Bogging Down

When tattoo artists talk about their machines bogging down, it is
not necessarily a bad thing as you might expect. Sometimes it
is good to have your machine bog down to get a desired effect
without damaging the skin. When a tattoo machine is running,
and you hold it by the tube and grip backwards (so that the clip
cords and the deck is facing away from your body), you can put
your thumb on the a-bar nipple and feel the machine bog down.
This means that the machine gets a little slower but it should
not come to a complete stop. You want to try to achieve this
effect by using the minimal voltage as possible on the machine.
It has always been my experience to try to run my machines
with as little voltage as possible. When you use little voltage you
can keep your machine cool. When you use as little voltage as
possible you are also relying on the coils and the geometry and
components more so than the brute force of making strong magnets.