jcarmack

[jcarmack]

As a last resort, once a container is filled with needles fill it up with bleach and let it sit for a day or two. Afterwards you can pour the bleach down the drain. If you can’t dispose of them at your local hospital you need to look at getting a setup with a waste disposal company and have them pick up your hazardous waste once it reaches a certain level. You need to look at the local laws in your area regarding this because you can rack up some hefty fines if you don’t follow the letter of the law, not to mention you are putting someone’s health on the line.

[jcarmack]

Got on tonight and was reading your setup. You need to do a setup based upon the hot, cold zone theory. I’m sure that you’re aware that when you tattoo microscopic bits of body fluids are released and spread all over your workspace. I’ve been in professional tattoo studios where the artist has their ink on the desk right in front of them and this is a big NO NO. It’s all getting contaminated during the tattoo process. You also need to use a face mask and shield to keep the body fluids out of your mouth, nose and eyes. It’s a given that you also need to have your Hepatitis A and B shots before you ever start tattooing and make sure you’re up to speed on bloodborne pathogens. When you’re doing a setup you need to go ahead and get all the ink that you think that you’re going to need put into caps in front of you on your workstation. Once you start the tattoo process everything is contaminated and if you should need to get more ink you need to completely remove old gloves and any other protective equipment as well as wash up before going to get more ink. I recommend that you place all your sterilized equipment along with inks and other supplies in a cabinet that keeps dirt, dust and other contaminants from getting to your equipment.

You definitely don’t want to have contamination spreading from one client to the next and you definitely don’t want to be breathing in or getting pathogens into your eyes or other mucous membranes or on a cut on your arm, etc. Safety first.

[jcarmack]

This is used to clean skin and as an antibacterial in healthcare to scrub up and sterilize yourself before a procedure. It’s meant to be washed off after application. It’s not good to use this on a tattoo. You can use this as a prep to kill MRSA, bacteria, etc., that is on the skin before you tattoo a client but do not spray this on a tattoo after it’s done. Also, even green soap needs to be properly diluted as it can be irritating to the skin. Some tattoo artists dilute the green soap with Witch Hazel to keep down swelling and irritation associated with the tattoo process.

[jcarmack]

I’ll give you some constructive advice. First, you need to learn machine tuning and the aspects of lining and shading. Your shading on your tribal didn’t take because of a few factors, i.e., setup of machine, speed, needles used, ink used, etc. I can’t really tell because I wasn’t there to observe. You definitely need to get some pig skin or other mediums to practice on before you start tattooing others. You also need to work on your lining because your lines are all over the place on the one tattoo. Understandably, it looks like you were tattooing yourself but you definitely need some input and experience in that area. Remember to always follow through on a line from start to finish. You’ve got to stretch the skin and have a steady hand. There are a lot of self taught tattoo artists and most will admit that until they got an apprenticeship they were lacking in certain areas of their trade. There’s a lot of good information on Youtube that you can look at that will give you a little more insight but nothing is going to prepare you for the tattoo trade like an apprenticeship. Work on your art and build a portfolio and try to get an apprenticeship.

[jcarmack]

Green soap in your grey wash or any other application using color is a big no no. Green Soap is an irritant and can cause your clients skin to become sensitive, red, inflamed and make it a lot harder to heal over time. Even when using green soap to wipe down the tattoo you need to ensure that it’s properly diluted so that it won’t irritate the skin. It’s best to use pharmaceutical grade glycerin to thicken up your ink and witch hazel or distilled water to dilute your inks.

[jcarmack]

I don’t want to be critical and I know everyone has to start somewhere but you really need to work on your outlining. Your lines are all over the place. Start from the lower left and work your way up your tattoo stencil. When you start a line continue through it from start to finish without interruption. Make sure that you are stretching the skin in the area that you are tattooing with your non-tattoo hand. I know that you’re just starting out but these are areas that I noticed from looking at your work. Also, you need to spend some time working on your stencils to make your work stand out and be cleaner. I’m trying to be constructive and not meaning to rain on your parade.

[jcarmack]

Either way you need to be careful when cleaning your machine. Some of the viruscides and other chemicals used in sterilizing your product can damage your tattoo machine. It’s always best to be careful until you know a chemical is safe to use and that it won’t break down your equipment.

The most important issue whether you bag or not is to PROPERLY USE the chemicals EXACTLY the way that the safety sheet and instructions say. You’ve also got to be aware of all the different types of pathogens that you are trying to kill and ensure that you’re using the right chemicals. Lastly, you’ve got to be aware of the dwell time, i.e., how long it takes from the time you apply the chemical to your equipment until it safely kills all the contaminants.

I’ve seen a lot of un-sterile practices at tattoo shops, i.e., inks and supplies on the bench in front of the tattoo artist that are getting covered with the microscopic droplets of blood, body fluids, etc., that occur from the tattoo process. I’ve also noticed a lot of tattoo artists that don’t seem to be too concerned about their health due to the fact that they don’t use face masks and shields to protect their eyes and other mucous membranes, i.e., nose and mouth from becoming contaminated with the droplets from the tattoo process. There’s too many pathogens out there that can be deadly not to be as safe as possible.

[jcarmack]

There are many good machines out there. The best thing that you can do is learn the parts of the machine, how they interact with each other, how the machine is set up for each application. As a tattoo artist the tattoo machine is an extension of you and you need a quality machine and an understanding of how it functions and how to tune it to get the desired result.

There are cheap machines that can be bought that have a good frame on them. Once you have a good frame you can start from there and buy some good coils, springs and all the other parts from a reputable supplier or builder and have yourself a good machine.

You need to know how to tune your machines so that you don’t turn your clients skin into hamburger and also that you can get the ink into the skin correctly.

There’s some good information available on machine tuning is some of the tattoo books out there as well as videos that you can buy. It is imperative as a new artist or as an apprentice to take the time to understand your machine and how to keep it properly maintained and tuned.

[jcarmack]

Learn what styles of frames make the most dependable and tunable tattoo machine. Then you can go to some of the machine builders websites as well as the tattoo suppliers and find quality springs, coils, etc., and be able to rebuild a machine for really not that much money at all and then you’ll have a decent to great machine to work with. The biggest thing is that you need to understand the fundamentals and mechanics of what a good tattoo machine is and also how to effectively tune it once you’ve got it all put together.

[jcarmack]

The tattoo machines that you’re going to get in those kits are crap. Save up your money and get yourself a good machine. You can go to the tattoo suppliers online and get a decent machine that doesn’t cost much or you can buy a high end machine that will cost you up to or more than $300. For the price you pay for a kit you can buy the supplies yourself and end up with a much better starting point. The kits are a ripoff. Go to http://www.technicaltattoosupply.com or some of the others to get your equipment. Remember, skill is the most important aspect of being a tattoo artist but your gear is very important as well.

[jcarmack]

Another reason your wife can be experiencing redness, irritation and swelling is that you might have your green soap solution mixed too strong. Green soap can and will cause irritation if not mixed properly. It’s better to be to weak than to strong. I would mix just a little bit of green soap and use the witch hazel instead of water to be the rest of the solution.

Also, make sure that you are thoroughly disinfecting the area that you are tattooing on her before you ever begin to alleviate any issues with infection, etc. You can scrub an area with Betadine starting in the center and working your way outwards in circles to push any dirt and bacteria away from the area to be tattooed. Continue to clean the area up afterwards with distilled / sterile water as Betadine can irritate if left on the skin. Wipe in the same circular pattern from the center out. Finally, wipe the area down one last time with an alcohol wipe and you’re ready to tattoo. Make sure you’re wearing gloves also even though she’s your wife as you harbor bacteria on you as well. Make sure that you are washing your forearms and hands really well before donning your gloves and make sure you aren’t cross contaminating while tattooing her.

[jcarmack]

When steel tubes and tips are used you have to be careful in their cleaning. After use they need to be disassembled and placed in a cool or warm container with a cleaning agent. Keeping them wet doesn’t allow the body fluids and inks to dry out and harden. Also, never use hot water as it will cause the contaminates to bond even more with the tubes and tips. Some artists use water mixed with bleach and a non-reactive detergent in their holding solution. When you get ready to clean everything you need to wear protective gear. You can go to a chemical sales website and buy the good quality rubber gloves and rubber apron that you need to wear to keep yourself from getting contaminated. Also, get a face shield for when you scrub the tubes. Next fill up a sink with warm water and detergent. Using your tube brushes you want to scrub every tube and tip UNDER WATER to keep any water from splashing up from the brushing into your eyes or anywhere else on your body. After you’ve scrubbed them they need to be placed in a rinse sink. From there you can dry them with a lint free towel before placing them in the ultrasonic cleaner. Always use the proper ultrasonic cleaner chemicals and change the fluid as recommended by the manufacturer. The ultrasonic cleaner will remove any contaminants that you missed in your initial cleaning. After the ultrasonic cycle has finished you can dry all the tubes and tips off while still wearing protective gear and then place them in your autoclave sleeve / pouches. If you’re using an autoclave you need to be running it properly and be schooled on it’s use. You also need to have regular testing done to make sure that you don’t have and spores or fungal issues with your autoclave. The autoclave needs to be cleaned properly and serviced on a regular basis and testing needs to be documented. After the autoclave cycle has been run you need to allow the pouches to air dry and then you can place everything in a container or a cabinet that will protect them from dirt and other contaminants.

As discussed before, with the invention of the single use tubes and tips and the quality and cost it makes sense to just buy them these days and it keeps you from dealing with the long and cumbersome task of sterilizing all the tubes and tips every time.

[jcarmack]

Here’s a rule of thumb that I use. You’re in it to make money and also be able to tattoo the next client. As a base I charge the cost of the materials to tattoo the client x3 (times 3) that way you’re paying for the supplies used and buying essentially the supplies to do two more clients. This will help you build up your tattoo supplies. Next depending upon how detailed, large, etc., it is you can begin to assess the value of your time. As a rule of thumb I try to charge within means and within the scope of competing shops in the area. You can shop around for yourself and determine how much they are charging. Also, if they come in wanting a large piece I would make them make an appointment and place a deposit. Your time is money and if they don’t show they forfeit their deposit. I’ve got a buddy and just to get an appointment with him the starting price is $500 and goes up from there for his work. He’s a well established artist though and his work is in high demand.

[jcarmack]

It’s just different marketing wordage. All tattoo inks are formulated from pigments. Some are natural pigments, some are metal oxides, etc., and some are formulated using plastic particles. It all just depends upon the manufacturer of the ink and the brand. All of the big name brands in tattoo inks all have their own “SECRET” formula. It’s really not that hard to get online and find a pigment supplier for artists, etc. and you’ll be able to buy pigments to mix your own inks. It’s really not that hard and is very cost effective. Mixing your own colors can be very rewarding and after you get your own recipes down you’ll definitely save a lot of money.

[jcarmack]

UV light in general is bad for anything. Also, some of the brands of inks use plastic polymers in their inks and these can clump together in heat and also break down in UV light. As a rule of thumb you need to keep all or your inks and supplies away from windows and sunlight.

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