tattoo-manufacturer

Tattoo machines were first invented back in 1876 by Thomas Edison when he came up with the idea of the ’stencil pen’. Originally designed for engraving, it was refined by Samuel O’Riley in 1891 when he realised that it could be used to push ink into skin to create a tattoo.

These tattoo guns were based on rotary technology which can still be seen in use today. However, due to technological advancements the rotary tattoo machines of today are a far cry from those original models.

Modern rotary machines are known to produce consistent strokes and no matter how many needles you are using, it will push it into the skin.  No tuning or adjusting is needed for a rotary tattoo machine and they are known for their quietness. They are very strong, hard hitting tattoo machines.

There are many advantages to assembling tattoo needles in-house.  This is great information for other tattoo artists and our clients.
Today tattoo artists typically use pre-made tattoo needles.  This means the needles are usually assembled in foreign countries to keep costs down.  Most are machine made, those advertised as hand made are usually assembled by someone who knows nothing about tattooing.  Most likely a factory with an assembly line to produce quantity, not quality.
Over the past 14 years it’s been a process of elimination.  Having tried just about every company offering pre-made sterilized needles.  Some of the issues we had were:

1)  Damaged Needles – This was our #1 reason for not using pre-made.  We check every needle before setting up to do a tattoo by looking at the needle through an eye loupe,  On average we found about 4 needles out of a strip of 10 that were bad.  Some damaged needles will look like the tip was hit against a hard surface during the assembly or sterilization causing a flat end.  We’ve also found needles with the pins folded over, in a hook.  Either of these can damage the skin, causing the tattoo to be more painful and even slow healing, cause scabbing and even scaring.
2) Sterilization / Shipping – With these needles being packaged / sterilized and shipped across country we worry about how sterile this is once it reaches the artist.  We’ve received damaged boxes, some were even past the expiration date for sterilization.  The needles are sealed in blister packs, which we also found sometimes to have damaged seals.  Possibly due to moisture or heat during shipping.

3) Quality and Performance – There is no comparison when it comes to the quality.  Pre-made needles vary from company to company.  Some are made too tight and some too loose for our style.  Here at Tattoo Mafia, we like to do fine detail and use a wide range of needles.  By assembling needles in-house, we can make a specific needle to do a portrait, a large solid tribal or a tiny design with thin lines.  This makes each tattoo we do even better, having the perfect needle for each clients tattoo.

By assembling these in-house we can offer a level of quality control and sterilization most can not.  Our needles are usually assembled and used within a week to 1 month of sterilization.  Kept in a clean, dry, enclosed container.  There is no climate change or chance of damaged pouches.  Each needle is inspected as it is made and reinspected before use.

We’ve both worked studios where the owner would always order the same needles, maybe 2 to 3 different options for a liner and the same for a shader.  This limits your ability and options when designing a tattoo.  Most artist learn how to assemble their own needles while serving an apprenticeship.  This can be time consuming but, can save a little money and guarantee you are involved and have control of what you have to work with.  Unfortunately, most people training new artists have worked for so long with the convenience of ordering pre-made and having them shipped to your front door, that this trade is slowly being forgotten and not being passed on to the artists of the future.

If you are learning to tattoo, ask questions, see if this is something you can learn while you have the chance.  It will be a valuable asset in the future.  As for tattoo collectors, if your artist uses pre-made needles you can:   Ask your artist questions like, where their needles are manufactured.  Ask to see the sterile package to make sure the expiration date is good and the package is sealed properly.  Look to see that the indicator has changed, ensuring proper sterilization. (not all pre-made needles are pre-sterilized.  Some are shipped in blister packs to be sterilized by the artist.) Most Important! – Make sure your artist checks their needles!  This is a must.  Take a good look at the damaged needle shown and I’m sure you would not be happy to know this was used on you.

Lowest Price
We offer the best available pre-made tattoo needles at the best price. Take a look at our price list. You can see that our prices are 20 to 50% less than the major retailers. If you currently pay less for your needles, contact us and we will beat that price. How do we do this? We sell the needles direct from the factory. No marketing or sales guys or fancy packaging. If you want to save hundreds or thousands of dollars per year by buying quality tattoo needles in bulk at wholesale prices, you’ve found the right place.

Guaranteed Quality
We have been manufacturing medical devices for over 80 years, and manufacturing tattoo needles for over ten years. All of our tattoo needles are manufactured under our ISO 13485:2003 + AC:2007 , ISO 9001:2000, and CE certifications, to meet European Union and German standards for Medical Devices. All our tattoo products meet or exceed EU medical device quality control standards. In addition, we use our extensive experience in tattoo needle design and manufacture to continually improve our quality. Every aspect of the design and manufacture is continually improved, from our raw materials sourcing to the EU-approved easy-open sterilization packaging. We stand behind our product and offer a full guarantee on our products. In ten years we have never once had product returned to us for quality issues.

Complete Safety
How do you know your current tattoo needles are really sterilized? What kind of metal is actually being used? Is there lead or other toxic heavy metals in the solder? Does your current company think it’s OK to sell you needles with manufacturing defects?  Our certifications and track record let you rest assured in terms of both product quality and business practices. We have been in business for decades and do several hundred thousands of dollars of business per month. You can rest assured that we are here to stay. We use UPS and other fast reliable, trackable shipping services, with excellent third-party insurance.

Let’s face it…there are tons of  tattoo equipment suppliers in the world.  How can you recognize the good ones from the bad?  Well price isn’t necessarily the determining factor.  Buying cheap tattoo supplies and needles does not mean you have to forgo quality.  You just want to make sure what you purchase provides you with a durable and useful product, and your customer a safe and sterile end result.

Tattoo machines or guns can be manufactured of high quality and still be competitive in price.  Many affordable tattoo machines are made from stainless steel.  Strong thick sheets of stainless steel are machine punched to form the frame of the gun.  Many unique designs for the tattoo machines can be achieved.  Some popular designs represent snails, dragons, spiders, hearts, and many more.  In addition, stainless steel machines can be have their finish processed to resemble silver, iron, copper, or bronze.

These machines should be able to generate a strong force for the needle to work at its best.  Make sure the machine uses a refined magnetic coil to dampen the noise it generates while working.  These coils consist of 8 to 10 wraps.  It should produce a frequency of between 25,000 to 30,000Hz.  Also, the tattoo gun should be able to work with anywhere from 3V to 9V of electricity.  You want the unit to work for long sessions without generating too much heat.

As with the tattoo machines, tattoo needles can manufactured from stainless steel to produce a high quality needle at an affordable price. Above all else, the needles need to be prepackaged and sterilized to protect the tattoo artist and his/her client from chance of infection.  Most needles are sterilized with EO gas(mixed ethylene oxide gas).  It is best if each prepackaged needle is marked with the type of needle and the date of sterilization or its expiration date.  Never use a needle where the package is damaged or opened.  And, I  know I don’t have to say this, but never ever reuse a needle.

If you watch out for the above pointers when purchasing your tattoo supplies, there is no reason that you can’t find cheap tattoo supplies and needles with fine quality workmanship.

• Product Images:  Handmade tattoo machine

Tattoo coils are often compared to the heart of tattoo machines, which determine how much power goes into the machine and the frequency of the needles. In the market, you can find different types of tattoo coils that are designed for various parts of tattoo designs. Usually, tattoo artists will use 8 coils machines to draw outlines of tattoos, but you are suggested to get 10 wrap coils, which works pretty better for both shading and lining.

I’ve seen someone wrap tattoo coils all by his bare hands, but to get it done by a coil-winding machine will be a better choice. Things can be done in a much easier way.

Insert your plastic bobbin into that machine before wrapping and start from the underneath of the tattoo coil. Grab the wrap by one hand, and wind a small portion of the wire around the plastic bobbin. Remember to put the bobbin in a proper place, testing which by moving the machine’s level to one side and closing the protective glass door. Till now, you’ve done all the preparing work, so you can start the machine now.

The machine will allow the wire to coil around the bobbin. The layers of the wire wrapping on the tattoo coil will have affections on its specific function. That’s why you should pay much attention to that. When the bobbin is full, wrap the end by a piece of black electrical tape, so that it’ll have less electro conductibility in future using. If there is still any excess wire, just snip it off.

The next thing for you is to place the inner iron core inside the bobbin. You can use a vice or some other tools like that to press it through the hole in the bobbin. Insulate the tattoo coils with black shrink-wrap making sure they won’t conduct electricity when using. You may find it difficult to set an appropriate size for the shrink-wrap. In this case, you can use a flat edge to score that. After that, wrap the shrink-wrap around the tattoo coils and get a heat source adhere to the coils.
That’s it. You’ve successfully wrap a tattoo coil for your tattoo machine, and it’s indeed not that difficult as you think. Try it now