Tattooin fat fuckers

[Julio Avila]

so i live in wisconsin. there is absolutely no shortage of obese people here. this topic is NOT a bash on them.

i was tattooing a gay bear the other day. had him sit in a chair to outline his half sleeve. i need him to lay down to outline the inside of his arm. he layed down, no problem. i did need him to sit up for a second to readjust something. he got off the massage table and sat in the middle. we heard a very loud SNAP!!!!! he sat down and i told him to stand up. i turned the thing over and one of the wooden support bars snapped in two! he was mortified!!!!!!! sooooo embarrassed. i was just relieved that he wasnt hurt. hes a cool guy getting some cool tattoos. i was able to finish the outline with him sitting down.

so i have to get a replacement table. but now im super scared to get another like the original one because i dont want it to break while a big person is on it. ive been looking around online and found one made with metal legs. welded aircraft aluminum.

anybody have any tips on a massage table that i can fold up?

ive been freaking out over this the last day and a half. i just dont want anyone to get hurt. im sure i tattoo an obese person 3 or 4 times a month. by obese i guess i mean over 300 pounds

[waverly]

Isn't gay bear redundant?

[Julio Avila]

Yes.

I forget none of you are from Wisconsin. People don't know about other people here

[mario desa]

hahahaha...

[Lochlan]

Isn't gay bear redundant?

I love the clarification for those who don't know, haha. When someone now says bear I no longer think of the animal. Speaking of which, for those in the Bay Area isn't this weekend Folsom St. Fair?

[Julio Avila]

haha yeah i no longer think of the animal variety either haha.

hey mario, fred stonehouse has a "bear" story haha

[mario desa]

i'll have to ask him...he has the best stories. and i'll be seeing you tomorrow!

[Lizzie]

We are a Queer positive shop so we have no - NO - shortage of every kind of person from every fringe queer community and it's AMAZING. The other day, a guy said to me "This new album is SO gay." and I replied "YES THAT IS AWESOME!" It felt mututally nice that when someone called something gay the first reaction we all had wasn't like "Oh, really? It's stupid?" LOL

Anyway, as for the massage tables -- STAY AWAY from the ones that have the beams that pull out and you click them into the four corner legs. They're cheap cuz they're week. Try to find one that fold out as simply as possible with as little assembly as those are the ones that I've used for years and had no problem getting REAAAAL big boys and girls on top.

It's a nice thing, too, to be able to tell a client who is scared that they m ight d amage your table by virtue of their weight to, "do their worst." Or similar jokey-type-thing. Really breaks the ice and let's 'em feel like no one gives a shit if they've got a few extra pounds. We just wanna tatttoo em and not judge.

[Julio Avila]

Agreed Lizzie. I just want to concentrate on the tattoo and having as much fun as possible doing it. Not whether or not my client safety is at risk

[Lizzie]

Totally! That's the worst part of conventions - everything is so precariously assembled and balanced to get clients in good positions that it can get a little distracting. We just worked our first local convention (or close to home, I should say) and having all the comforts in the back of our van (like proper tables and chairs and pillows etc) was AWESOME. Made the work simple and fun. We found our best massage table at a hardware store! Just goes to show that a lot of those furniture companies aren't really doing anyone a favour. You just gotta open your eyes.

[Dean Schubert]

Whenever I have a larger person on the table, I make sure all the legs are secure I've been using wooden leg tables for over 15 years. Had a leg break a few years ago. Realized all the legs were loose. So I double check them now and have had no problems.

[brimstonesix]

sometimes ya gotta stack shit like legos or something. i got a galaxy massage chair thats hydraulic and its been fine for people weighing like four hundred pounds....i brace the back though just in case. and dont let them sit on the end because it will flip!

[ShawnPorter]

Isn't gay bear redundant?

If he were tattooing a bear, PETA would be all over him. A gay bear, and he's probably just going to get tipped well and possibly hit on. Story of my life.

[kylegrey]

Isn't gay bear redundant?

bear BLUF .

[Zillah]

We are a Queer positive shop so we have no - NO - shortage of every kind of person from every fringe queer community and it's AMAZING. The other day, a guy said to me "This new album is SO gay." and I replied "YES THAT IS AWESOME!" It felt mututally nice that when someone called something gay the first reaction we all had wasn't like "Oh, really? It's stupid?" LOL

Anyway, as for the massage tables -- STAY AWAY from the ones that have the beams that pull out and you click them into the four corner legs. They're cheap cuz they're week. Try to find one that fold out as simply as possible with as little assembly as those are the ones that I've used for years and had no problem getting REAAAAL big boys and girls on top.

It's a nice thing, too, to be able to tell a client who is scared that they m ight d amage your table by virtue of their weight to, "do their worst." Or similar jokey-type-thing. Really breaks the ice and let's 'em feel like no one gives a shit if they've got a few extra pounds. We just wanna tatttoo em and not judge.

Thank you for this.

[temporarytattoo]

The best convection which can be given is provided in an very nice manner about it.

[Lou Morgue]

Haha I've had this happen many times with larger folk, been through many massage tables too. I use the Eva Salon chairs, the base is solid, BUT beware, they have to get up slow, because I've had people unbalance the chair and topple over.

[seattleite]

oh dear..