COILS

So...what are decent coils to upgrade to that don't require you working in a shop? I can't buy from Eikon, can't buy from kingpin, can't buy from lucky...

I bought some superior coils...no complaints at all so far.

Would I be better off just winding my own??

I see Eikon on Ebay all the time.....

I see Eikon on Ebay all the time.....

I saw one today but the guy wanted $40 for $27 coils...maybe I'm just cheap. My shader died tonight mid tattoo and I had to adjust my liner to finish. (liner coils have been replaced...go figure) I may have to buck up and make the purchase.

..........well since you cant get them directly from the manufacture you may have to buck up and bite the bullet if ya want...still not a bad investment...Lemme know how they work out for you!!!!!

LOL...I may end up with a set eventually.

This morning I took my shader. It wouldn't run with less than 11 volts or a tiny little air gap and it when it did it sputtered. I took the coils off one of my spare machines that hasn't been used. A few tweaks to adjust for minor height difference and now my shader runs SMOOTH with a nickle gap at 6 volts enough to let me bog it down without it stopping. (with my finger...not doing 8 am tattoos).

I ordered some cheap coils yesterday off amazon. Crap, I know. But one thing I've noticed with the Chinese "mass-producers" is that when they clone something they typically get it pretty darn close. My liner has Superior coils now and hasn't missed a beat since.

I think I'm going to wind some of my own and see what I can do just for grins eventually. Gives me a reason to tinker some more.

Quite a good bit of builders on there... Bicknee sells coils for basic ones. or try my friend-->
http://cgi.ebay.com/Tattoo-Machine-Coil ... 588e20789f

Quite a good bit of builders on there... Bicknee sells coils for basic ones. or try my friend-->
http://cgi.ebay.com/Tattoo-Machine-Coil ... 588e20789f

I actually almost bought these but their website says NOTHING about the coils at all. I was going to post up and ask about them on here.

Lemme know how those hand wrapped work for you!!!! Good luck!

[canvasyou]

less than 11 volts

I can usually get a machine running solid at 3-4 volts w/ Pulse power supply. Most artists like the 6 volt range, so thats where I try to build. But I have found that the less volts used the cooler the machine runs - so I try to tune in the 3-4 volts range. I hear some guys say they run around 8-9 volts.
There is not real magic number for tattoo voltage though.
The volts depend on the machine and power supply.
My 6 volts might be your 10 volts depending on the power supply.
Try to stay away from metered power supplies - use your ears to tune and your hands to feel.
I highly recommend anything from Pulse. Solid coils.

Superior coils are usually weak due to the plastic bobbin surrounding the core. (this is just my experience).
Sometimes a weak coil is good though -
depends on what you are trying to achieve.

Thanks, Canvas. The plastic bobbin was the only "red flag" to me when i ordered them. So far they do everything I need them to. I had forgotten about Pulse...I remember reading about them.

After replacing springs yesterday with some quality springs they feel like new machines. I think the combo of springs and coils should be stressed a bit. Those tin springs (which I kept on the rear of my machines) are just crap. I guess when motion is hindered, or labored, the coils half to work twice as hard.

I like having an analog read...just so I can be consistent. It gives me a visual marker to go back to as a base setting when they are running right. Admittedly, I'm still chasing the perfect tune because I just don't have the experience yet.

As always, I appreciate you adding your input here. This site has been a wonderful resource.

Mark