Stuffing the Coils

Coil tattoo machines have wire wrapped coils that are then
magnetized and will pull the a-bar down. The coils have a core
that is typically made of iron. The core is tapped out to allow it to
be mounted to the bottom of the frame. There are two solutions
to making the core a stronger magnetic force. First you can use
longer screws when mounting the coils to the frame. The core
taps have to be measured. Typically I will stick a toothpick into
the core’s tapped out hole – and mark how deep it goes (add
the frame’s depth where it will mount and you get the idea). The
second way that has been done for ages is to stuff the coils with
steel wool. I suggest doing only a little at a time, because it can
be difficult to remove if there is too much jammed in the core’s
tapped holes. This is not always required; some machines run
perfectly with a little gap in the coil’s core. These machines are
designed to run a certain way, and the builder most likely took
into account the core’s hallow gap.