The History of the Tattoo Machine
Wednesday, July 25, 2018 IST
More and more people are getting tattoos today, and they do not carry the same social stigma that they used to. But we didn't always use the tattoo machines that you see in your standard parlor.
History and Patenting
The electric tattooing machine was officially patented on Dec. 8th, 1891 by a New York tattoo artist named Samuel O'Reilly. But even O’Reilly would be the first to admit that his invention was really an adaptation of a machine invented by Thomas Edison—the Autographic Printing Pen. O’Reilly witnessed a demonstration of the electric pen, a sort of writing drill that Edison had built to allow documents to be etched into stencils and then copied. The electric pen was a failure. The tattooing machine was an unqualified, worldwide smash.
How it Works
O’Reilly’s tattoo machine worked by using a hollow needle filled with permanent ink. An electric motor powered the needle in and out of the skin at a rate of up to 50 punctures per second. The tattoo needle inserted a small drop of ink below the surface of the skin each time. The original machine patent allowed for different sized needles deliver varying amounts of ink, a very design-focused consideration.
Before O’Reilly’s innovation, tattoos—the word comes from the Tahitian word “tatu” which means "to mark something"—were much harder to make. Tattoo artists worked by hand, perforating the skin perhaps three times a second as they installed their designs. O’Reilly’s machine with its 50 perforations per second was an enormous improvement in efficiency.
Further enhancements and refinements to the tattoo machine have been made and the modern tattooing device is now capable of delivering 3,000 punctures per minute.
Related Topics
Trending News & Articles
Nanda Vrata is dedicated to Shiva and it is believed that Goddess Sati observed this vrat to get Shiva as her husband. It is observed during Phalgun Shukla Paksha...
Recently posted . 15K views . 3 min read
This question has seeked me ever since I can remember ...from my childhood..in my dreams...in my realisation and my internal assimilation of Lord Krishna as my god....
Recently posted . 7K views . 1 min read
Story of Sharabha and Narasimha
In Hinduism, the ‘trimurti’ (Gods) - Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, are...
Recently posted . 6K views . 1 min read
Have any of you realised how beneficial and helpful the lemon is when kept in a transparent glass of water, what it does? Here is the lemon ...
Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
More in Spiritual
What is this physical creation? There are two broad ways of looking at it. First, creation with a creator behind it who may have designed and programmed it, possibl...
Recently posted. 755 views . 2 min read
Mawlid is observed this year on November 21, 2018.
Recently posted. 955 views . 0 min read
Part 1: Ten Questions
Humanity's most profound faith is now a global phenomenon. Students, teachers, neighbors and friends are...
Recently posted. 891 views . 1 min read
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 933 views
Recently posted . 2K views
Recently posted . 1K views
India is the land of mystery, myth & miracles. We believe or not; there are some ancient temples located in our country, where both science and nature stand dow...
Recently posted. 1K views . 2 min read
As Bhagavan Vishnu was in ‘Yoga Nidra’(Yogic Slumber) on Sesha Nag in the midst of Ksheera Sagara (Ocean of Milk) stating that he was meditating Bhagava...
Recently posted. 1K views . 6 min read