Dave Sobel

Thanks Brock. - - - Updated - - - Thanks hogg! - - - Updated - - - Thanks Sstu! - - - Updated - - - And thanks deadspot!

Thanks!

My understanding of the shutdown in NYC from reading what has been said by a few tattooers that were tattooing back then is that it was due to to there being an outbreak of hep in the navy (nationwide according to Jerry) that the navy passed the buck on to tattooing across the nation. NYC tried to get the tattooers there to get together to come up with a set of reasonable health regulations, but since there was so much in-fighting and territorialism between tattooers there, that they wouldn't come together so the city just shut it all down. I believe it was both Crazy Eddie and Stan M that were quoted as saying that. Tattooing was regulated or shut down in many places across the country at the same time, which tends to support Jerry's story. Anyway, this guy in the article is a turd regardless, and is doing a dis-service to not only our trade, but to his "friends" as well.

Chances are this guy is lying about his apprenticeship. People do that all the time to try to gain credibility. And it's a real shame that most people reading the article won't be able to read the subtext of what this guy really is saying which is that he sucks too horribly and is too lazy to get a spot at a real shop, and because of that he could never actually charge anyone for his work. He's probably just using this to be "cool" with his jerkoff hipster friends. Yet another crappy side effect of tattoo TV shows.

Although Aquaphor has Panthenol in it, it is not a cream, and it is approximately 99% petroleum in the form of petroleum jelly, and mineral oil. Creams are around 50% water give or take depending on the particular one, and so the petroleum in them absorbs more quickly into the skin instead of sitting on top creating a non-breathable barrier as well as a lovely place for dirt and bacteria to hang out and enter your new tattoo through the wet scab that normally would protect you if it were dry. As far as the science of staph is concerned, everyone carries their own strain of staph bacteria at all times. Some staph infections are caused by coming into contact with someone else's staph and being unable to fight it off, but plenty are actually just flare-ups of our own bodies staph. Any time there is a wound to a person's body, the chances of the bodies staph bacteria blooming into a full blown infection are increased. Staph flourishes in a warm, moist, airless environment which is exactly what you create when you put a layer of petroleum on top of your new tattoo. If you've ever had a bunch of red bumps, or even small whiteheads form on or around a new tattoo, that was your bodies staph flaring up. I've had a few clients over the years have no infection problems with their tattoos when using lotion as a moisturizer, but then develop staph outbreaks within a day after trying Aquaphor. As far as what I know of staph and how it works, the knowledge came from reading a paper written by researchers at Johns Hopkins university about staph, and the most effective cleaning agent to use in the hospital to reduce infections from cross-contamination. One last thing. You wouldn't use Vaseline on a new tattoo would you? People quit using that stuff on their tattoos decades ago because of the regular infections that came along with the use of it. Aside from being slightly less sticky, and having a very small percentage of other added chemicals added, Aquaphor is nearly identical. A little bit of all vegetable oil based lotion is much better for not only your tattoo, but for your personal health overall.

When was this documentary made? I knew a tattooer in LA that was part of the Horitoshi Family in the mid 90's. And this story sounds familiar.

That's great! I am a big fan of the old maxim "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" As long as your work is regularly healing fine then that's what matters.

You really should stick with what your artist has been having you do if it hasn't been causing issues. Aquaphor is exactly the same as Vaseline. 100% petroleum jelly (white peteolatum). They do something to make it a little less thick, but otherwise it's identical. The way the Tegaderm stuff is supposed to be used is to put it on immediately after the tattoo has been done, left on for 24hours, wash the attoo thoroughly to remove ALL the plasma, then reapply for 48 hours. It is sold specifically for tattoos in roll form as "Tatooderm" The owner of the shop where I work uses it all the time. Also, discuss it with your artist before using it to make sure he's okay with you using it. Otherwise he may not garantee the work.

Neither one is ideal really. Although plastic wrap has certain advantages. Unlike gauze, plastic won't stick to the bandage and either leave behind particles of cotton( which can cause infection) or pull out a chunk of your brand new tattoo leaving it spotty and opening it up to infection. The best things for bandages are either plastic coated pads that absorb blood and plasma, or the thin breathable films used for burn patients. The pads only get left on for a couple hours to allow the skin to seal itself, whereas the films get left on overnight, and then get reapplied.

Cork, the term Family is used in a way that we here in the west don't really use it. It is not blood, but also not quite honrary either. In the japanese tattoo family, it is a very strong bond of duty and honor similar to a blood family that encompasses the sinsei and his apprentices. As far as the title being passed on, I can't give you specifics other than the title is passed while the master is alive. Titles are given to the tattooers once the master deems them appropriate. I was friends with a tattooer that was part ofthe Horitoshi family in the mid 90's, and at the time he was Horitoshi III. He apparently left the family and the title was bestowed on another in the family from what I heard.

Hi there, my name is Dave Sobel and I'm a tattooer. I've been tattooing since 1990, Starting in Los Angeles, and now in Maryland for the last 21yrs. I'm really crappy at talking about myself. I love the fact that this forum has rules aimed at protecting and respecting this thing that I love and have devoted the last 23yrs of my life to.