I've always been intrigued by these units, particularly their very retro appearance and technology. So I bought a full kit of machine, PSU and accessories to take to bits.
Even if I've no immediate plans to start recklessly tattooing people, it's still rather an attractive ornament due to its very retro and slightly steampunk appearance.
The listing I bought this kit from is http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391316225101
Be aware that the machine you get will be random from this listing and you will get the slightly dubious power supply (check it for loose solder blobs rattling inside!). If you want a specific style of tattoo machine then you may find other listings on ebay for specific styles.
You can also buy 8" by 6" (200mm x 150mm) sheets of "tattoo practice skin" quite cheaply from China too. Here's an ebay search link. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&LH_BIN=1&_nkw=tattoo+practice+skin&_sop=15
If you enjoy my videos you can chuck a dollar to support the channel and buy me coffee and cookies at https://www.patreon.com/bigclive

16 thoughts on “Tattoo machine teardown. with awkward moment.”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars g8xft says:

    Cock and balls on the hand! 😂

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Noah Winslow says:

    Cock and balls 😂

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars CrossHair says:

    Thanks for your Tattoo tutorial. (LOL) permanent ink.

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Red and Gold fan says:

    enjoy watching your vids

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Red and Gold fan says:

    bad labelling and icons of jacks and inputs easily fixed with color coding OR numbers

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars CelticLightning says:

    LMAO!!!!

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Lance Anderson says:

    Hand Sanitizer….for unwanted ink marks
    if it is still there after 6 years maybe it wont help though

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars pepe6666 says:

    hello big clive! nice cock & balls. i wonder if the tolerance against the regulator heat sink is so it makes contact with the chassy to dissipate heat. just a thought.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dan Coroian says:

    Hand a male a writing utensil with no other instructions, and soon enough you're gonna see a cock and balls… virtually guaranteed

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Ross Marsden says:

    No, we can't believe it either, you Big Bear.

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Anthony Pilkjaer says:

    I was expecting Clive to take a slab of meat and try his tatoo skills on it.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars cpunching says:

    A bit of an old video but as one of those weenies who ordered a kit and started tattooing myself, you're pretty close on most things!
    The original tattoo machines ("coil machines") absolutely are based off door clappers. They used to be big enough that you'd actually need a stand/for the machine to be suspended due to their weight.

    A lot of artists love the coil machines because they "hit" in a way that feels different from the rotaries. When the needle hits the skin it doesn't go into it directly Xmm, there's a bit of "bog" where the skin gives some resistance and reduces how far/hard the needle will strike the skin. btw You're aiming to get down about 1.5-2mm into the skin. So with the coils a lot of people feel they hit harder and bog less because there's a tonne of force behind the needle. A lot of the small motors in rotaries aren't very great at slamming that colour in, so a lot of people really love using the coils for lining and "colour packing" where you want to saturate the skin with as much ink as possible to get the solid lines/areas.

    The coils are also super cheap. A good beginner rotary will start at about $200-300 to get something half decent that can do really basic shading and lining, while coils are $10 and guaranteed to work even if it's throwing sparks everywhere. You can also slam as many volts into the coil with very little risk of harming the machine, while some rotaries are very strict on ranges it'll work under and anything above that will blow out the motor, anything under won't start at all. For example coils can start as low as 3volts or so, and go up to 18volts no problem. Most cheap rotaries won't start running until 5-6v, and will blow out at 10v or more.

    The contact screw at the top is for increasing the rate of how many times the needle will cycle/strike the skin. Shorter distance is for lining/colour packing, while a wider gap will be softer and is better for smoother shader.

    The rubber o-rings give some extra resistance to the upward/downward motion of the armature, kinda like introducing artificial bog.

    The gap in the grip tip where you thought ink goes into is probably just there to stop a vacuum from forming and causing issues with the needle's movement. You can pour water or a castille soap + water mixture in there to clean out the needles when they get gummed up with the ointment, dry ink, and sometimes blood.

    Highly recommend starting somewhere like the side of your calf or near your ankles if you ever want to try tattooing yourself. Tattooing your own hands/wrists is pretty damn terrible!

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jim says:

    A person that makes his videos with his hands. Takes a permanent marker. Draws cock and balls on his hand. You got me good with that one. Thought you would know the marker wasn’t going to come off easy. But well played.

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars EgaoKage says:

    I too have noticed a certain amount of gate-keeping, where tattooing information is concerned. I suspect that's just part of their grift. Like, if we knew how it actually worked, we'd realize that most of their training involved coloring books.

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars NeuroDavinci says:

    What is wrong with me? Why is someone drawing a c0ck eternally funny. The cuder the better.

  16. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars michel Guevara says:

    this takes me back to when I trained as a tattooist.
    first task was making needles, far more involved than you might think.
    I became very popular with everyone at temple tattoo as I made excellent needles and would make them to order for specific purposes.
    a quick "wolfie.. can you knock up a couple of 17 rakes for me?" meant that they would be ready for the client the next day, or even the afternoon if the sonic autoclave was allready empty.
    fond memories, tattooists are a very tight knit family.

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