How to tune a tattoo machine to work?

Instantly after the acquire of the tattoo engine, stock up with special grease, because for a problem-free and long service car requires additional and simple machine. It can be ordinary weapons oil, which is sold in any hunting store. Waxed rags wipe all the steel parts of the tattoo machine, about once or twice a month, this ensures no corrosion and rust. In addition to losing the appearance of the machine, corrosion poses a serious danger to the springs, because Any microdamage on their surface, shells and cracks will quickly lead to failure. It is especially important to “oil” the machines after using chemical disinfecting solutions containing aggressive components that cause corrosion.

Always use the polar connection of the clip; this requires even the highest quality polar capacitor, which controls the correct completion of the stroke cycle and extinguishing the spark at the point of contact. Today, because of the cheapness and distribution, polar capacitors put almost all induction machines. In 99% of cases the clip-mord is connected in the following way: plus on the rear pillar, minus the frame (rear pillar), it’s no coincidence that the differently colored “whiskers” are marked with different colors for high-quality clipcards. Incorrect systematic connection of the clip to the machine, leads to deterioration in the performance of the tattoo machine and a reduction in the service life of the capacitor, with the inevitable replacement of this in the end.

The operating voltage is a fundamentally important point, because Very many are trying to compensate for the malfunctioning or constructive shortcomings of machines, simply raising the operating voltage on their power supply units, as a result, the voltage differs from the optimal one by 2 or more times. For a short time it can help, but … new problems get out: the machines start to warm up faster and stronger, the spark at the point of contact becomes like a welding machine – the contact screw quickly burns and stains, the tattoo machine is still completely upset and simply cannot work fine!

What is the correct working voltage? A single-valued answer does not exist, because All use different machines, power supplies and connecting wires, but you can adhere to some recommendations that are suitable for most cases. Turn on the fully equipped machine and moisten the tip with paint or ordinary water (this is important, because the friction of the dry needle in the nozzle can affect the working voltage), gradually increase the voltage on the PSU, holding the thumb with the kicker – the impact should be accented with sensitivity, while Visually the striker will double or triple, the sound is to remain clean and clear, in no case do not rattled and do not swim in tonality. With high-quality wires, power supply and the correct setting of the machine – the working voltage will be within 6-8 volts.

This is the usual school physics – passing through matter, electrons transmit their energy to the body, which is the current. The energy of the particles increases, their speed increases, the conductor heats up. The greater the resistance of the conductor (in our case, the magnetic circuit of the machine, its coils and frame, and the connecting wires) to the passage of an electric current, the more energy electrons lose, the more heated the conductor, since all the energy lost by electrons is converted into heat.

The heating process is absolutely normal for high-performance machines, but the devil, as always, lies in the details: the quality and cross-section of the wire on the coils, the material of the cores, the frame and even the screws for assembling, the cross-section and the materials of the connecting wires and, of course, the quality Power supply unit! In the last article, we already discussed in detail the selection of equipment for tattooists.

If, however, under the remaining conditions, the tattoo machine becomes too hot for long work, before the burning discomfort in the hand – you just need to bend the front spring to the striker and slightly unscrew the contact screw, then re-adjust the machine (see the working voltage ).

First of all, this applies to gaskets on the boom (nipples, thunderbolts) and bandages. To effectively operate the induction machine, it is necessary to competently assemble it before work. The importance of such a small thing as a sealant can not be overemphasized – regardless of the material and shape of the seals used, they must extinguish the backlash when transferring force from the striker to the needle bar, so the seal should be “poured” in the needle, i.e. Go without effort, but do not hang around freely, otherwise there will be inevitable power losses.

Also it is worth mentioning the bandages that hold the needle, excluding the parasitic beating of the rod and the risk of jumping off the bar from the pin of the striker – avoid excessive pressure of the rubber band on the bar, because Folded several times hard office paper “for money”, proportionally eat up the power of the tattoo machine, and, the closer the bandage rubber to the clip of the holder, the more power it “steals.” The bandage should be soft and elastic, a diameter of approximately 30-40 mm, one piece is enough to ensure the performance of a quality tattoo machine.
I remind you that seals and bandages are disposable consumables and should be disposed of after each work (they may contain particles of suspended matter from blood and pigment), their properties in a few hours of continuous operation deteriorate sharply and can adversely affect the tool’s operation – do not save on the tool Comfort and safety.

In the process of constant operation, various parts of the tattoo machine experience considerable loads and vibrations, friction and an electric spark appear between the contact screw and the front spring, which, in time, erase the contact screw and the front spring – the contact spot is lost, and the initial settings will necessarily change and ” Will float. ” Many tattooists, especially beginners, “loss of contact” drives into a stupor and hopeless panic: “… everything is missing, what to do, what to do?” (C)

Indeed, what to do in this case? Send the machine every time to set up a machine builder, often to another city or even another country, wasting time and customers, or learn How to tune a tattoo machine to work??

How to tune a tattoo machine to work?

The answer is obvious, especially since this kind of operation is simple and accessible even to the child: depending on the frequency of operation of the machine and the material of the contact screw, periodically, it is necessary simply to twist the contact screw, leveling its worked part. Determine the moment of adjustment of the contact screw, you can by working voltage: the more volts started to “eat” your device, the more necessary to set up an ideal “contact spot”, i.e. Screw in the screw. It should be done very carefully, with the machine turned on: slightly loosen the stop screw on the counter of the contact screw, and slowly screw the contact screw, gradually, for a quarter or a half-turn, while listening to the sound of the working machine – it must be clean and clear, Without “fart”, sticking and failures.

Contact springs are cut or cut from the strip-strip, from special hard and hot steel, and only in the longitudinal direction. If the process of manufacturing and preparation of springs is not respected, microcracks can form along the edges, and if the installation is incorrect (excessive or repeated bending), the internal stresses of the metal. When used on a conventional tattoo machine, this may not be manifested, but with the operation of powerful tattoo machines, at increased voltage, damage is likely.

Thus, the breakdown of springs is a fairly common problem: every tauer should be able to replace springs, especially when understanding the process – this is a minute affair!

Replacing the front spring – first thing, inspect the parts of the broken spring, and remember (or take a picture), the angle of the bend and the distance to the striker. Take a new front spring and with your fingers slightly bend along the entire length, evenly distributing the forces, except the part with the hole, then install the spring and turn on the machine, if the resulting bend is not enough, then repeat the operation – remove and bend the spring again.

Replacing the rear spring – without removing from the tattoo machine, inspect the parts of the broken spring, measure (and mark with a marker) the distance from the striker to the saddle of the machine. Usually, the rear springs are bent without bending, almost all modern machine builders construct the saddle of the machine with the angle already set, which simplifies the installation of the rear spring and guarantees its long operation without breakage. If the bend is still needed, make it exactly the same as on the upper spring – orienting the bend upwards and towards the jib.
Act slowly and extremely accurately, the most common mistake is to over-bend the spring too much and try to bend it back, in this case you create additional internal stresses and the risk of breaking the spring in the near future is very high.