History and introduction of the tattoo machine
The modern tattoo machine grew out of late‑19th‑century experiments with electric writing and engraving tools and has since evolved into several main types: coil, rotary, and pen‑style machines. Its development radically sped up tattooing, made lines and shading more consistent, and helped turn tattooing into a standardized professional craft rather than a purely hand‑poked practice.
Early roots before electricity
Long before machines, tattoos were applied by hand using sharpened bones, thorns, needles, and hand‑tapped tools in cultures across Polynesia, Japan, Europe, and the Americas. These techniques were slow and painful but allowed complex designs and had deep cultural and ritual meaning.
Edison’s electric pen
In the 1870s, Thomas Edison patented an “electric pen” designed to perforate paper for duplicating documents, not for tattooing. It used a small electric motor to drive a needle up and down, a motion that later inspired tattoo inventors.
Samuel O’Reilly’s first patent
In 1891, New York tattooer Samuel O’Reilly adapted Edison’s electric pen by adding an ink reservoir and needle bar designed to push pigment into skin, and patented what is widely regarded as the first electric tattoo machine. This rotary-style device could make many punctures per second, vastly increasing speed and uniformity compared to hand‑poking.
Birth of coil machines
Only weeks after O’Reilly’s patent, English artist Thomas Riley built a tattoo machine using an electric doorbell mechanism and a single electromagnetic coil housed in a brass box. Within a few years, Alfred Charles South in London patented a heavier twin‑coil design that became the ancestor of the classic two‑coil machines familiar in many studios.
Refinement into the “modern” machine
In the early 20th century, American tattooist Percy Waters designed and manufactured frames and parts that standardized the shape and layout of coil machines, creating something very close to what many artists still use today. These designs separated machines into liners and shaders, with adjustable springs, coils, and contact screws to control power and stroke.
Rotary revival and pen-style designs
Although coils dominated for decades, rotary machines were revisited in the late 20th century, with lighter, quieter designs driven by compact electric motors. More recent “tattoo pens” package a rotary mechanism in a pen‑shaped body, offering low vibration, ergonomic handling, and compatibility with disposable cartridge needle systems.
Basic introduction to how they work
All electric tattoo machines repeatedly move grouped needles in and out of the skin to deposit pigment in the dermis at a controlled depth. Coil machines use electromagnetic coils and a spring‑loaded armature bar, while rotary and pen machines use a spinning motor and cam to convert rotation into linear needle motion.
Role in modern tattooing
The tattoo machine made tattoos faster to apply, easier to repeat with consistent quality, and more accessible to a broader clientele. At the same time, modern machines, hygiene standards, and single‑use needles have helped reduce health risks and support today’s global professional tattoo industry.
