason my girlfriend doesn't use Vaseline is because it has animal byproducts in it.

cXr - a&d is the good stuff from what i'm told


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## baconrind

Extend the lead on a mechanical pencil to inch and a half long. Start drawing shit. If you break the lead youre using too much pressure. Thats all i got. Good luck!


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## bardamu

sitk said:


> practice on grapefruit


Ive heard that pig meat (with skin) can be really good for practice


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## CXR1037

Pencil lead thing sounds like some real nonsense. 

Cxr - terrible comparison; needles are a lot different


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## kai

i have lots of friends who have just learned how to use machines by winging it, and granted their tattoos are nothing special, they healed and didn't chew folks up irrepairably. So i think it's fine, i agree with the re-usable tubes and wrapping cords up in plastic. As far as the amount of needles and such, there's no rules on that. There's different set ups that work best for different applications. For you learning i recommend you get liners and stick to black ink for now. Different colored pigments have different consistencies which require different needle set ups, different speeds and such. As for infection and all that if you are just using single use needles the recommended way you should be fine. Oh yeah and as a fair warning i'd not go to tattoo shops and tell them what you are doing, most professional tattooists i know take their work very seriously and frown upon people 'scratching' in a very impolite and vocal manner.

That being said I personally wish you all the best in your skin decorating endeavours and hope that if you give yourself something ridiculously awful you turn 40 with a great sense of humor so you can look back and laugh every time you see the tattoo! I still get a kick out of my shitty tattoos despite having snazzy shop tats as well.


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## baconrind

Not comparing them, that would be silly. its just supposed to train you to use a light hand. I was told this by a shop owner.


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## Kim Chee

Mouse said:


> youtube the hell outta it. google search the hell outta it. it's all pretty commonsensical once you get the gist of what you need to understand.


^yeah, what she said.

Something strange about having tattoos done and never watching the process, getting a machine and now are interested in tattooing. I'm not into ink, but I am a DIY type.

Drunk people will probably be more likely to let you practice on them. They will be less likely to notice pain, will tend to not notice your mistakes and may even pay or tip you. Be sure to not practice in your hometown, always be traveling and give bogus names. You can take pictures of artwork that others who are proficient at tattooing have done and call it your own to gain credibility. Surely there are tattoo artists out there that have started out this very same way and now are "respectable", work out of shops, have tons of repeat customers, a nice portfolio and boo hoo others who are trying to get started the same way they did.





So, can we see some examples of your work...


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## joaquim33

Wanderlusting said:


> ahhh shit everyone. I wasnt expecting this sort of thing.
> Obviously, im going to do it anyway, and yes, I did plan on starting on my legs.
> Because of my life, im unable to start an apprenticeship at the moment.
> I was just hoping someone could give me some tips, so I can go a little less blindly into this.
> But yeah, umm I guess thanks for replying anyway. Didnt need to be schooled about it though.
> Was just hoping for some bits of advice on the parts of the process i did not understand.
> ehh.


i sense you need to acquire some humility. it really is the best way to learn.


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## Mouse

mmmmmmmichael said:


> You can take pictures of artwork that others who are proficient at tattooing have done and call it your own to gain credibility.


 
as an artist and a tattoo collector - I REALLY fucking hope you aren't serious.

if you are, please die.


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## Mouse

joaquim33 said:


> i sense you need to acquire some humility. it really is the best way to learn.


 
true. if he wasn't asking such elementary questions about tattoos we probably would have reacted a bit better. Sorry, kid, but in the field of ink, you ask stupid questions - you get a raft of shit.


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## Dan Keizer

Dude, I wouldn't fuck around with the machine. I would give it to some youth that is much more serious about getting into an apprenticeship than you are.


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## Pheonix

don't listen to him, if you get rid of it SELL IT.


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## Menyun

practice on pigs.. dead alive whatever floats your boat but dont be stupid and fuck your shit all up trying to learn to tattoo... once you get good on pigskin then move to your own body.


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## dharma bum

Menyun said:


> practice on pigs.. dead alive whatever floats your boat...


 
^^^ live pigs are the best thing to practice on.


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## Pheonix

You can always pay a panhandler to let you experiment on them.


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