How will my tattoos look when I’m old?

A common hesitation for many people unsure of inking, especially with bigger pieces, is how the tattoo will look when you get old. While there are many factors that contribute to the aging process such as quality of the tattoo, diet, and physical health. We would like to re-assure you that you will still look just as fabulous in your old age with your most cherished Ink.

Check out this gallery to see what the bright future can hold!

Senior Tattoos

Ancient Tattoo Needles Discovered:

There are constant new studies and discoveries of ancient tattooing in various cultures. One of the newer discoveries has been found at an ancient Tennessee sight. Archeologists found carved turkey bones aging roughly between 3000 – 5000 years ago. Ink could be poured out into the whole bones and were then traditionally hand poked in the skin. Stained sea shells were also found buried with the bone and they believe that this was used to carry ink.
Check out the rest of the article for more information!

Native American Tattoos

Figure 1- SFO Inspired Tattoo

History of the Tattoo Machine:

Tracing the history and introduction of the electrical tattoo machine is vague and fuzzy amidst the technological boom of the time. 10s of thousands of inventions were conceived during this period. The first recognizable traces of the electric tattoo machine is that of Samuel F O’Reilly’s rotary machine patented in 1891. His early device was based off Thomas Edison’s 1876 rotary engraving pen which was used to make paper stencils. It was clear that this device would be the breakthrough for electrical tattooing. The machine operated as a hybrid of both coil and rotary mechanisms.

Figure 2 – 1891 SFO Rotary Blueprint

21 days after O’Reilly’s patent, British inventor Tom Riley claimed ownership of a single coil machine which he argued that he co-created with his cousin SFO’Reillly, however his claim was not recognized by the British Pantenters. Things become further confusing when mechanic John Feggetter Blake was assisting O’Reilly in getting his machine patented, after the patent being rejected and any involvement of his work in the project denied; there were many concepts and mechanical diagrams of his that were incorporated in the final machine. To further the confusion, John F Blake was strongly associated with John Williams, who was a live performing tattoo artist who also claimed to have worked with O’Reilly on his machine.

There were many more machines created and developed after, eventually leading to the modern coil frame patented by Elmer Ellsworth Getchell 1899. Check out the article for more details about the competitive history of tattoo machines.

Electric Tattooing Machine