Full Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Tune a Tattoo Machine
First of all, I would like to point out that numerous novice tattoo artists, heck even experienced ones, tend to purchase machines that have already been tuned up. Well, the truth is some machines aren’t tuned at all, but beginners in particular often believe otherwise. They might make minor adjustments to a newly purchased tattoo machine – a handful of tubes here and a contact screw there. They’re only willing to perform little bits of adjustments simply because they are scared.
Yes, they are scared of doing large-scale adjustments which often requires one to open up the tattoo machine and tweaking its parts in order to attain the best tune-up. Beginner tattooists are scared of doing these things because they lack confidence in putting the machine back together. In fact, try telling a beginner tattooist to maintain his machine and what he would likely do is replace the machine’s rubber band - that’s it!
Alright, here are the tools you’ll need to tune a tattoo machine:
1) Allen wrenches
2) Armature spring
3) New armature bar
4) Two Coils
5) Contact Spring
6) Flathead screwdriver
7) Frame
8) Positive post
Yes, they are scared of doing large-scale adjustments which often requires one to open up the tattoo machine and tweaking its parts in order to attain the best tune-up. Beginner tattooists are scared of doing these things because they lack confidence in putting the machine back together. In fact, try telling a beginner tattooist to maintain his machine and what he would likely do is replace the machine’s rubber band - that’s it!
Alright, here are the tools you’ll need to tune a tattoo machine:
1) Allen wrenches
2) Armature spring
3) New armature bar
4) Two Coils
5) Contact Spring
6) Flathead screwdriver
7) Frame
8) Positive post
Linking Up the Coils
Clean every single piece of your tattoo machine and arrange them like you see in the picture below:
Clean every single piece of your tattoo machine and arrange them like you see in the picture below:
Linking up the coils is the number one step. See the capacitor in the photo below?
That’s a 35mf capacitor. If you want a higher capacitor, go for something that’s between 75 to 100mf. The maximum would be 150mf and no more than that. Proceed with the wiring process, making sure you put on the proper connectors. The next thing you want to do is connect the positive post. Do it like you see in this picture right here.
The outcome:
Arrange the coils like you see in the picture above. Be careful with those wires! You don’t want them getting pinched. Now all you got to do is snug those coils down. Both coils should be lined up evenly.
Here’s a photo of how everything should look like after you’ve done the previous step.
Here’s a photo of how everything should look like after you’ve done the previous step.
Keep in mind that the arrangement depicted in the photo above isn’t permanent. At this point, you want to make sure the coils are snugly in place – not even a hint of looseness. The next step is to bend those wires in order for them to get in the proper position. Refer the photo below.
Connecting the Armature bar and the Arm Bar
Grab your shiny new armature bar and connect it to the frame. The positioning should be in the lowest region. Refer the photo below.
Grab your shiny new armature bar and connect it to the frame. The positioning should be in the lowest region. Refer the photo below.
Now grab the arm bar and attach it as well. Position the arm bar pretty near to the coil on the left. Make sure they are not too close to each other. It’s important to leave a bit of gap between them. The reason we don’t want the arm bar and coil to be too close to one another is because it will put too much pressure on the spring. The spring of a tattoo machine is very fragile and it can break pretty easily if it is placed under too much stress.
Contact Spring Tensioning
Now, let’s begin by linking up the armature bar with the arm bar. Once you’ve done that, move the bars slightly to the right and then insert the screw. Make sure the arm and the spring doesn’t get a lot of tension. If there’s too much tension on either one of them, your machine won’t be able to operate effectively. For the tensioning, all you have to do at this point is pull the arm bar just a little bit to the back and then go ahead and bend the spring. However, don’t bend it all the way down! You want to bend it to the point that the arm bar gets slightly close to the coils.
And you’re done! This is how you tune a tattoo machine. Simple isn’t it? Well, keep in mind that this is the most basic procedure. There are other pretty advanced techniques out there. Maybe someday, I’d share some of those techniques with you. In the meantime, enjoy your newly tuned tattoo machine and keep on tattooing.
Contact Spring Tensioning
Now, let’s begin by linking up the armature bar with the arm bar. Once you’ve done that, move the bars slightly to the right and then insert the screw. Make sure the arm and the spring doesn’t get a lot of tension. If there’s too much tension on either one of them, your machine won’t be able to operate effectively. For the tensioning, all you have to do at this point is pull the arm bar just a little bit to the back and then go ahead and bend the spring. However, don’t bend it all the way down! You want to bend it to the point that the arm bar gets slightly close to the coils.
And you’re done! This is how you tune a tattoo machine. Simple isn’t it? Well, keep in mind that this is the most basic procedure. There are other pretty advanced techniques out there. Maybe someday, I’d share some of those techniques with you. In the meantime, enjoy your newly tuned tattoo machine and keep on tattooing.