New toy: inexpensive tattoo machine

[Anntann]

I picked up a tattoo machine for Ann (this is artificer). $40 on Ebay, shipping included for the apprentice level kit. It seems easy to use, but we'll see when its on an actual rabbit. Bananas don't move much...

Michael

 

[MaggieJ]

Cool! Are you going to let Ann play with it, or are you keeping all the "fun" for yourself?

 

[Jack]

Ice cube to back the ear, and it REALLY helps to have someone control the body, while you do the ear.
Its what I use, and I would go to a 7-9pt round liner, what you have is a bit thin, in the ear you want to write in bold

Aint they fun, also, did you remember to bend you needle so the rubber band would hold tension?

I only do one rubberband, I think it runs better, to makes me have to crank it up to ~8 and sounds like IDK, just not good

 

[DevonW]

I put baby orajel in the rabbits ears before I tattoo them, it makes them good and numb and that way the rabbits don't struggle at all. Just don't get any on your fingers or it's hard to get a decent tattoo.

 

[Anntann]

Orajel...okie dokie. Ice cube would work like we used to do ear piercing

Jack, I remember you saying in another thread about the heavier liner, so I ordered some. This is only 3points.

It's very quiet considering. I figure I'll decorate a few more bananas and a grapefruit before I try a rabbit. The kit contains a "skin", so I can work on that one, too

 

[Jack]

You have to work the power range, and there is a sweet spot, many thing is to get it fast and deep, but not to, or you end up over penetrating or cutting

 

[pfaubush]

Hey! That's just like the one I bought. I love it!!! I can do rabbits without any help and they don't really even twitch (except one that I ended up with just a P on). I wrap them snugly in a baby blanket etirely and pull just the one ear out. I try to get all the edges of the blanket under them and set them on the table. I pull up a seat and tattoo 'em. I've never used anything on them but wiping their ears down with alcohol before and after.

 

[ChopSuey]

WANT!!!!!! Is it hard to put together? That fits into my price range

 

[Jack]

no

 

[downonthefarm]

I put baby orajel in the rabbits ears before I tattoo them, it makes them good and numb and that way the rabbits don't struggle at all. Just don't get any on your fingers or it's hard to get a decent tattoo.

I'll have to try the Orajel idea. I hate tattooing and usually put it off until the last minute.

 

[Miss M]

Long before I met Shay (and long before he met the Lord), he built himself a tattoo machine using a motor from a tape recorder, a pen barrel, and some wire.

Then, of course, he had to try it out to see if it worked, so he free-handed a tattoo of a woman on his arm. He is quite an artist.

(Funny thing is, people who notice it think it looks like me!)

So if you have an old tape recorder lying around... (or, I guess these days you could use a CD player motor, or a hard drive motor, maybe...)

 

[ChopSuey]

Ha ha ha! Tape recorder motor huh? I had a friend in high school who did the exact same thing!!!! He was an exceptional artist and did many of his own tattoos. I even let him touch up some of mine with that machine during lunch hour (I got my first one at 16) and we went to a catholic high school so we had to be sure not to get caught :twisted: From that day forward I called him MacGyver. I still love getting tattoos, the whole ritual of it is something I relish.

 

[Anntann]

Did my first tattoo of a rabbit today. It was....interesting.

2month old white angora. Fairly tame, so she wasn't panicked by the grooming, etc. The noise did at first make her jump, so I let it run a bit 'til she got used to the hummmmmm. (it's fairly quiet when running correctly). then we tried to figure out how to lay her down (in her towel) so that I could get to the ear. hmmm. (she was a VERY good bunny, I must say)

Instead of writing the letters/numbers on her ear first with the pen, I drew the lines where the veins were...so I could put the tattoo inside the free area. It worked, but I think I'll both draw the veins AND the tattoo on the next rabbit.

The tattoo came out pretty well (just AF2 to start with) I need to come up with a way of getting the ear out and accessible and stable. Although...If I lay bunny on her back, then the ear is on the table. Might try that the next time.

I need to practice on things that are more...idk...limp, I guess. er..LESS TAUT! Good thing I've got a LOT of rabbits right now. And most of them are NOT show rabbits. (the dog was no where to be seen when I started practicing, by the way....)

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Well how cool is that!!!

 

[Jessykah]

the dog...hahaha

 

[MaggieJ]

No flies on that dog! :lol:

 

[Jack]

I taped up a piece of hard stock (not corrugated card board they make packages.boxes out of) and use that

 

[Anntann]

I checked the ear and things were good. no swelling or anything. Will try the hard stock...I was thinking a piece of the heavy closed cell foam in a cylinder. Wrap the ear around it.

Mike wants me to make a "bunny bag" :lol: There's something out there for sale that is a wrap with velcro...there's a hole for the nose, and only the ear sticks out in another hole. :rotfl: poor rabbit looks like it's been mummified! I might try making one..we'll see.

 

[stephenfleming]

Get rid of unwanted tattoos has never been a process, which can be a fun, easy and inexpensive. In fact, until recently, the process of tattoo removal is a terribly painful and often led to scarring and infection problems, because the available techniques is simply not very good.



Tattoo Machines