Tattooing didn’t come from manuals. It came from shops, benches, burned fingers, bent springs, and machines that either ran right - or didn’t. For a long time, tattooers learned the language of tattooing the same way they learned to tattoo: by watching, asking questions, and screwing things up until they didn’t.

Somewhere along the way, that language got watered down.

This glossary exists to stop that slide. It’s an introductory glossary. . . not a tuning bible, not a shortcut, not a YouTube hack. Just real definitions, written by someone who actually builds, tunes, and uses these machines. This will grow over time, but you’ve got to start with the fundamentals.

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Tattoo Machine Types (Yes, They’re Actually Different)

Coil Tattoo Machine

A traditional electromechanical tattoo machine powered by electromagnetic coils that pull and release an armature bar to drive needle motion.

Coil machines don’t run on vibes. They run on geometry, springs, electricity, and balance. Everything matters. Change one thing and the whole machine reacts—sometimes subtly, sometimes violently.

A properly built coil machine usually runs clean between 5-7 volts. If it needs more than that just to function, something is wrong. That “something” is almost always resistance.

Resistance is the workload placed on the coils, and it’s created by a combination of:

• spring tension

• spring thickness

• spring shape

More tension equals more resistance. Thicker springs demand more energy. Different spring shapes change how energy is stored and released during each cycle. All of this determines how hard the coils have to work and where the machine’s usable voltage window actually lives.

This is why coil machines are still relevant: tuning is mechanical, not disposable. Often, tuning a coil machine is as simple as changing springs. That costs almost nothing - but it does require skill, knowledge, and follow-through. Coil machines reward understanding, not replacement.

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Rotary Tattoo Machine

A tattoo machine driven by an electric motor that converts rotational motion into linear needle movement through a cam, slider, or drive mechanism.

Rotaries remove coils and springs and replace them with motors and fixed geometry. They’re smoother, quieter, and simpler mechanically. Stroke length is determined by hardware, not electrical timing.

Traditional direct-drive and slide-style rotaries still behave like machines—you can feel what’s happening. Less tuning, fewer variables, but also less feedback.

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Pen Style Rotary Tattoo Machine

A cartridge-based rotary tattoo machine built in a cylindrical, pen-shaped housing, with the motor inline with the grip.

These machines prioritize convenience and ease of use. Most mechanical adjustability is removed, and machine behavior is largely dictated by the motor and cartridge resistance. In shops, they’re often jokingly referred to as “The Dildo”—not because they can’t tattoo, but because they remove most mechanical literacy from the process.

They work. Clean tattoos come out of them every day. But they are preset tools. What you feel is what the motor gives you. That tradeoff matters, whether people like hearing it or not. It's takes you out of the " FEEL OF IT " But offers a wireless Solution and Folks for now are into that. But Fear not - they do not have to be to only tool in the TOOL BOX. And as of right now the best way to tune one is to thro it away , trade it for a shtick of gum or send it back to whom ever made it - UNLESS THERE WAS A PLACE THAT WOULD REPAIR OR RETUN AS A SERVICE. That place is FELDMAN TOOL CO. 

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Core Tattoo Machine Components

Armature Bar
The moving steel component that transfers electromagnetic force into needle motion.

Coils
Electromagnetic wire-wrapped cores that pull the armature bar down.

Capacitor
An electrical component that smooths current flow and keeps the machine from arcing like a welder.

Contact Screw
An adjustable screw that controls when the circuit opens and closes—timing and dwell live here.

Contact Point
Where the contact screw meets the front spring. Dirty or pitted contact equals inconsistent running.

Frame
The backbone of the machine. If this is off, everything else is a band-aid.

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Springs, Geometry, and Why Shape Matters

This is where most people stop paying attention - and where machines either come alive or run like garbage.

Front Spring
Mounted above the armature bar. Controls speed, timing, and hit. The shape of the spring - flat, arched, relieved - changes how energy is loaded and released.

Rear Spring (Bottom Spring)
Acts as the hinge and return. Spring shape here affects rebound, tracking, and long-term stability.

Spring Deck
Where the springs mount. Alignment here matters more than most people want to admit.

Spring Tension
More tension equals more resistance and more work for the coils.

Spring Length
Influences speed and timing.

Spring Thickness
Thicker springs increase resistance and change how the machine hits.

Spring Geometry
The combined effect of spring length, thickness, and shape. Two springs cut from the same stock can behave completely differently based on geometry alone. 

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Power, Voltage, and Reality

Binding Post
Secures power leads to the frame.

Clip Cord
Delivers power. Cheap cords cause problems no one wants to diagnose.

Power Supply
Feeds voltage. Garbage in, garbage out. Buy a good Power Supply 

Running Voltage
Where the machine actually wants to run.

Voltage Window
The range where the machine is efficient and happy.

Duty Cycle
How long the machine is electrically active during operation. Efficiency shows up here.

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Needles, Tubes, and Motion

Needle Bar
The Drive Shaft of a tattoo machine.

Needle Grouping
Needles soldered together for specific tasks.

Magnum
Spread grouping for shading and packing.

Tube
Grip and guide.

Tube Tip
Controls spread and ink flow. Is the Machined or Molded portion of the Tube or Cartridge that wells the ink and keeps Needles IN - LINE 

Needle Hang (Stick Out)
How much needle is out at rest. This affects everything.

Stroke
Total needle travel.

Short Stroke
Less travel, faster work, tighter control.

Long Stroke 

The opposite if Short.

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Tattooing, Skin, and Consequences

Lining
Building structure. No shortcuts. You are good or you are a Scratcher.

Shader
Set up for blending and saturation. Or Color Packing " if your nasty" 

Hard Hit / Soft Hit
How the machine delivers impact.

Hand Speed
Mismatch this and you’ll chew skin. Speeds & Feeds ( More on this Later ) 

Skin Stretch
Non-negotiable. Its in the Term and its an art form  ( IF YOU KNOW - YOU KNOW ) 

Working Depth
Too shallow fades. Too deep scars.

Black Packing
Solid black done right its Bold and it lasts.

Overworking / Underworking
Both ruin tattoos in different ways. SCAB ARTIST / SCRATCHER 

Gate Keeping

The art of Keeping tattooing cool. It's not a bad thing.

 

Design, Workflow, and Hygiene

Flash
Pre-drawn designs.

Stencil
Your roadmap.

Cutback
The Geometry of a liner with a short front spring. 

Back Piece
Big tattoo, big responsibility.And normally on the persons back.

Battle Royal
Classic large-format conflict imagery.

Cross Contamination
Touching things in the shop with contaminated gloves or with out gloves. 

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Why This Glossary Exists

This is an intro glossary, not the end of the conversation. Every term here connects to deeper systems - tuning, resistance, geometry, and technique—that will be expanded on over time.

Coil machines still matter because they are understandable, adjustable, and fixable. You don’t need a new machine. You need springs, tools, and the willingness to learn.

Which brings us to the next post:
What tools a tattooer should own and why - because if you can’t work on your tools, you don’t really own them.

Bookmark this. Share it. Come back to it.
This is how the craft keeps its teeth. And with this Post is just the starting Point.