A Little Information About Tattoo Machines

The first tattoo machine was invented in the mid 1800s by Thomas Edison in his subconscious quest to become the world record holder for most copyrighted patents. These primitive tattoo machines were used to make engravings onto metal and other materials. Not long after, a man named Samuel O'Reilly came along and discovered that Edison's machine could be slightly altered and used to engrave ink onto human flesh. O'Reilly became known as the father of modern tattoos, if they knew his name, the drunken tribal tattooed college students of today would probably thank him.

Tattoos have been in existence for a lot longer than just the last couple of centuries but after Mr. O'Reilly's alteration of the tattoo machine, they really got popular. Every decade since then has witnessed the art maintain its esteem. Most areas in the United States have lifted the ban on tattooing which has prompted the illegal artists across America to open up tattoo parlors.

A Liner is the first tattoo gun type worth knowing about. This gun is responsible for creating the outline or base of the tattoo. It uses circularly rotating needles to engrave the ink onto the skin.

Next is the Shader, which is used to add in color and depth. This machine is much heavier than a Liner due to the larger needles it requires. A Shader is also slightly more powerful so that it can color in large areas.

A Rotary is a hybrid type of tattoo machine as it can be put to use as either a Liner or a Shader. Unlike the first two, it runs on a wheel rather than a coil system. Of all the tattoo guns it is the quietest but using one machine for both the outlining and coloring in of a tattoo can be quite a hassle.

The newest kind of tattoo machine is called a Neuma. This gun runs on concentrated air which makes it very quiet. It is also the least heaviest tattoo gun thanks to the omission of springs and wheels. A Neuma can be utilized for any step of the tattooing procedure and has simply attachable needles for simplicity.

Tattoo machines have come a long way since the days of Thomas Edison. In the past few hundred years they have made vast improvements in how a tattoo is applied. With each upgrade to the tattoo gun, safety and sterilization are greatly improved.