A bit OT: Any tattoo artists out there?

Torvaldr · Post by **Torvaldr** » Thu May 22, 2008 12:02 pm

Like it says I would like to talk to some tattoo artists. Especially ones who have made their own needle gun.

Torvaldr

DeCalmont · Post by **DeCalmont** » Thu May 22, 2008 12:14 pm

One of note would be Animal, you might want to PM him.

Anjouleme · Post by **Anjouleme** » Thu May 22, 2008 1:33 pm

My former squire brother owns a tattoo studio in Omaha, NE, and is a great artist. His name is Jesse Neese (aka Cearr in the SCA). He's had interest and has done research on period techniques, and has talked about doing (if not done) period tattooing in the past, I believe. He's very approachable, and would probably be willing to discuss such things with you.

Here's his website: http://www.nuclear-ink.com/

Agnarr · Post by **Agnarr** » Thu May 22, 2008 1:36 pm

Animal Weretiger dabbles in it. :lol:

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Thu May 22, 2008 1:41 pm

Just a sidenote here. Please realize that a lot of tattoo artists have a big dislike of the word 'tattoo gun' or 'needle gun', they refer to it as a 'tattoo machine'.

Torvaldr · Post by **Torvaldr** » Thu May 22, 2008 1:46 pm

Sorry I am completely ignorant about the field. Here is why I am asking.

The situation is that I want to make a tooling device. I saw a special on TV about tattoo artists and that they often make their own device for doing tattoos. The device is a reciprocating type making the needles go up and down. I want to make something like that but with an attachment for different leather tools. That way I would not need to hold the tools and tap them with a hammer.

Kilkenny · Post by **Kilkenny** » Thu May 22, 2008 1:54 pm

Torvaldr wrote:Sorry I am completely ignorant about the field. Here is why I am asking.

The situation is that I want to make a tooling device. I saw a special on TV about tattoo artists and that they often make their own device for doing tattoos. The device is a reciprocating type making the needles go up and down. I want to make something like that but with an attachment for different leather tools. That way I would not need to hold the tools and tap them with a hammer.

Torvaldr, are you familiar with the commercially available device for just that purpose ? It's often advertised in the LC&SJ, I don't recall the name or contact info off the top of my head, but if you don't know about it, I can look it up in the magazine this evening and get back with the info.

Torvaldr · Post by **Torvaldr** » Thu May 22, 2008 2:02 pm

Thank you, I would very much like to have that info.

NotDukeOlaf2 · Post by **NotDukeOlaf2** » Thu May 22, 2008 11:06 pm

I was going to reply and tell you to PM animal but it looks like 100 other folks already have...

Olaf

Stahlgrim · Post by **Stahlgrim** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:29 am

My wife is a full time artist with her own shop down here in fla.

here is her site http://www.myspace.com/epicstoriesinskin

However a tattoo machine may not have enough umph to move the leather if you are trying to tool it.you might be able to tattoo it if the leather is wet,but I am skeptical it would work well,as living fleash is very different then leather There are many places that sell the machine parts. frames coils and the like you can search the web or pick up a copy of a tattoo mag.
there are four basic types of machine the traditional uses two magnetic coils there are also rotary,squashplate, and pnumatic as well.

NotDukeOlaf2 · Post by **NotDukeOlaf2** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:55 am

Stahlgrim wrote:My wife is a full time artist with her own shop down here in fla.

here is her site http://www.myspace.com/epicstoriesinskin

However a tattoo machine may not have enough umph to move the leather if you are trying to tool it.you might be able to tattoo it if the leather is wet,but I am skeptical it would work well,as living fleash is very different then leather There are many places that sell the machine parts. frames coils and the like you can search the web or pick up a copy of a tattoo mag.
there are four basic types of machine the traditional uses two magnetic coils there are also rotary,squashplate, and pnumatic as well.

Dude thats sweet

DELETEMYACCOUNT · Post by **DELETEMYACCOUNT** » Fri May 23, 2008 9:16 am

I can help you here. Being a tattoo artist and a leather crafter both I can tell you that a tattoo machine isnt what you want to tool leather with. It operates on the strength of a spring loaded armature bar which would be enough to push a needle into the surface of very well cased leather, but no where near strong enough to move the leather like you need to.
Sorry mate!

Neria Discordia Scythia · Fri May 23, 2008 10:57 am

Since your only using it on leather and not people I would say ebay would be a good way to go. You would be able to get all the mechine parts, maybe not the needles.
And I say this again, since you are not using it on live creatures you may want to be adventurious and make a "prison" style mechine. Very crude, simple and effective.
Please please please for anyone else here do not use homemade guns on yourself. Other than the whole impossible hygine safety issuse, depth of incertion is far from acurate so you may end up with a shitty, painful tattoo that is way too deep, or one that ends up growing out with your skin.
Here are some directions:
http://www.rentyman.com/neatstuff/tattoo.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-tattoo-gun/

Stahlgrim · Post by **Stahlgrim** » Fri May 23, 2008 4:37 pm

As easy as it is to get proper equipment there is no excuse for using "Prison guns" anymore.
Hey Animal what Machine do you use? My wife Bera picked up a squash-plate and swears by it. though she is looking into the pnuematic now as the whole machine is autoclavable.

Kilkenny · Post by **Kilkenny** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:00 pm

Torvaldr, sorry to be so long getting back with this info.

Here's a link to one of the systems out there http://www.grstools.com/engraving.html#systemthree

It's not the one I was thinking of, and it's pricy as well as being pneumatic.

I've now been back through multiple issues over several years and not found the ad I'm thinking of. I'm pretty sure it's an electric, not air-powered, and essentially it's just a power graver that's been adapted for working with leather stamping tools.

Frustrating, because I know just what I'm looking for and can't put my hands on it.

After some websearching, here's another option, at a more reasonable cost - although probably not up to heavy duty use.
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?Fa ... 28&pcs=fam

I think the archetype for what you're after is a woodcarving tool, not a tattoo gun.

DELETEMYACCOUNT · Post by **DELETEMYACCOUNT** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:48 pm

I get parts and build my own. No one quite makes them like I like them so this makes me happy.

Maeryk · Post by **Maeryk** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:53 pm

Torvaldr wrote:Sorry I am completely ignorant about the field. Here is why I am asking.

The situation is that I want to make a tooling device. I saw a special on TV about tattoo artists and that they often make their own device for doing tattoos. The device is a reciprocating type making the needles go up and down. I want to make something like that but with an attachment for different leather tools. That way I would not need to hold the tools and tap them with a hammer.

Not gonna work. I've made enough home-made machines to tell you they won't take the hammering.

you want to look at taking some sort of reciprocating tool that already exists, and converting it to hold stamps. Perhaps a cheap saber saw, or a detail sander, or something like that, that you can modify the blade holder to mount a stamp to.

You'd probably then want to mount it to some sort of support arm (like an overhead router, basically) so you could move the leather under it, but be able to precisely dial in the "bottom stroke" of the tool. If you tool too deep you will split or smash the leather. Too shallow, and it won't look right.

Kilkenny · Post by **Kilkenny** » Fri May 23, 2008 8:31 pm

Maeryk wrote:
Torvaldr wrote:Sorry I am completely ignorant about the field. Here is why I am asking.

The situation is that I want to make a tooling device. I saw a special on TV about tattoo artists and that they often make their own device for doing tattoos. The device is a reciprocating type making the needles go up and down. I want to make something like that but with an attachment for different leather tools. That way I would not need to hold the tools and tap them with a hammer.

Not gonna work. I've made enough home-made machines to tell you they won't take the hammering.

you want to look at taking some sort of reciprocating tool that already exists, and converting it to hold stamps. Perhaps a cheap saber saw, or a detail sander, or something like that, that you can modify the blade holder to mount a stamp to.

You'd probably then want to mount it to some sort of support arm (like an overhead router, basically) so you could move the leather under it, but be able to precisely dial in the "bottom stroke" of the tool. If you tool too deep you will split or smash the leather. Too shallow, and it won't look right.

What Torvaldr's looking for is already on the market - or at least it was, I haven't been able to find the ads, it may have gone out of production due to lack of demand.

And he doesn't need to do mods on the scale you're looking at. Hand held reciprocating wood carving tools are closer to the need and probably don't need much more than a change of the chuck/collet to hold the shank of a leather stamp.

Maeryk · Post by **Maeryk** » Fri May 23, 2008 8:33 pm

Ahh. yes.. powercarver.

http://www.powercarver.com/

Even says "leather working" on it's uses blurb.

Kilkenny · Post by **Kilkenny** » Fri May 23, 2008 8:37 pm

Maeryk wrote:Ahh. yes.. powercarver.

http://www.powercarver.com/

Even says "leather working" on it's uses blurb.

That one looks to be a rotary tool. Do they have any that actually drive a gouge ? That's the variety needed for tooling work.

There are several varieties on the market, including an adapter for a felxible shaft for about $50. No clue how well it works or what it would hold up for.

Maeryk · Post by **Maeryk** » Fri May 23, 2008 8:38 pm

Kilkenny wrote:
Maeryk wrote:Ahh. yes.. powercarver.

http://www.powercarver.com/

Even says "leather working" on it's uses blurb.

That one looks to be a rotary tool. Do they have any that actually drive a gouge ? That's the variety needed for tooling work.

There are several varieties on the market, including an adapter for a felxible shaft for about $50. No clue how well it works or what it would hold up for.

Yeah, there is one that holds a gouge. Just about any woodcarving site will have it.. I can't remember the name off the top of my head right now. I want to say flex-carv, but I think those are just knives.

Iakov Slovok · Post by **Iakov Slovok** » Sat May 24, 2008 7:54 am

Please please please for anyone else here do not use homemade guns on yourself. Other than the whole impossible hygine safety issuse, depth of incertion is far from acurate so you may end up with a shitty, painful tattoo that is way too deep, or one that ends up growing out with your skin.

trust me, finding yourself coming back to life the morning after a party with what can only be described as, "bird poop", thanks agnar, on your arm is a horrible way to start a day. :shock:

the only reason ive never had it removed is the fact that it reminds me not to do anything stupid. i, therefore, refer to it as my stupidity mark.

shamrockarmoury · Post by **shamrockarmoury** » Sat May 24, 2008 8:35 am

Here are a few frames that I have made for some of my friends that are tattoo artist. I have tryed the build my own coils but so far I have failed.

But I do agree that it would not work for leather.

Stahlgrim Your wife's art work looks great, If I have any spaces left on me! I just my have to come down and get here to work on me one day. I will have to so my wife her work to.

Kiernen

www.shamrockarmoury.com

Stahlgrim · Post by **Stahlgrim** » Sat May 24, 2008 7:30 pm

nice machines Kiernen I was going to do some for Bera but she has switched over to the squash plate drive machines and she says she's not going back.