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Q&A
WITH MATTY JANKOWSKI
About fifteen years ago, my wife, Lisa Marie, gave me a Christmas present she thought would be a fun addition to my collection of tattoo machines. It was an odd-looking machine called the Nail. About five years earlier, Dennis Dwyer (www.dennisdwyer.com) made a tattoo machine by cutting, bending and welding an eighty-penny nail into the frame for the now legendary nail tattoo machine. The fixed-position contact screw and virtually no moving parts made it a durable workhorse. Building the next fifty machines was an extremely labor-intensive process. The demand prompted him to make a mold and cast the unique frame. What I originally thought was just a novelty to display in a showcase, proved to be a premier liner that can really take a beating. An unsolicited testimonial from a young tattooist was overheard at a convention awhile back and it went like this: "I swerved to avoid a crash and my box of machines flew out the car window onto the road. A big rig was barreling down and ran over the box. I went back and scooped up the pieces and the only machine intact that took a licking and kept on ticking was that Nail." Another fun, yet fully functional, machine frame took shape when Texas tattooist Todd Hlavaty (www.finelinetattoos.com) was given a box of rusty wrenches. Todd's dependable, one-of-a-kind tattoo machines evolved through his metalsmithing magic and the intuitive addition of a handful of Indian-head nickels. In addition to the transformation of found objects, his machine shop is responsible for a select group of eye-catching, custom handmade tattoo machines. Todd's handiwork produces intricate engravings inspired by the scrolls and patterns seen on firearms and knives. The transformation of all the tattoo machine surfaces into an engraved work of art begins by laying out the design so it flows with the frame's shape. Then four to six hours later, voila! The machine is fully engraved! Add on 1874 pennies or Asian coins to top off the coils, which are wrapped in exotic skins with mother of pearl accents. There are no cutting corners with these bad boys. And another Todd Hlavaty unique, top-notch tattooing implement has been born. I met Sweden's Doc Forest in New York City at the annual Roseland convention. He had a handful of machines that looked like Hotwheels on steroids. They had fins, taillights and custom paint. I had to remind myself that they were tattoo machines and not mini-V8 engines. In 1972, with the help of a good friend, Doc Forest opened the first tattoo studio in Hagersten, Sweden with the approval of The Swedish Environmental Health Officers' Association. He had always been a big fan of the old-school, traditional-style tattoo designs he had come to love during his Navy years. It is no wonder that the 1950s' hotrod kar kulture is one of the driving forces in his custom machines. Motorcycles and religion run a close second with a wide scope of inspiration for really far-out, fully functioning, smooth-running machines. He winds his own coils (six-wrap) with a bit heavier gauge wire than most use. The armature bars are also a bit beefier, fifteen millimeter. The coil cores have a T-top, which gets more magnetic power from only six to seven volts at two to three amps. Swedish spring steel is his preference and they are all hand cut. The machines are made from either iron or brass, sometimes with plastic side mounts. Most need some adjusting based on the variety of power supplies. Or, you can go whole hog and get a custom power unit to match the machine style. Without exaggeration, the list of worldwide tattooists who own a Doc Forest Machine is an alphabetical who's who of the tattoo elite with a smattering of young upstarts. This whole process is time-consuming, what with all the details and polishing. It would be impossible to figure out how much time and money is spent creating these wonders. So, it is more of a spare time labor of love. It brings Doc a great deal of satisfaction to create his own tools and he gladly provides them for your enjoyment and inspiration (www.docforest.com). For the past twenty years, Joey D (www.infiniteirons.com) has been pushing ink and collecting machines. Joey's machine building was inspired by a handful of well-known machine makers of the past. For Joey, it's always a treat to hear stories from old-timers who knew Bill Jones, Paul Rogers, Ace Harland, Tony the Pirate, Nick Melroy, Amund Dietzel and Percy Waters. Their personal accounts and practical experiences of more than half a century have been a priceless fountain of knowledge. Joey passionately professes, "Paul Rogers is a big influence, because of that feeling of respect you get just hearing stories about him, eighteen years after he's gone. I can never live up to that, but make it a point to treat everyone with dignity and respect, when I make them something nice. I have tattooists over all the time to check out the workshop, make stuff, catch fire and grind their knuckles off." Joey's machines
are truly novel, rare labors of love made using found materials
from turn-of-the-century farm equipment tools intended for working
on everything from steam tractors to antique automotive and plumbing
wrenches. With the creation of numerous jigs for maintaining square
and level surfaces and a comfortable balanced weight, his repurposed
metals take on a new life as a tattooing tool. Joey D has always
said, "If you love something as much as I love tattoo machines,
share it. Don't keep it a secret, or be an a-hole. Really, all I
do is drill metal and weld stuff. Big deal. It's the bonds you make
and the friends who respect you along the way that act as a mentor
and inspiration." A buddy of Joey D's, Dangerous Dave, is a tattooing railroad man from Colorado with a passion for creating funky, functional tattoo machines. He paid his dues in the 1970s inking sailors in Newport, Rhode Island. Dave followed his nose, rambling about the country, and settled on the Western slope of the Colorado Rockies. Unhappy with the available machines, he went ahead and built his own. There were no eBay stores to shop at back then. Dave's creations were in demand then and he hasn't stopped building them yet. Combining keys, coins and carved scrimshaw on Russian mammoth ivory, no two machines are alike. With a slew of devoted American and European tattooist customers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, plus a few expatriates in Norse countries and Japan, he cranks out machines on an assembly line to keep up with requests. Well, he could if he wanted to. However, he doesn't, because, as Dangerous Dave says, "It's a hobby, not a job, and that's why it's still fun." He has concentrated his efforts on those who appreciate a good machine. So, to get a Dangerous Dave Iron, forget about websites and emails and just write to him at Dangerous Dave, P.O. Box 985 Dolores, Colorado, 81323. He might be busy building a steam locomotive or rendering one in a detailed watercolor painting, but, once he shifts gears to his machine-making mode, the results are worth the wait. Along with the traditional, two-year, mop-and-pail apprentice shop duties at Kustom Ink in Isla Vista, California, Painless Rob had Karl Marc making coils and learning how a proper machine was put together. Moving beyond the menial grunt work, he began tattooing in 1996. As Karl says so beautifully, "As the number of people receiving tattoos increases, so do the number of people who deign to call themselves 'tattooer' or 'tattoo artist.' A good many true tattoo artists are emerging at the forefront of this wave of creators, people who bring with them talent in a variety of areas. From sculpting and metalworking, aptitude with a brush and canvas and dexterity at creating on skin, these tattooists push the boundaries of our craft. All these skills hoist our industry upward, increasing its visibility and bringing tattooing ever closer to acceptance as a true art form." In 2005, an exhibition titled Hand Made (www.myspace.com/handmadetattooshow) opened at the Lo-Fi Customs Gallery in San Francisco involving twenty-five artists. Each contributed one tattoo machine and one painting, as well as a biography or artist's statement. An accompanying publication from Working Class Books, Hand Made, presented by Karl (www.karlmarc.com), showcased the rising talents of those who are constantly creating and adding a new dimension to the world of tattooing. Their inventive use of materials and command of tattoo machine building technology acts as an inspiration and invaluable contribution of shared knowledge. As if that were not enough, in 2006, Karl and Working Class Books brought together ninety artists for the second exhibition of Hand Made with another accompanying book. The artists were free to contribute whatever they felt was their strong point. The show was open to all art forms, instead of the more rigid format including one painting and only one machine. The only requirement was that, if a machine was sent, it had to be functioning and could be used in everyday tattooing. The opening was held at Copro Nason Gallery in Santa Monica, California. And, yes, the third time is a charm. Hand Made Volume 3 has approximately one hundred artists from many different countries, including the United States, Japan, France, Germany, Finland, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, The Ukraine, Portugal and Thailand. The art show and book release was held in Paris, France in late 2007. In creating the opportunity to exhibit and document these events, Karl felt that, with all three, "It was important that all the artists were tattoo artists. The books serve a dual purpose. First, they illustrate the variety of talents that are involved in tattooing. Tattoo artists don't just limit themselves to doing flash designs; we are involved in a wide range of the arts. "The books also demonstrate the degree to which tattoo artists are pushing to further their understanding of the tools they use. Each year, there are more artists who strive to make their own tools, to master the construction and tuning of the tattoo machine. Along the way, they push the limits of the tattoo machine, seeking new materials and ways of building it. They also discover the limits of the tattoo machine. A machine can only be changed so much from the traditional geometries before it becomes a tool which no longer works in the application of a tattoo in an acceptable way, cleanly and smoothly." And now for something completely different. We will take a step back in time to New York with tattooist Spider Webb (www.spiderwebbtattoo.com). Renowned for his global exploits of tattooing with non-traditional implements, Spider began his Tattoo Vampire performances in 1988, using rose thorns, porcupine quills, tines from a salad fork and variety of tribal ritual devices incorporating needles and organic materials. With these devices, he made two punctures on the neck of those who volunteered. He did his deed on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Euro disco dance floor in Amsterdam, a kosher vegetarian restaurant and an alcove in New York's City Hall at a tattoo legalization press conference under the glance of then Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Those few accounts are just the tip of the iceberg.
Sculptor Peter DeMattia and his wife, Skeeter (www.originalsbyskeeter.com), had been making exceptional hand-made kaleidoscopes for more than a decade, from pocket-sized versions weighing a few ounces to others weighing in at a few hundred pounds. With a strong connection to the world of body decoration, they joined forces with Spider Webb. Under his tutelage, they created a fully functional kick-ass tattoo machine with a detachable kaleidoscope, whose color patterns change as the machine vibrates. A freestanding tattoo sculpture was also created housing a power supply, light source and foot-switch-operated kaleidoscope tattoo machine. One of these sculptures is now in the permanent collection of a museum in Japan. From belt buckles and shotgun shells to motorcycle parts and medical tools, they are still inventing new and interesting designs. You often hear the phrases "I'm not a machine" and "maybe they can make a robot to do a tattoo." Well, Nikolaus Passath (www.underror.org), a young Austrian artist/inventor with a few small-scale robots to his credit, took the challenge head-on. Kurt (as his tattoo robot is called) has four injection needles, a rotary machine, a PDA (Palm Pilot personal digital assistant) programmed with a design (an anchor like the ones sailors wear as a symbol for steadfastness and belonging) and an ink reservoir filled with Chinese ink, all attached to the arm of the person being tattooed. Kurt, by no means, aims to create tattoo masterpieces, but simply to tattoo an enduring symbol beneath the user's skin. It is an extreme example of the human/machine interface. His "intervention" is aimed at raising the awareness of the close connection between the individual and the machine-an intense, emotional bond that will last longer than the tattooing process. Indelibly, BIBLIOGRAPHY Lucas, Don. Franklin Paul Rogers: The Father of American Tattooing. New Orleans: Lucas Enterprises, 1990. Marc, Karl, ed. Hand Made: Vol 1. Carmel Valley, California: Working Class Books, 2005. Marc, Karl, ed. Hand Made: Vol 2. Carmel Valley, California: Working Class Books, 2006. Marc, Karl,
ed. Hand Made: Vol 3. Carmel Valley, California: Working Class Books,
2007. |
