Make a tattoo gun

i did that when i first started tattooing 12 years ago, LOL anyways, anyone here want to buy a professinal tattooing kit? let me know i got all my stuff for sale

Im trying to get started and would be interested in checking out what you have for sale. my email is b.l.smith007@gmail.com Let me know >B.

They got the idea for "Prison Tattoos" because that is where the homemade tattoo method started and has always thrived. That is where prisoners get their tattoos.

I like prison tattoos. I learned how to do it in prison they work fine if not better then this one. I got my motor from a beard trimer. It has a off set cam on it metal to.

I'm sory. I can't be very nice on this one. I don't care if I get banned. Theres plenty other site I can post my opinion. This guy is a moron and obviously knows absolutely nothing about art of any kind. people who tattoo with these machines are DANGEROUS! You DO need a professional to get ANY kind of good work. I've NEVER seen a tattoo done with one of these frankenstiened pieces of junk that was worth the two dollars it cost to build it. Those kind of tattoos are what has given tattoos a bad name. Its the professional that has raised tattooing to the respectable, accepted and admired institution that it ias today, NOT the prison scratchers! If you care at all about your health, art, or have even the slghtest bit of self respect, you will not eben think of letting one of those things near your skin.

Listen man, the whole point of this post is to show people how to make a PRISON STYLE tattoo "gun." It is not intended for people who are sitting around their house wondering how they can make their own tattoo. If that were the case, it would just tell people to sharpen bamboo shards, etc.

OK I stumbled along this thread.However I must tell you good tattoos are not cheep and cheep tattoos are not good.Same goes with equipment.A worker is only as good as his tools.I know about tattoos and irons.If you want to build a tattoo gun PLEASE DON'T FOLLOW THE METHOD POSTED HERE!!!Seriously,I could spot the difference in quality from a mile away not just in the machine but in the tattoo as well.I am sorry if you think different but you are simply wrong if you think they are the same quality.It is a guitar string compared to multiple needles I don't even want to go into all the reasons you should not use it,Seriously,please just trust me on this one.

Just to give you the short.Yes,you can make your own tattoo gun.But to make a real one it will cost you in the ball park of at least $100 in parts for one machine.From there you need to know the math involved to build the machine so it functions properly.I get frames from this guy http://www.buzzmachines.net/frames/f_main.htm
he has parts too,but I get my parts from here http://www.kingpintattoosupply.com/
But seriously you have to know more than I care to post here at the moment.I have a college theses written by a Harvard student on the proper assembly and application of tattoo machines and it is over 200 pages of grade A work.Do you get the picture.In my personal opinion the cheep Chinese guns are crap.If you want to do it right you need to have at least two machines one for fine line work and one for shading.If you insist on doing you own tattoo,PRACTICE ON A GRAPEFRUIT FIRST.Get DVD's by professionals.Yes they cost money and YES they ARE worth it.No you do not need a professional to do a good tattoo,but you need one to teach you how,plus you need to be a good artist (the real key) or you will have a "scar" not a work of art.

In my entire lifetime I only saw one "homemade" actually prison tattoo that looked any good.It was made with a bedspring that was rubbed against the concrete until it had a sharp end.Back when they let prisoners have cigarettes they took the ashes and mixed it with soot from taking a lighter to a black checker piece and put it on the sharp end of the bed spring and put the picture together bit by bit one poke at a time.The man who did it was an exceptional artist (the key) with a lot of time on his hands(like 15-20 years).So is it possible?Yes.However HIGHLY UNLIKELY you will get a good "homemade" tattoo.

But to be perfectly fair,don't think just because you go into a shop and get a tattoo it will be good.I have seen people with guns paid in a shop who just suck.Why?They are not artist.Well maybe con artist but not a fine artist(which is the proper term for a educated professional artist).

My main point and the reason I took time to post anything here is I have had those homemade tattoos and ones from people who suck.So really I am trying to tell you so you don't have to go through what I did.With tattoos you can always add more you can not take away.Other than expensive laser removal that can still leave scars.I have huge black tribal patterns used to cover-up past mistakes.Are you seeing where I am going with this.Don't tattoo yourself until you get it perfect on a piece of fruit first and don't let some butt cheese talk you into letting him do it until you have seen his work.Hang out and wait until someone else comes in and let him work in that fool and watch so you know the quality of his work.If he sucks RUN someplace else.Lastly don't get suckered!The most kick ass artist in the world will charge $1,000 for an 8 hour session with a serious client who wants bad ass tattoos that is what this guy charges
http://www.joshuacarlton.com/
Look at that and tell me you can get that good with a tattoo gun like instructed here.So unless he is that good don't pay more than $100 an hour.Try going to someone you checked out and you know is good on a Tuesday morning just as they open.It is usually dead then and tell them you will have them do the work now if he/she is willing to do it for a hundred dollars even if it is a 3 hour piece,he aint doing shit.So,will he take $100 and do the work or sit with his thumb up his ass and watch Price is Right?

I have two degrees, two certifications, and speak three languages. Yet, i was in prison. Why? Drugs. 80% of the people incarcerated are in there for something that in some way involved substance abuse. It has nothing to do with intelligence level or common sense. In fact, some of the smartest people I have ever met were in prison; even smarter than the people I went to college with. So, people in prison aren't stupid, just misguided and lost. Addiction is considered a disease for a reason. That's like saying people with cancer are stupid.

so you're going to add this to your next survival kit? i get what your saying, but they do it out of necessity, not free will. give an inmate the option between this and a real tattoo artist and they'll take the real one. sure, you could pierce your ear with a needle too, but my health is worth more than the monitory expense of getting a piercing or tattoo. you think you're being smart and witty but really you're immature ending with "your logic fails". if i was 12, i'd make this "tattoo gun", but i'm not. fyi...its called a tatoo machine, not "gun".

Also it is easy to sterilize in the Pen that what we have alcohol pads for.

A pad of alcohol won't sterilize jack... Autoclave, and only an autoclave.

First people you guys know nothing. Needles in prison are the easiest part to get. Why? Cause they are made from a lighter spring which is about 14 Cents from prison canteen. So it is easy to always have a clean needle. And yes prisoners are general Pop so Graphak you have no clue what your talking about. I have made and used guns there and it's easy. Pay mind that I was at a level 5 camp that is MAX. So that's the real. Some of the best tattoo artists in the world are behind bars and I have seen them.

I agree! My son is one of them.

If you do jail tattooing, your going to be in a worse hell than the joint my friend. Hepatitis C, HIV, other viral infections, take your pick. It may make your life harder not having them, but you'll be alive when you get out.

RevolverKiller doesn't want someone getting hepatitis. This is better than Jerry Springer. Don't spill that drink killer.

thanks indiana, ill keep that drink in its just that one can buy statrer kits with somewhat proper machines and supplies on the cheap nowadays. you'll learn how to properly tattoo with proper tools. just because you can build this thing doesnt mean you should. if youre serious about tattooing, then you should be serious about getting the proper tools, education and help rather than home building something that will ultimately disappoint you and who ever you decide to scratch

amen brother

It actually depends on what scenario you are in. I was in prison and it was referred to as a tattoo "gun" because it resembles a gun. Also, I'm positive India Ink works just fine since we used ash and toothpaste to do it and my tats are still intact and look the same way they did three years ago when I got out. A "real" tattoo is usually better, but some of the ink I've seen done this way is indistinguishable from the "real" thing. A tattoo is a tattoo no matter how you look at it. It is a permanent design embedded in your skin, plain and simple.

correct...tatoo machine, not gun.

No it's a gun noob. And India works very well. Hell my tat is made from baby oil soot ink and guess what it is 7 years old people don't believe its that old and it's not high quality ink. Tatts most the time depend on the skill of the artists. 99% skill 1% GUN.

This tat was done in 2001 with a prison gun and of course the easy to get clean needle. Took hour and a half but I had 5 years to go.

i forgot the name, but another thing you can use is old spice red zone deoderant (but make sure it's the clear one, cause solid or liquid gel wont work). deoderant is what we use in jail.

the stuff Ive had used on me is just plain ink paper that you use to trace things, nothing special... or a biro

actually I use basic, cheap men's deoderant. and an ink pen

Alot of them use surigical soap

11 gage guitar string.

Ok first of all any artist who has ever done an apprentiship will never refer to a tattoo machine as a "gun" guns shoot bullets, just in case you were wondering the difference. Secondly if you are asking those kinds of questions about sterility you need to stop before right now before you end up giving someone hep C. If you want to be a tattoo artist the only way to be taken seriously is to go through a credible shop and do an apprenticeship. I am in no way saying this to be mean, I am simply trying to stop you from hurting anyone. As an artist who has gone through an apprenticeship I am will be honest in saying that you will not be taken seriously as an artist unless you go through and learn to tattoo the right way. If you end up making this your career no credible shop will take you in and give you a job without proper training and sterilization techniques. As artists we go through bloodbourne pathogen training, have our sterilization equipment checked monthly and use proper methods to prevent cross contamination...things that are nearly impossible to do if you are tattooing from your kitchen or living room. So in short please put your "machines" down and go through the proper channels in order to make your dream of being an artist come true, because honestly in the end you will feel more of a sense of accomplishment having gone through the training than if your just "tatting" on your friends in your living room.

Ok, first of all, the guy teaching me the art calls it a "gun", and he's been doing this since both of us were in diapers. Secondly, hep C is not the only infection that can be transmitted by performing a tattoo.

its simply untrue that you will not be taken seriously without an apprenticeship, Chriss Dettmer one of the new&rising new school artists hasn't had an apprenticeship and i'm pretty sure alot of shops would really want to take him, it all comes down to the quality of your artwork sure if you don't have an apprenticeship and you cause scarring or make someone have hep c or any other kind of blood or skin infection then you should never work in a tattoo studio but tattoo apprentices are quite hard to find (or here in north yorkshite in uk they are) and friends who i know who have had them say that they felt that they just wasted alot of time making teas and doing little jobs so don't just condemn everyone who hasn't had an apprenticeship

jeff , im genuinely interested in building some tattoo machines. im an electronic engineer so ive got that part no problem but its the frame and mechanics id like to learn more about. being that you build custom machines and that is what im looking to do, id appreciate your input, thanks mike

jeff can u send by mail all equipment for make / build a tatto machine because my place is far away and i cant build like your machine can u send me by email burhanchen@yahoo.com i from indonesia thks if your can send me by email im thks very much sorry if my english not so good

i really would like to make my own really tatoo gun, i have made about five but with the same features un like urs wat do u mean by emp's i got my first real tatoo wen i was 18 but before i tried to make my own i really would like to know how your tatoo gun works and how to make one can u help me out with the safety and how to make it?

does that hurt as bad as a real gun?