COILS – Teach Me To Tattoo

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- July 4, 2011 at 11:09 pm #14065
  
  TexasPT
  Member
  
  So…what are decent coils to upgrade to that don’t require you working in a shop? I can’t buy from Eikon, can’t buy from kingpin, can’t buy from lucky…
  
  I bought some superior coils…no complaints at all so far.
  
  Would I be better off just winding my own??
- July 5, 2011 at 2:56 am #17852
  
  Viper65
  Member
  
  I see Eikon on Ebay all the time….. :ugeek:
- July 5, 2011 at 3:15 am #17853
  
  TexasPT
  Member
  
  @Viper65 wrote:
  
  I see Eikon on Ebay all the time….. :ugeek:
  
  I saw one today but the guy wanted $40 for $27 coils…maybe I’m just cheap. :) My shader died tonight mid tattoo and I had to adjust my liner to finish. (liner coils have been replaced…go figure) I may have to buck up and make the purchase. :(
- July 5, 2011 at 3:18 am #17854
  
  Viper65
  Member
  
  ……….well since you cant get them directly from the manufacture you may have to buck up and bite the bullet if ya want…still not a bad investment…Lemme know how they work out for you!!!!! :mrgreen:
- July 5, 2011 at 12:49 pm #17855
  
  TexasPT
  Member
  
  LOL…I may end up with a set eventually.
  
  This morning I took my shader. It wouldn’t run with less than 11 volts or a tiny little air gap and it when it did it sputtered. I took the coils off one of my spare machines that hasn’t been used. A few tweaks to adjust for minor height difference and now my shader runs SMOOTH with a nickle gap at 6 volts enough to let me bog it down without it stopping. (with my finger…not doing 8 am tattoos).
  
  I ordered some cheap coils yesterday off amazon. Crap, I know. But one thing I’ve noticed with the Chinese “mass-producers” is that when they clone something they typically get it pretty darn close. My liner has Superior coils now and hasn’t missed a beat since.
  
  I think I’m going to wind some of my own and see what I can do just for grins eventually. Gives me a reason to tinker some more. :)
- July 5, 2011 at 4:19 pm #17856
  
  voodoo
  Member
  
  Quite a good bit of builders on there… Bicknee sells coils for basic ones. or try my friend–>
  http://cgi.ebay.com/Tattoo-Machine-Coils-Custom-Dark-Light-Blue-Washers-/380341614751?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588e20789f
- July 5, 2011 at 8:46 pm #17857
  
  TexasPT
  Member
  
  @voodoo wrote:
  
  Quite a good bit of builders on there… Bicknee sells coils for basic ones. or try my friend–>
  http://cgi.ebay.com/Tattoo-Machine-Coils-Custom-Dark-Light-Blue-Washers-/380341614751?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588e20789f
  
  I actually almost bought these but their website says NOTHING about the coils at all. I was going to post up and ask about them on here.
- July 6, 2011 at 4:04 am #17858
  
  Viper65
  Member
  
  Lemme know how those hand wrapped work for you!!!! Good luck!
- July 6, 2011 at 9:31 am #17859
  
  imported_canvasyou
  Member
  
  @TexasPT wrote:
  
  less than 11 volts
  
  I can usually get a machine running solid at 3-4 volts w/ Pulse power supply. Most artists like the 6 volt range, so thats where I try to build. But I have found that the less volts used the cooler the machine runs – so I try to tune in the 3-4 volts range. I hear some guys say they run around 8-9 volts.
  There is not real magic number for tattoo voltage though.
  The volts depend on the machine and power supply.
  My 6 volts might be your 10 volts depending on the power supply.
  Try to stay away from metered power supplies – use your ears to tune and your hands to feel.
  I highly recommend anything from Pulse. Solid coils.
  
  Superior coils are usually weak due to the plastic bobbin surrounding the core. (this is just my experience).
  Sometimes a weak coil is good though –
  depends on what you are trying to achieve.
- July 6, 2011 at 11:57 am #17860
  
  TexasPT
  Member
  
  Thanks, Canvas. The plastic bobbin was the only “red flag” to me when i ordered them. So far they do everything I need them to. I had forgotten about Pulse…I remember reading about them.
  
  After replacing springs yesterday with some quality springs they feel like new machines. I think the combo of springs and coils should be stressed a bit. Those tin springs (which I kept on the rear of my machines) are just crap. I guess when motion is hindered, or labored, the coils half to work twice as hard.
  
  I like having an analog read…just so I can be consistent. It gives me a visual marker to go back to as a base setting when they are running right. Admittedly, I’m still chasing the perfect tune because I just don’t have the experience yet.
  
  As always, I appreciate you adding your input here. This site has been a wonderful resource.
  
  Mark
- July 7, 2011 at 11:01 pm #17861
  
  TexasPT
  Member
  
  So I got my coils today and put them on. Everything ran smooth, no visible defects, and I’m not at all unhappy being out $10 for the effort. That being said…they weigh about 4x what my other coils did. So much weight I couldn’t shade longer than 10 minutes on my practice skin before my hand started to cramp. Here is the link to them:
  
  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FVNQT2/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title
  
  If you have crazy strong hands…go for it. I am going to suck it up and buy some quality coils. Hopefully they are not all this heavy.
- August 14, 2011 at 11:55 pm #17862
  
  ricoh65
  Participant
  
  Mark, my first machines were chinese bulldogs and I overhauled them with parts from I.T.S. Tattoo Supply from Chicago, they have a total rebuild kit for $25.00 and they are all good parts…Check it out. Hope this helps-Ricoh
- August 15, 2011 at 12:58 am #17863
  
  TexasPT
  Member
  
  Thanks. I saw your site and the bulldogs you had are the same one I just got. I’ll grab one of those kits for it and see what happens.
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