Tattoo Johnny Tattoo Wiki: Tattoo Machine Tubes

Tattoo Machine Tubes

Tuesday 24th of March 2009 01:13:22 PM [Add To This Article]

Tattoo machine tubes are one of the vital components of tattoo machines of any sort. These tubes are designed to hold and steady the tattoo needles, which are arranged in various formations depending on their purpose and are mounted on a needle bar that is held in place by the tattoo machine tube. Tattoo machine tubes can be made in a variety of fashions, and the three main designs all have advantages and disadvantages. Because they hold the tattoo needles, tattoo machine tubes do get blood and other bodily fluids on them, which means that it is imperative that they either be disposed of upon completion of a tattoo session with a single person or that they be autoclaved.

There are three main types of tattoo machine tubes:

1.    One piece tattoo machine tubes

One piece tattoo machine tubes are quite common. They are reusable, and can be autoclaved in their entirety. These tattoo machine tubes are made of stainless steel. One piece tubes are popular with many tattoo artists because they hold tattoo needles extremely steady and they prevent bio-film buildup because there is nowhere on the mechanism for bacteria to lodge. Bio-film is microscopic â€œgrimeâ€ that is composed mainly of the dead bodies of organisms from blood or from the tattoo tube being handled in general. This microscopic residue can accumulate in cracks and crevices of devices over time even if the devices are autoclaved appropriately and regularly. If the bio-film becomes thick enough, some bacteria even may be able to survive in the cracks and crevices within the bio-film. Obviously, this is extremely dangerous because it can lead to cross-contamination from one person getting a tattoo to another. Because bio-film can occur in tools with cracks or crevices even if they appear to have been properly autoclaved, many tattoo artists and tattoo studios prefer to use one piece tattoo machine tubes because they simply do not have these cracks and crevices, and thereby eliminate the possibility of bio-film developing.

2.    Multi-piece tattoo machine tubes

Multi-piece tattoo machine tubes are also made of stainless steel. However, they are made of multiple pieces, and must be taken apart before autoclaving in order to insure that they are fully sterilized in between uses. If they are autoclaved while still assembled, the issue of bio-film becomes very serious. Multi-piece tubes are well liked by artists who want to have more custom fit tattoo machines since multi-piece tubes generally have five pieces: a tip, a grip, back stem, and two sets of screws to hold the entire thing together. Also, some artists feel that the fact that the entire thing can be taken apart actually makes it safer because it can be disassembled into much smaller pieces for autoclaving, unlike a one piece tattoo machine tube. It is important to note that if you use a multi-piece tattoo machine tube, you must assemble it using sterile tools as well as taking it apart and autoclaving it under sterile conditions.

3.    Plastic tattoo machine tubes

Plastic tattoo machine tubes are disposable. This is probably their greatest advantage. They not only enable a tattoo studio to present a potential customer with incontrovertible evidence that they are going to get tattooed with sterile equipment, but they also are easy to buy in bulk and simply slide into place, along with the appropriate needles. This way, you do not have to spend a lot of extra time autoclaving and sterilizing your equipment, but can just rip open a bag. On the other hand, plastic tattoo machine tubes are not as reliable artistically as the stainless steel variety. They often tend to hold the needles slightly lopsided, and the tattoo artist must be used to this listing and able to accommodate it in order to the use of a plastic tattoo machine tube to be entirely acceptable.

If you are getting a tattoo, you should always be able to watch the tattoo artist open a sterile plastic tube or see the autoclave in the tattoo studio where your tattoo tubes were clean. It is fine to ask the tattoo studio owners about sanitation and hygiene, though of course you should do so in a pleasant fashion since 99.99 percent of all tattoo studios take this issue very seriously and deserve respect and consideration when you are investigating their practices to satisfy your curiosity before getting a tattoo. However, if your inquiries are ever met with hostility or if you cannot view the autoclave or learn about a tattoo studioâ€™s sanitation and safety regulations in depth, then you should probably reconsider getting a tattoo at that studio.