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Course by Polilla Tattoo
HOW TO TUNE
YOUR COIL
MACHINE
Here is a document on how to tune coil machines.
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Where should
you start?
The first thing you need to keep in mind is which
materials you have, and which materials you’ll need.
Once you have the necessary materials, you’ll think
about the work you want to do with the machine
in question.
The main recommendation is to not have to tune the
machines daily in order to tattoo. Therefore, it's always
recommended to have at least two machines: one for
linework, and another for shading work.
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What does it
mean to tune
the tattoo
machine?
Tuning a machine in order to tattoo means playing with the
structure and morphology so you can get the best result
possible that the machine can offer.
It means getting the lines to be sharp, the shading to be light
(or dark) and not irritated, and the color fills to always be
clean, without any streams of blood running down the skin.
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Which
materials do
I need?
It is essential to have a tattoo machine, a couple of
strips, a hammer, a contact screw, various screws, a
multi-purpose tool for the screws, a tool to mount
the hammer, and another one to center it.
We’ll start with a tattoo machine that’s already
assembled, with a cross-section view
of the machine and assuming that you’re familiar
with the machine and how it works in depth before
going into how to adjust it.
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Choosing the Springs
In the world of tattoo machine tuning, you
These configurations are standard, that is,
can find almost as many truths as there are
depending on the size, weight, and
tattoo artists. Each tattoo artist has their own
positioning of the hammer, as well as the cut
method, and all of them are equally valid (or
of the spring and its flat dimensions, you may
almost all). That’s why I'll explain the method
need other measurements to correctly tune
I use to tune my tattoo machines, and how it
your tattoo machine.
works for me.
In the table you can see the settings I use for
the springs.
TYPE OF
MACHINE
FRONT
SPRING
BACK
SPRING
LINE
#18
#20
SHADING
#16
#20
FILL
#16
#18
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Why these
spring settings?
Easy, the work you require from your machine, the depth of
the needle, the striking force, and the rebound of the
hammer and therefore of the needle, is what differentiates
one machine from another.
For example, if you want to tune a line machine, you will need
the hammer impact to be dry, with no rebound, so you will
need a hard back spring that controls the back-and-forth
movement of the hammer, but at the same time a short and
hard front spring that transmits all the force of the coils
directly to the hammer. That's why line tattoo machines have
more force than machines for shading and filling.
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And last but not least, if you want a filling machine, you will
need a mixture of both settings: a front spring that allows
you to tattoo without damaging the skin too much,
accompanied by a slightly softer rear spring to have a back
and forth that allows you to penetrate the skin at the
expense of working with a little more power. To simplify, if
you want a versatile machine, you need to look for a front
and back spring setting of medium hardness, a #18.
I have the springs, so now what?
If you want a shading machine, you need the spring to
not exert too much resistance, even if the hammer hits
hard, and to allow a back-and-forth movement that
makes the hammer hit more softly and stops you from
hurting the skin. That’s why you need to set up an
elongated and soft front spring, supported by a hard
rear spring that allows you to tattoo, because otherwise
the resistance of the skin would make the job difficult.
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The Contact
Screw
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The contact screw will be in charge of transmitting the
force of the machine to the hammer. Since it’s a
shading tattoo machine, you want it to transmit the
force to the most frontward part possible so that the
impact is exerted on the spring and the movement of
the hammer is smooth. That’s why the screw will not be
in a perpendicular position to the hammer, but will be
lying towards the front of the hammer, at about 45º.
Suppose you chose to assemble a new shading
machine. You’d need a narrow, elongated front spring,
with a thickness of #16, and a short, hart, wide rear
spring to support the back-and-forth motion of the
hammer.
If the machine is to make lines or filling (color-pack), the
contact screw will be almost perpendicular to the
hammer in order to exert as much force as possible on
the hammer, close to 90º.
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Hammer and
Frame
Separation
The back-and-forth movement will depend on the
separation between the hammer setup and the frame
of the tattoo machine.
With a hammer that’s too far away, the movement will
be bigger than with a hammer next to the frame.
Therefore, for your shading machine you will need to
leave enough space for the tattoo machine to do its job
properly.
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Tuning
If you want more force in the hammer, you’ll need to close the eight by
tightening the upper screw more. On the other hand, if you want the
Now that you have your machine fully assembled, you need to check
that it really does its job and moves. To do so, you connect the tattoo
machine to a power source and press the pedal.
eight to be more open, you’ll loosen the screw more.
THE FALSE MYTH
The movement of the hammer, and the drawing that the tip imprints,
• The line/shading/fill machine needs to work between 5-6v (for
will give you the sign that the machine is working correctly. Use the rule
example).
of eight and compare the results.
INCORRECT, DEPENDING ON YOUR SPRING CONFIGURATION AND THE
TUNING OF YOUR HAMMER OPENING, YOU CAN PLAY WITH THE
POWER OF THE POWER SUPPLY AND WORK AT 5V, 8V, OR 11V.
TUNING DIAGRAM THE RULE OF EIGHT
Note: This is a quick way to tune a tattoo machine. You can go further in each section to
get a tighter and more perfect tune, looking for configurations between the coils,
frame, screws...
FILL
SHADING
FILL
0
