CHAPTER 10 Troubleshooting

 Here is a series of informative solutions to problems you may encounter while dabbling in and hopefully practicing body art. If you're serious about pursuing this career, you don't want to be taken for a dabbler. This book may seem to bounce all over the place or be repetitive and overwhelming. Still, if you're open to it, you're about to experience a wealth of information that will save you priceless time and energy. 

TUNING YOUR MACHINE 

Always keep in mind that a tuned machine is characterized by smoothness. If your machine is exhibiting anything else, check the parallelism of the A-bar to the yoke. If it is not parallel, make corrections. The way to check the parallelism is by pushing the  A-bar itself down—not by pushing the front spring, which will change the tension of the springs and make the machine run differently. 

To tune the machine as a liner or a shader, bend springs for more tension and unbend for less. You can also make subtle adjustments to the contact screw. Make sure there is contact between the contact screw and the front spring. Also, ensure sufficient tension pushes the rear spring into the contact screw. As I described earlier, setting the spring tension correctly lets you run a machine catered to your specifications. 

Recheck the wiring of the foot switch jacks; there may be corrosion. That kind of shit accumulates when you don't properly clean and dry your machine. I recommend using sandpaper to remove decay on the clip cord ends as part of a  regular maintenance schedule. 

Don't forget to check the front coil as well. If you use tape as a muffler, clean the gummy shit off the A-bar and the top of the front coil. Blast it with some WD-40 and put a fresh piece of tape backup. Also, check the condition of the threads on the contact screw to ensure they are not stripped. If your machine's not running, you'll find it's because the contact screw is not touching the front spring. It's common knowledge that electricity will not flow unless a circuit is complete, so make it a habit to ensure that the contact screw is touching the front spring. 

If the stroke drops periodically, check rubber band tension. A  tight rubber band will create more resistance, cause the machine to work harder, and ultimately lead to its cutting out more frequently. Also, check the rear spring. Too much tension will cause stroke fluctuations when you turn down the power. To decrease pressure, bend the rear spring until the amount of strain you're comfortable with is achieved. 

If your power won't turn on, recheck the fuse in the power supply and replace it if need be. Fuses absorb any overload to prevent any damage to the power supply itself. It's always a good idea to keep a  lot of these fuses around. Always replace a damaged fuse with a  new fuse of the same rated value. These stats are usually engraved on the side of the fuse. Some power sources don't need one, but keeping one on deck is still a good idea. If the wire inside a power supply is broken, spend a few quarters to replace the fuse.

THE MACHINE FRAME 

When checking frame infrastructure, first, look at your machine head-on, from the front. Make sure it's balanced. A straight vertical line should be down from the contact screw through the front spring and the nub on the A-bar. Using an eye loupe helps with this. The needle bar should run through the center of the tube and the needle into the tip of the tube. 

Next, turn the machine to look at it from its side. Make sure that the needle bar runs through the center. It may even be a  little behind the center of the tube, but it should never run on the back of the lobe—only the tip of the needles should touch this. This all refers to the general construction. I've seen some incredible, unorthodox frames that operate up to par, but don't confuse yourself initially—stick to the standard, stock equipment. Also, turn the machine to look at it from the rear. Check that the rear spring A-bar and front spring are straight. 

If you continue to use the coil-based machines, you will experience closed circuits at some point. This happens when any electrical circuits come in contact with the frame. Just make sure no terminals or wires touch metal. Watch your A-bar because it cannot move up and down if touching the front coil. I repeat:  leave a space between the A-bar and the front coil. It needs room to go up and down, kids. Keep it above the coils, never touching them. The contact screw must be touching the front spring. Again,  always check for metal touching metal because grounding is the most common reason machines don't run. Look for exposed wires, and keep your eyes peeled for wires broken inside the insulation at the ring terminals or a coil base. 

Go to your local Staples, pick up one of those gas dusters  (sometimes called air cans), and hit your equipment frequently. At no time should any debris collect on your machine? This is likely to hinder performance if you do not monitor it carefully and consistently. 

Check the ring tension if you're not using a machine with rolled springs. If it's loose, replace it. Get in the habit of checking the condition of the acrylic ball, or "thread protector," for the contact screw. You'll see it; it's that little duzamajigger inside the upper binding post. Recheck and tighten all securing screws. I'm partial to the hex ones for ceremonial reasons, but in terms of mechanical effectiveness, it doesn't matter which types of screws you use. Just make sure they're not loose. 

Recheck the small space between the rear coil and the A-bar.  Shim the front coil if necessary while maintaining the parallelism. It's also possible to adjust the rear spring with a shim between the frame and rear spring. Do this only if needed. Make sure there are no spring bends under any shims used in any part of the machine,  especially the spring saddle and armature bar. Scope out the soldering of the wire that connects the terminals on the binding posts, coils, and any other area where you may have whipped out the soldering iron. The know-how to use that, and a Dremel, are good things to have under your belt as a tattoo artist. 

ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS 

Sometimes, you may find a solder lug bent over and touching the frame, thus creating a new path for the electricity. If and when you encounter this, turn the solder lug out so it no longer touches the frame. It seems obvious, but it may still be necessary to tell readers to ensure there is no electricity to the machine while you do this. Once more: solder lugs must not touch the frame. Electricity will flow through any circuit that is on. There is a good  chance of this happening in the foot switch or clip cord wires, so check the jacks and terminals for bad soldering joints and chips on their surface. 

Check the foot switch and clip cord wires for shorts by wiggling them around while keeping the "pedal" on with the attached machine. This will help locate the break in the wire. Once it's found, replace it with better equipment. Cutting corners will only result in decreased results. Buy new, higher-quality stuff—or,  if you can't figure out how to generate the capital, do your homework, build a new clip cord, or reassemble the foot switch. Someone on our site will create a group with such instructions. 

Sometimes electrical problems are caused by dumb shit like the power supply isn't plugged into the wall properly. If the machine's power drops or rises and a big blue spark comes from the contact screw/front spring, either adjust the machine infrastructure or replace the capacitor. You can set the stroke you want using the ball system, but this is an advanced move usually saved for machine builders. 

Most artists send their machines out for this kind of work. After all, if you can afford lawyers to review waivers and buy thousand-dollar thermal copiers, isn't it more straightforward to take your machine to a  machine repair shop rather than becoming a potential electronics wizard yourself? 

Based on a collective synthesis of various artists' opinions,  the assessment is that the stroke should remain the same when the machine is turned up for coloring or down for shading. Still, this is a personal preference. There may be a break in the coil inside the insulation. This is rare, but if it does happen, you have to switch up the coils completely. 

Replace your rubber bands every time you do a tattoo. The artist will mess with them nine times out of ten during the piece. Pay attention to rubber band tension and quality. If a band is dirty or starting to wear, replace it. Again, if the contact screw is turned too far up and isn't touching the front spring, turn the contact screw down until it hits the front spring (or the contact point on the front spring). 

THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS 

Remember, when the foot switch is pressed, the A-bar goes down and stays there. Most likely, if the electrical circuit is shorted, the machine is constantly on. When the electrical circuit is shorted out, it could just be missing insulating washers. (The  plastic recessed washer insulates the rear stand from the frame.)  If a metal washer is used, the machine will suck because of the metal's relationship with electricity and magnetism. If the rear stand touches the frame, a new path for electricity is created. Install plastic or fiber recessed washers that do not conduct electricity. 

When the needle bar is loose on the armature bar nipple,  adjust it so that the needle bar is snug. Understand that too much play will keep the needle bar from being driven up and down. And if your rubber bands are not on the bar, the movement of the  A-bar will cause the needle bar to come on. When the machine bogs down, the needle bar is rubbed inside the tube. Check the position of the needle bar on the nipple of the A-bar. It can also be the position of the A-bar itself, so check the feng shui of that too. Understand that needle bar rubbing causes resistance when the needle bar is too far forward.13 Push onto the A-bar or move back if you cannot connect the clip cord to the machine. 

The specific problems described in the following passage are problems that a veteran who is intimately familiar with the workings of their machine would address. A beginner—the average reader of this book—would probably have to take the equipment to a shop to comprehend what's being said. 

Let's go back to the fact that both halves of the clip cord tips must have separate connection points to complete a circuit. The rear of the machine has an accessible hole beneath the rear spring saddle and the rear binding post. This is a great alternative spot to plug in for power if your cord isn't completely compatible with your machine. The main reason is that the clip cords' ends are too long. You may find a missing hole or rear standoff is rotated, and the hole cannot be seen.14 If this is the case, drill a hole or rotate the rear standoff. 

In the back of the machine, you will see two binding posts,  one on the top and one on the bottom of the machine. This is how the contact points complete the electrical circuit for your machine. Having ensured they are clean, you want to check the clip cord springs for adequacy; they need to provide a good snug fit on the machine. If they've lost their bounce, they can slip easily from the gun, and you'll lose power. If the clip cord springs are falling from the attached area, you might want to replace the clip cord. 

Sometimes the binding post and the spring brace may get too old. When these parts age, power fluctuations can result, and you may need to replace one or both of these to ensure a proper fit and prevent a power interruption. Just like our bodies, machine parts are finite and must periodically be replaced. Science has applied this principle to our bodies and has allowed us to live longer. I could go off on a  rant here, but I'll save all that stuff for the other side of our school. 

OK, by now you should know how machines are built: they have the two electromagnetic coils with the A-bar, spring, and contact point on the top. The A-bar is an integral part of drawing the needle up and down. The brass or silver contact screw is connected to the coils and conducts the electricity that helps draw the armature bar up and down. You want to make sure the contact points are lined up so they can make a complete cycle and keep your machine running smoothly. If the contact points are not in line with the A-bar nipple (at the end or top side of the  A-bar), then a proper circuit will not be created, and the machine will not work correctly. I need to re-emphasize how important it is to get good, square contact. Filing the contact points, so they are flat and free of debris or buildup is essential to ensuring the circuit is complete. 

If, for whatever reason, you are not making good contact,  check the distance between the contact screw and the spring. This space should be about the length of a nickel for shading and a dime for the lining. This offers enough space to disconnect the circuit on the A-bar's way up but is still close enough that you don't need a super magnet to draw it back down. Adjustments to these pieces are required regularly when you're first breaking in your machine. Once they find their niche, don't screw around with them; keep them in that happy place. These areas can be fixed, adjusted, or replaced to keep your machine running smoothly and efficiently while creating your masterpiece. 

Without a suitable power source, however, your machine isn't going to get very far. The machine section is more detailed on this end, so refer to it. As a beginner, it might not be a bad idea to look into all-inclusive setups that have everything you need to get it poppin'. Practice assembling and dismantling your machine. It will make both of you more robust. You will need to sterilize the different parts often, so knowing how everything properly fits together saves you a lot of time and money.