Tattoo machines have become the standard tools for modern tattoo artists. They may be cool tattoo guns in the eyes of people who don’t know tattoos, but in the eyes of tattooists, a tattoo machine is a tool that they live on. After hundreds of years of development, a modern electric tattoo machine is already the hand of a tattoo artist, the treasure of a tattoo artist, and the closest friend of a tattoo artist.
The tattoo machine converts 220V AC into DC power with a voltage between 3-20V by an external voltage regulator and transformer. Under the DC voltage of 3-20V, the two main coils and the EFI point create suction and spray action, with the reciprocating motion of the tattoo machine spring, the tattoo needle is driven to move up and down high-speed and reciprocating motion. One of the biggest benefits of this type of work is that it can move at high speed and high torque without the need to take the motor and motor power loss into consideration. At work, the tattoo needle penetrates the epidermis at a high speed and evenly, and the tattoo pigment is implanted into the basal layer of the epidermis layer, so that the pigment is permanently fixed to the epidermis, forming delicate patterns and characters- combinations of various pigment, thereby decorating the skin and covering the epidermal scar.
Edison began to use an electric pen to punch holes, and the machine device has been improved hundreds of times over the past 100 years. No matter how much improvement, the perfect tattoo machine suitable for every artist has not yet appeared; almost all tattoo artists will modify and debug the machine according to their needs. The tattoo machine has also become a very personal tool. It can be said that no two machines will be the same.
There are still many inventors in the United States and Europe who design and develop tattoo machines. Most of these inventors are unable to gain a patent for their designs due to time and money, perhaps because of the lack of original design. However, as market capital deepens, tattoo machines will slowly evolve into better tools.
In theory, it is true at least how to use it. In some cases, the changes will not make tattoo machines more advanced than when the inventor operated, but the truth is that in this process of repeated trials and failures, the improvement for one person can even be said to be an obstacle to another person, so exploration has always been continuing.
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The history of tattoo machines
To trace the history of the tattoo machine, we can date back to the 19th century the patents filed by Samuel O'Reilly in 1891. when Volta, an Italian inventor, improved the battery. All early tattoo machines and models were battery-powered. The search for history needs us to back to 1819 when the Danish inventor Hans Christian Ørsted discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields. This basic electrical principle has been used on all patented tattoo machines and is used in practice. It seems that O'Reilly's famous patent in 1891 would boost. Indeed, O'Reilly's work is the first mature patented tattoo machine, but before that, electromagnetic power punch tools had been developed for a long time. In 1876, the inventor Thomas Eva Edison, in Newark New Jersey, invented the rotary electromagnetic machine that took advantage of batteries and gained patent. At that time, he wanted the ink pen to punch and copy handwritten data on paper. Then the ink roller rolled over the punched paper and the original copy of data was completed. Thomas Edison (1847~1931) was one of the most prolific inventors in the United States. In his life, he almost always insisted on the end. His life was accompanied by inventions and development, such as the stock market ticker, the telegraph, phonograph, incandescent lamps, and old-fashioned kinetoscope which was the pioneer of film projectors. Edison apparently was not satisfied with the design of his early electric pen, because in 1877 he had new ideas and made another patent after making changes. This patented product was a rotary electromagnetic machine that took advantage of a battery. This is designed to allow the ink pen to punch holes in the paper. Then the ink roller rolled over the paper that has been punched, and the original copy of the data comes out. Compared with hand-copy, a copy done by the ink roller was a great improvement. If you don't take a deep look at Edison's patent, you can't understand that the machine can be easily used by tattoos. Samuel O'Reilly also knew the future of the tool. In 1891, after only minor modifications, he obtained the patent for the first tattoo machine in the United States. O'Reilly's modifications include redesigned tube assembly, an ink reservoir, a switch, a punching aligner, and pin-type needles. In 1892, Samuel O'Reilly invented the electric tattoo machine device. It is because of this invention that modern tattoos have entered a period of rapid development. Its speed is fast, a simple tattoo can be done in just a few minutes with a little bit of pain. In 1904, Charlie Wagner of New York City also gained a patent for making tattoo machines. Many historians believe that O'Reilly has a dominant influence on the development of tattoo machines. However, by observing the original draft, it can be found that both the two products referred to Edison's design. It's easy to understand how early inventors were inspired by Edison, especially inventors like O'Reilly and Wagner who lived close to each other in the same country. Edison set out from his studio in New Jersey to New York City to show the public his inventions. Therefore, his invention works were known by everyone. At the end of 1929, Percy Waters of Detroit designed a new product that most people regard as a real tattoo machine. Waters was not the first one who gained a patent in more than 1,000 patents on such machines, and the original designer's name has been lost in the long tattoo history. Waters' machine is a standard dual coil electromagnetic machine (the spring machine), but the coils were placed horizontally to the frame. Other improvements include a touch switch, spark protection, and a needle set to cut the plastic stencil. He has produced and sold many different types of machines during years of supplier business. Among these tattoo machine inventors, Waters seemed to be the only one who profited from the patent.
New tattoo machines in the 20th century
The new machine was quite different from the traditional rotary machine. The 1877 patent product has two electromagnetic coil devices placed transversely to the assembly tube. A flexible spring vibrates on these coils and produces a reciprocating motion for the ink reservoir. This kind of machine is obviously a much better start for tattooing. This device indeed marked the beginning of the development of the equipment used by most tattooists today. In 1978, the famous German tattoo artist Manfred Kohrs invented the first rotary tattoo machine in history. The early tattoo machine was rough and mostly hand-built. The cost was high and the pattern was single. At that time, the electric tattoo machine beat 1000 times per minute, only penetrating into the epidermis, and the depth was only 0.8-1 mm. Nowadays, the production of tattoo machines has been perfection. The electric tattoo machine beats 30,000 times per minute. The large-scale production and processing have made the tattoo machine cheaper, and the number of tattooists in the world has also increased. The tattoo machine is now mature and stereotyped. The basic composition of modern tattoo machines is as follows: The coil tattoo machine consists of a machine frame (the difference between stamping, casting, wire cutting, and manual welding), electromagnetic coils, capacitors, armature bar, spring, contact screw, etc., Each is needed. 1. Spring: New composite steel with anti-fatigue and continuous working for 10 hours. 2. Imported standard copper wire 10 coil and 47uf capacitance, stable operation of the machine 3, wire: medical silicone tube, with a fire rating 4, special iron core: continuous working for 10 hours, magnetic stability, no heat 5, working voltage - starting voltage 4v; work voltage: 6V-8v work
The working principle of the coil machine (the spring machine)
Transformer access 220v (transfer 110v) 50hz AC power is converted into DC power and then connected to the tattoo machine, whose working voltage is 0-15V. The two main coils and the armature bar create a magnetic field., which acts as a squirting action. The armature bar moves up and down at high speed by the elastic force of the spring. The armature bar drives the tattoo needle to penetrate into the epidermis to bring color to it! Electricity turns the two coils into electromagnetic coils to make the armature move, then the tattoo machine moves down, the contact screw will cut off electricity, and the magnet disappears. Driven by the spring, the armature bar returns to the position it belongs to so that the new current appears. The coil machine works like this again and againThe working principle of the rotary tattoo machine
A rotary tattoo machine is rotated by the motor to move up and down. It is motor-driven. Its principle is similar to that of a razor. Compare with razors, the sound and shake of the motor are smaller (a high-quality motor is required to be used for a long time). Lightweight, great strength, no noise, super stable, easy to adjust, good to get started. The rotary motion of the motor will be converted into linear motion with the needle. If the coil machine is the label of the industrial revolution, then the rotary tattoo machine to the pen tattoo machine is a technological revolution. It's like an update from a keyboard phone to a smartphone. The tattoo pen is lighter, more stable, and clean. The disadvantage is that it is expensive to produce a cartridge needle and the cost of the consumable is high.
There are still many inventors in the United States and Europe who design and develop tattoo machines. Most of these inventors are unable to gain a patent for their designs due to time and money, perhaps because of the lack of original design. However, as market capital deepens, tattoo machines will slowly evolve into better tools.
What is the future of the tattoo machine?
Watch this video below. Does it look like science fiction? Yes, it looks so good. However, we have forgotten the most important thing, that is, all tattoos have a soul. Every tattoo contains the thoughts of a tattoo artist, including the soul of a tattoo artist, and contains the experience of a tattoo artist. If the tattoo has no soul and is achieved only by a simple automated machine. Then, all the tattoo machines and tattoo pens we have seen now should have been eliminated by temporary tattoos. Secondly, temporary tattoos, like their names, can only be temporary. As the years go by, tattoos containing the tattoo artist’s thoughts will eventually fade away. It becomes a pattern that is worthless.
