How Is a Professional Tattoo Gun Made?

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Doc Lowry and we're talking about primitive tattoo machines compared to a modern machine. Most of the primitive machines are home-made equipment, or are referred to as jail-house rigs. They usually consist of, kind of the same elements. They take, they build off the tube so take like a big pen tube and use black tape to tape a cassette motor to it and then have a guitar string or that they sharpen and use as a needle and the arm and that they take their little motor and put a little eraser on it with a clip in it so it makes a little off-set driver out of it, and they're pretty simple, easy to make. They make them out of cassette motors, they make them out of electric razors, hair clippers. Some people will take tooth picks or tooth brushes and sharpen the end of their tooth brush and tattoo with that. They make really ugly tattoos. The biggest problem with a home-made machine of that type is that that puts a vibration in the needle so that you can't get a clean line with it and you can't penetrate to the depth that you need to because the end of the needle is bouncing back and forth sideways, that way. This machine, that's the primary difference is that it shoots straight up and down and you can adjust the depths so not only can you get the depth that you need, the needles, the needles going straight instead of wobbling so that you get a nice, clean tattoo out of it."