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I thought I did answer the original question. Almost every thread you've started here didn't need to be posted. 5 minutes of thought would have answered your own question. There's an 'old' saying regarding people who constantly make 'controversial' threads and posts on internet forums. "Do not feed the trolls" Do you realise that one of the founders of this site makes some of the best tattoo machines available? Do you realise that many forum members and interviewees also make the highest quality machines and other equipment? It's not about you making money, nobody cares. It's about respect and acting professional while asking professionals (and serious enthusiasts) for advice. People come here to discuss topics in an informative and hopefully positive way. It's hard to do that when people ask if a dvd is a good place to learn anything to do with tattooing. Here's an honest tip: There is NO Bob Ross of tattooing. It's also not like Popular Mechanics or Model Engineering where everybody shares their tips and advice to everyone. You can complain all you like about people being smart asses or dicks, but we've all been in the same position. Really, we have. We found our own way, often with help, but we had to earn that help, usually face-to-face. The journey and the self-discovery is what makes the outcome more valuable. I didn't always tattoo in a shop but I found that pretty much anything I could buy from someone who didn't care where I worked wasn't worth buying. I've said too much. I'm going back to not feeding trolls...

Chris Smith, Deluxe Tattoo in Chicago. The ship itself was done last year, just finished the background and flowers this time around ... Last Thursday.

I wasn't going to weigh in on this one as I'm not a tattooer nor a tattoo machine builder, however, I have changed my mind to try to add some perspective if I may in my humble opinion.... I have had the opportunity to be around a few tattoo machine builders and assisted some, actually wrapping coils today. Yesterday had a drill bit break off building some coils and stick in my finger plus the other wounds in the few years I've helped out and I am only doing this when they need help so can only imagine their stories. I have so much respect for what these guys do I could nor would I ever share the secrets they have shown me. Money could not compare, it is truly priceless!! That is not to be a privy prick but I have that much respect for it, them, and the history. Plus how much goes into just one machine. I see Scott and Juan constantly working their asses off on their days off putting time and energy into each machine. As well as bloody knuckles/hands/fingers, burns, etc.. I have been by Dan Dringenberg's machine shop and witnessed what they put into each machine. I was the extra laborer hands on Karl and Scott's collaborative machine.... and beyond the above labor they put in I saw/see the passion, friendship, and love they have for it. Watching Scott and Karl was a great experience for me and they will probably make fun of me for this but fuc'em....from an outsider watching the respect they have for one another as well as love was something I have seen few professionals share on a project. This is where I get my respect for it! This is where I even sometimes get my inspiration in my trade of psychology when feeling beat. On that note....you may find someone to show you. I know Dringenberg sometimes does seminars at tattoo conventions so maybe you will have the opportunity to attend one. But LST is not a place to learn about tattoo machines but it is a place to try to be a positive person in the world/trade of tattooing because we have that much respect for it. Lets try to do something different and new to/with tattooing, tattoos, and the internet for better tattoos......

Wow. This whole thread brings to mind the Cointel operatives from the 60's and 70's the the FBI planted in groups they deemed leftist, liberal or otherwise subversive, like the NAACP and the Black Panthers. Their mission was to interupt and misdirect, and they often took part in framing people for crimes that they'd never actually get convicted for, just distracting from their actual work and wasting a lot of time and resources. Bubbleberry, I think maybe you misread the community here, otherwise you probably wouldn't have posted that question. No one here could give you a review like you requested, " a simple " you know that dvd is really geared towards making machines not servicing them " would cost very little and would, at least, be dignified." because no one on this forum has learned their trade from a DVD, nor do they use "tattoo guns" (your words) made by people who learned from a DVD. Either way, we're looking forward to your review.

Tuning and building tattoo machines is totally easy. Anybody can do it. I have a drawer full of machines and every singe one of them was made or tuned by someone who did it according to a manual, on their day off from a real job. I learned everything I know (tattooing and otherwise) from a dvd too.

If you come to my house maybe I'll share my reference library with you. I guess the internet exists solely as a free resource. I've been doing it all wrong. Sorry guys, I get it. It's like Candid Camera or Punk'd or something. Boy, do I look stupid now. I'm done.

It looks good! I say take that $50 you were going to spend on that thing we're no longer talking about and put it towards some good machines.

When I lived in Austin I worked at the Alamo Theatre. It is the greatest movie theatre in the world. They run this video before the film starts.

HAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA fuck a dvd! is the only thing i have to say about this!

do you really want to learn the "secrets" of a tattoo machine from a DVD? honestly, those "secrets" exist for a reason, and are best kept to those who get their hands dirty building them. if you, or your wife, or whoever wants to know about the different parts of a machine, it's probably best to ask in person, to an artist you know or trust(or in the case of your wife, to the person/shop who's apprenticing her). and if it's about maintenance, i'm sure those who have actually made the machine can give you tips on how to best clean and take care of it. learning anything about tattooing from a dvd or online course feels a bit like replying to one of those ad's that used to be on the back of MAD magazine, where you could enter a drawing test to win free drawing lessons and a certificate stating you won. just because you can draw cartoon bear or turtle doesn't make you an artist. i'm sure others will chime in on this.

Hope the photo is attached...

Got this a few weeks ago in Chicago from Nick Colella.

This thread makes me laugh, in an uneasy, nervous way...

I got this Baphomet head from Tim Lehi last month. Why? Easily my favorite tattooist, and I think he understands what I am going for. He has tattooed me a few times and always gives me suitable tattoos for me, like he knows me, ha.

Hey Mask0311, First off, I would love to see everybody sportin great tattoos wherever I go but unfortunately there are fewer people out there "keepin it real" and if I go to WalMart I can see a store full of bad tattoos these days. As far as this guy "blowin you off", it's an old game, as old as it gets with "runnin' the scam", some will spot you and size you up to start something at a high price that they never intend to finish when they have a string of butterflies they can knock out and make more on when you may have already paid in advance, basically you will get shuffled to the rear like you got treated at the 9pm bell. NYC went crazy with those scams when it opened tattooing back up and on this subject I could go on and on. As far as the tooth hurting thing, RUN!!! should have been your instinct and this leads me to tell you that there are tattooers out there who relish a challenge of turning bad tattoos into good ones, so don't worry about having someone else drive over the mess you have started. As far as your expecting better treatment/respect for being home from the military, your absolutely right, the military has always been our staple in tattooing and when everybody's home and the wars are all over we will miss that amount of biz and it goes from steak to pork chops for us tattooers and this is not to mention that there are those of us out here that understand your service to Uncle Sam. So, as far as "keeping it real" and to prove that not all of us are like this disgrace to our trade I will fix and finish your dragon at no charge with the stipulation that you provide the steaks that I will personally grill for you at my country home where I have a rifle range that I will provide 500 rounds of ammunition for you to shoot through my legally owned and registered machineguns after we are finished with the tattooing, on this deal you have my word. Your only hitch is to make it by land sea or air to Illinois and provide the bovine. It can be fixed and finished and picture posted to this thread should you come through on your end of this bargain and I mean all of this most sincerely. I can't do this for every person that's received your treatment or I would work myself into the poorhouse but this is my offer to you. Thanks for your service and I apologize for the hack who misrepresented our trade and culture and I hope to hear from you. Sincerely, -Hawk- of Hawks Tattoo's

I've always felt a great debt to the people I've worked for. I am so fortunate the last person I worked for , before opening mine and my husband's shop in the next town, was such a gracious host that after telling him that we were leaving, he allowed us to build our shop, book our customers at his shop - for when we moved and still include us in his shop's Christmas celebration ( 2 months after leaving we even got our Christmas bonus) I realize this is an extreme case but if you think of tattooing as your life and not just your job-- then hopefully you will develop a relationship with whomever you work with.

If you are not going to tattoo why are you asking the questions? I thought of also mentioning some of the great machine builders -- but why even share that info? Pearls before swine!

this is all i need to learn how to draw a bear. also worth noting is smile now/cry later bears

It kinda looks like 20 minutes worth of tattooing :(

okok I swiped it from Todd Noble's facebook, but

The theater I go to has a little device that you can check out from the box office that's like a remote. It's buttons alert the ushers of projection problems, talking, etc. Someone won't shut up, you click a button, usher comes in and tells them to be quiet. Me? I have the manager's number in my speed dial. Honest to god. I take my movie watching experience seriously.

My wife and I went to this yesterday: SF MOMA Artists Gallery: The Unruly Art of Ed Hardy. Really incredible stuff, much of which I'd never seen or only seen in books. He had lots of tiger depictions, too--always a plus for me. Anyone else here seen the show?

is the tattoo on you then? that's rad you'd let her do the first one on you... after some bad experiences i'd never let another apprentice touch me with even the smallest tattoo

i said this right at the beginning. i don't know what took you so long to catch on to the idea, and why you were so caught up on buying that damn dvd. had you just posted this before, i'm sure this long, drug-out, butthurt argument session could have been avoided.

do you really want to learn the "secrets" of a tattoo machine from a DVD? honestly, those "secrets" exist for a reason, and are best kept to those who get their hands dirty building them. if you, or your wife, or whoever wants to know about the different parts of a machine, it's probably best to ask in person, to an artist you know or trust(or in the case of your wife, to the person/shop who's apprenticing her). and if it's about maintenance, i'm sure those who have actually made the machine can give you tips on how to best clean and take care of it. learning anything about tattooing from a dvd or online course feels a bit like replying to one of those ad's that used to be on the back of MAD magazine, where you could enter a drawing test to win free drawing lessons and a certificate stating you won. just because you can draw cartoon bear or turtle doesn't make you an artist. i'm sure others will chime in on this.

I've been wrapping my own tattoos (bigger torso stuff lately) with a layer of this stuff instead of A&D or vaseline: Maxeline 5. its a lidocaine cream which is also a vasoconstrictor so it basically doesn't bleed or leak, which =no scabs. I leave the bandage on overnight and I've never had a faster heal. My Ron Wells stomach destroyer that goes from sternum to navel was peeled and healed in 10 days.

This is a No-Brainer Tom Yak.

You should call the shop to see if you can get a consultation with Chris.I'm pretty sure he's booked up for a few month's.Or just go to the shop,and see if you can talk with him briefly.Matt does real nice work,but his style is more along the lines of realistic color/biomechanical/organic.I wouldn't go to him for japanese work. Rich Cahill Studio - RichCahill.com is really good with asian work.He did a beautiful koi fish sleeve on a friend of mine a few years ago.Another guy in N.Jersey who is good with his own style of japanese work is Jeremy@ SCREAMIN INK TATTOOS And another Jeremy@ Revolver Tattoo is real good with traditional japanese work.Mike & Tom @ Electric tattoo Tom's style is more asian influenced.

I like your style there. And the remote idea is genius! I shush people and my body immediately goes into adrenaline mode, and I'm sitting there, trying to ignore people and shaking because my body thinks it's time for a confrontation. I'm gonna give myself a heart attack one day. And D, funny you mention homeless people behind the screen. Last year here in NYC, they found a homeless couple living behind one of the screens at the 34th st. Loews, buckets of poo and all..

Great ship, Rory! I love that flower at the bottom.

I'm waiting for someone to yell "SURPRISE!"

My pleasure, Bill! What brings you to SF, if I may ask? We have mutual acquaintances and I have some of your product in my skin (man, that sounded weird).

Haha, yes it rhymes with "plunge". I only say it because it sounds just a little less ridiculous than the word "vagina" when said in a Geordie accent! Actually, it doesn't. We just all sound hilarious either way.

I'd only ever seen a couple Kore Flatmo tattoos that Lochlan had shown me. Intrigued by Scott's recent interview with him, I checked out his website... Damn! Homie does some amazing work. Here's some skull jammers that I was stoked on

got this from Ben Grillo last month...

While I was at Frith Street my beautiful squeeze had her second session. A really stunning Day of the Dead Girl, tattooed by Stewart Robson.

Heres my latest, done yesterday by Jordan at Frith Street Tattoo, London. Eagle on my wrist and a couple of flower fillers. [/img]

I would give anything...

Damnit, dreams-- crushed. I MUST TRACK DOWN THIS CHIVALROUS STRANGER.

some new knuckle tattoo designs sent my way.....

Its great to see other media forms doing their homework and utilising more tattooed subjects . The first example of a Marvel hero being tattooed occured in the Pacific Overlords with the appearance of Kayama Inouye aka Irezumi . Sega went straight to the source for the Yakuza game series and utilised the enormous talents of Horitomo . And most recently Dr Lakra has exhibited pieces tattooed with his black and grey flavour .

Oh, I forgot to ostentatiously name-drop Fred Corbin among the pantheon of big-name tattooers that I'm cool enough to have tattoos from. I probably neglected him in this discussion as, in my experience, he was as far from disrespectful as you can get. Dude was fucking cool to me the first time I ever travelled out to the Bay to get tattooed in 2002. I greatly appreciated it. Oh, and one other note: With all due respect, I'd argue that the relationship of collector to tattooer, and vice-versa, is not analogous to that of bartender or sales clerk to customer. I don't spend three hours naked with the gas station attendant as they grope and permanently alter the appearance of my ass. I do with Tim Lehi. No wonder tattooers hate people. I would hate all that intimacy with people, and this is coming from a personable guy who can muster a semblance of social skills, at times. I can see how being "nice" to people all the time and babysitting them through what some perceive as some mystical rite of passage would get old, fast. So I sympathize with tattooers' plight. At the same time, I'm not exactly a fucking imbecile, and I've done my homework. It was cool of Dick Stell to say to me last month "You'd be a great shop owner or manager. You know more about tattooing than some tattooers." I'm the first to acknowledge that I don't know shit about tattooing, drawing, or painting, technically. However, if I haven't developed at least a mediocre eye for the aesthetic over 15 years of study, I'm retarded. Problem is, everything becomes a fucking insecure little boys' pissing contest. I really don't give a fuck, I just want to learn shit. If I have any insight to offer anyone who's sincerely interested in this bullshit (and not ascending the social hierarchy of "cool"), great. There are shit tons of tattooers who know more about this crap than I ever will, and if they're willing to part with some of their knowledge, I'm grateful. It seems pretty simple. I swore a lot in that paragraph. Tattooing is rock-star shit, ego-trip-wise. Difference is, you don't interact with rock stars. The reason why so many tattooers are so disrespectful is because they can get away with it. I had issues with a few of the tattooers I encountered right from the get-go, when I first started getting tattooed. Why? Well, I'm an adult, and I demand some modicum of respect . . . And I happen to get along with almost everyone I meet. If you have a problem with me, it's your problem. I'm far from perfect, but I treat others respectfully. I see right through these idiots' weak facade. It's boring and pathetic. Not everyone's as dumb as they think they are. If this particular breed of person who makes a living as a tattooer wants to see an imbecile, find a fucking mirror. Can I get a witness??