Buying a tattoo machine, or machine coils. : eBay Guides

Having bought a few tattoo machines from several places, then got rid of them or reworked them, I think its time to set people straight. When you buy, ask the seller if they know the details of the machine, or indeed coils or parts of a machine. One capacitor does not fit all machines. Also there are different types of capacitor, Some are non-polar and others are bi-polar. The non-polar tend to be smaller, if they are facing the wrong direction they will heat up and may explode! If the seller cannot give you details don`t buy. You could leave yourself open for a nasty surprise indeed!!

Now to the coils, they are the twin cylinders that make up the bulk of the machine. I havew stripped two recently, the first was because it always ran very hot, OOw!  Very hot!!  When I stripped it to rewind the coils I got about four fifths of the way through and then.....  a loose end! The wire had been started at the centre of the coils then after two wraps, the copper wire had run out.  The winding was started again without joining the two ends together. The copper wire is insulated (coated) with enamel, in this instance I had one good coil and one coil that was not playing any part at all in the operation. In order to make thier electro magnetic properties, the wire must, MUST!!  be of one piece all the way through, not that there is a problem joining them and soldering. Remeber to remove the coating.

On a final note, take a look around the internet,  check the prices and always always ask questions. If buying from hina costs you half the amount this is generally because a lot of people buy from China etc:-  I buy from China and Shanghai many times. Their goods have always been safe transactions. In fact I have had many deals ruined in UK but never even one from China. Last of all do not buy gimmicks, they can not be used as tattoo machines, thier original seller will tell you the truth.