The History of Tattoo Guns
Tattoos used to conjure up visions of rusty sailors and harbor "bad side of town" dives in America, and for years getting a tattoo was something only lower-income citizens participated in, predominantly men. The tattoo gun, the ink tool that creates all the marks, is still almost the same design as when it was created.
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Tattoo Gun
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A tattoo machine or, as it is better known, a tattoo gun, allows the transfer of permanent ink from a bottle into the sublayer of skin. This transfer occurs via needles and ink-feeding tubes driven by a machine using electromagnetic coils to perform a stitching effect. It jabs the needle at high speed, allowing it to enter the ink underneath the skin.
Invention History
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The first motor design that would be applied to a tattoo gun was invented by the same person who invented lightbulbs, Thomas Edison. The machine was patented in 1876, originally being meant for metal engraving. Samuel O'Reilly took the design and instead applied it to inking of skin for tattoos, adding the tubing and ink feed bottle design later on. O'Reilly didn't get the patent for the add-on approach; Charlie Wagner patented the tattoo gun system in 1904.
Further Development
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By the early 1930s, further developments and improvements of the tattoo gun were patented by Percy Waters. The revisions brought the tool closer to what is used today in tattoo parlors. The revised design included two coils installed parallel to each other and the addition of an easy-to-use on/off switch.
Modern Approach
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The tattoo gun didn't change much for almost five decades. In 1979 Carol "Smokey" Nightingale wanted some additional benefits to make detailing work easier on intricate tattoos. Necessity being the mother of invention, Carol created multiple sizes for springs that allowed the movement of the gun to work. In addition, he designed adjustable parts to change the coils for further improvement of control.
Current Design
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Today's tattoo guns have speed control for the needle, adjustable puncture depth and adjustable controls for pressure. This allows for very intricate design work that was not possible decades before. These modern machines opened up new markets in permanent makeup application as well.
Variety
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Almost all tattoo artists today use the same type of tattoo gun. Many customize their tools specifically for their needs and approach. There is no central database or licensing that tracks these changes, so it's not known how many different custom designs exist.
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- Photo Credit Tattoo man image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
Comments
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tattoonetwork
May 31, 2010
I was not aware that Thomas Edison had a hand in the invention of the tattoo gun. Thanks for this informative article.
