Tattooing.Tools Of The Trade

Tools Of The Trade

Shop Furniture

Work Table - A medium sue table (linoleum or glass top for easier cleaning) to hojd items needed while rattooing- Chair- For the tattooist. Should becomfortable.Some prefer rollers tnget around You can spend a lot of time in this.

Customer Chair- A comfortable chair for clients to sit in while their tattoo is being done.

Lifter Bench - Common weight lifting bench for clients to stretch out tin while doing back or legs.

F*nt Stool - For the tattooist'3 Foot to give him elevation for those who do forearm type work or balance the tattoo arm on the knee

Bench Equipment Adjustable Table Light - To get a good look at what you are doing from all angles (Do not. use fluorescent light.)

Paper Towels and Dispenser - For a variety of purposes from wiping ink up to cleaning tattoos.

Sterilizers

MStedclavef' Autoclave - For sterile dressings and equipment This is a must. Wayne Dri-Clave - Tiible top. Sterilizer pouches to check sterilizing Ultrasonic Cleaner - Cleans all residue from tubes* needles, etc.

Ultrasonic- Solution - For use with Ultrasonic Cleaner.

Ultrasonic TYay and Machine Holder - Submersible tray to hold tools in while in the Ultrasonic Cleaner.

Machine Rack - To hold machines while not in use. Contains test tubes for machines. Benz All - Agermictdal solution thatis non-rusting. This does notsterUtee, but keeps sterile equipment clean. For use in machine test tubes.

Tools

Tattoo Machines - At least three are needed, later building up to as many as ten. Some are exclusively for shading, others just for lining. Put your personal marks on each machine so as to always put liner tubes on lining machines and shader tubes on shading machines.

Tattoo Parts - An assortment of parts for any repairs.

Tubes - Extra tubes for machine, stainless steel

Needle Bars - Liners and shaders. You will need many of both. Preshaped at supply house for you.

Bands - Tension is important for proper tattooing.

Feeler Gauge - For adjusting contact points.

Power

Power Unit - To run machines.

Clip Cords - The contact from unit to machine.

Foot Switch - To control machine without using hands.

Needle Making

Soldering Gun - To solder needles together and to solder needles to bars.

Plain Needle Bars - To receive needle group.

Needle Jig - To make correct needle groups.

Needle Bar Jig - To ensure placement of groups with bars.

Stainless Solder - The soldering medium.

Tweezers — To hold work.

Eye Loupe - To check work and needles

Medical

Stainless Trays - For needles.

Three Glass or Stainless TYays (With Sealing Tops) - One tray containing liner and needle bars. (I s point one way - 3's point the other way). One tray containing shader needle bars -(4"s point one way, 6's point the other way). One tray containing shader and liner needle tubes (shaders point one way. liners the other way). Glass Quart Jar - One filled with sterile ink caps.

Spray Bottles -To hold tsopropyl alcohol, greensoap mixture (three parts water/one part soap), etc.

Carbolated Vaseline — For stencils and skin.

Antibiotic Ointments - Such as Bacitracin, for healing.

Green Soap - Cleanup and preps. Does not sterilize.

Tongue Depressors — To apply ointments.

Disposable Razors - For skin prep.

Bandage — For tattoos.

Handi Wrap - For tattoos.

Hospital Tape - To adhere dressings.

Rubbing Alcohol - Disinfectant for cleanups. Does not sterilize.

Scissors - Stainless hospital quality.

Hemostats - Stainless hospital quality.

Gloves - Surgical latex gloves for tattooing-

Stencil

Acetate - Plastic sheeting for stencils.

Cutter - To put groove in acetate.

Powder — Stencil medium for use with acetate.

Ink - Hecktograph Ink.

Tracing Paper - For ink tracings.

Deodorant Stick — For applying stencil to skin.

Art

Inks - A color assortment and black.

Ink Bottles - Four ounce twist top.

Caps - To hold ink.

Holder — To keep caps in place.

Flash - Lots of designs are needed.

Pencils. Watercolors - To color flash sheets.

This list is not totally complete, but it is a good guideline to get you started. Few people can purchase it all at once and must slowly put it together. Don't be frightened by the long list, all the equipment is quite small and portable. Compared to other businesses, this list is pretty simple and not as expensive as some practices can be. Buying in order of importance and practicality first seems to be a smart direction to follow.

Tattooists must have an organized area around them for any kind of efficient work. The universal approach is a work table in front of the worker for proper and easy location of items. Vou may make the table, but the best and most professional one you can afford would be a wiser choice. It's important to make sure it is flat, sits sturdy, and is easy to clean and keep clean. It should also be large enough to hold everything you will need. It is advisable to have a knee cutout in the front of the table (rather then solid) so the customer on some occasions can get right up close to the table to keep your reaching to a minimum. A standard table is about 20 inches wide. 48 inches long and a comfortable height off the ground. The top can be formica, finished hardwood or preferably stainless steel or glass, A small sink with hot and cold faucets should be mounted in the top off to the side. Sit in a chair beside the skin, facing the farther end of the table so the sink will be on your right side. Ifyou are left handed, everything will be the opposite,

Everything should be within easy reach. The things used most often should be located the closest to you, and the items used less often are located further away. The items used the most are things like caps full of ink, the carbolated vaseline and the spray bottle of green soap. Also, the lamp and paper towels should be within easy reach. Slightly further back, but still within easy reach, is the spray bottle of alcohol, extra ink caps, three washes to clean the ink out of tubes when colors are changed, going from the first distilled water to the second distilled water to the alcohol last. A little further back are bandage supplies, extra needle bars, tubes and inks, with machine rack just barely within reach to hold spare tattoo machines or another machine with a different set-up. One for outlines and one for shading and coloring.

Some women would like to have a little privacy, so it is a good idea to keep a spare tube top handy for them, so they don't get any ink on their clothes. Many women will ask for a private session for more privacy.

An office chair on wheels can be used to move around easily to get in different positions. It mayor may not have arms on it, has an adjustable back rest and the height should be adjustable also. Arm rests work good for steadying thehand while tattooing.

A folding chair can be used for the customer to sit in. A front rail between the two front legs makes a good foot brace for the tattoo artist when working on an arm tattoo. Some like to work off their Jap and find it handy to brace elbows on their leg while doing a bicep, forearm or ankle.

To do a back piece, have them sit facing the back of the folding chair with one leg through the opening in the back so they don't have to spread their legs so far apart. This position is easier for the artist as long as the tattoo is on the upper part of the back. A pillow under the customer's arms draped over the back of the chair will make it more comfortable. If the piece is too low down on the back to do comfortably in a sitting position, lay them down on a weight bench. The weight bench works well for chest pieces, stomachs, legs and backsides. You should move the customer where you can reach them best, and still have the ink, sprays and paper towels within easy reach. Then adjust the light so you can see well.

This outline is a basic set-up to get you started. It is the duty of every tattooist to familiarize themselves with this, then take over where this chapter has left off, customizing the area to suit their own needs.