I'm writing this because in my opinion, it's important to run each machine at the proper voltage. When I say proper, I mean the voltage that is going to push the needles into the skin: no more, no less.
And that's really key. You don't want to run a machine faster and harder than it needs to run in order to do the work it's suppose to do, for a few reasons. One, if you do run it too hard, it will cause more trauma and your healing time will be slower. More trauma and slower healing time usually result in scabs. Scabs like to get picked and sometimes just pull out color with them. Sometimes they scar. The way to avoid this is to run the machine at the proper voltage. Now if you go the other way and don't give it enough, it won't put ink in on the first pass, then you'll have to go over the same areas more than once. If you do so you're gonna have the same problem as too many volts...trauma and slow heals.
So obviously the ideal here is to put ink in the skin on the first pass and not damage the skin more than necessary. Some bleeding is expected when you put a million little holes in the skin, but it shouldn't be excessive. If you are overworking the skin one way or another, it will bleed a lot. Blood pushes ink out on the way and that's why it's not good. Obviously every situation is different and you're always gonna have to adjust to the individuals skin type. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that there is never going to be one EXACT setting that will work on ALL your tattoos.
However, I can give you a few clues about how to set the voltage for any given machine. The voltage one machine will require will be different than another.
The first thing to consider is to always start with the voltage slightly lower than you think it will need to be. Just slightly undershoot, for this reason: if you hit it too soft you can quickly adjust up without traumatizing the skin too much. If you overkill right off the bat, it can set a bad tone for the rest of the tattoo, and hurt your confidence.
So start low, see what the skin needs and adjust UP from there.
So your starting your tattoo. The most important thing you can do is listen to your machine. Listen to it when it is both in and out of the skin. Ideally what your aiming for is a strong BUZZ when your out of the skin, and then a softer chirping or "bogged down" sound when your in. If the machine buzzes as loud when your in the skin as it does when your out then you need to turn the volts down a little. If it does this, that means you are running your machine harder than it needs to, and that extra hit will only hurt the skin, and in turn the tattoo. It will also hurt your client more than it needs to, although I won't ask you to care about that...he he
Another thing to consider about running your machine too hard, is that it puts unnecessary wear and tear on your machine, mainly the springs. Every time you run a machine harder than it needs to run, you're one step closer to needing a re spring. And I have a sneaky suspicion that a lot of the broken rear spring problems folks have, is because they run them too hard. Think on it.
So of course this isn't a miracle cure for crappy tattoos...I only wish it was that easy! But hopefully it will give you something to consider and maybe make your life a little easier. And let me tell you from experience, if your at ease with the tools your using, you will enjoy tattooing all that much more.
Regards,
Gentle
Erie, Pa
http://www.greatwaveirons.com
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