this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2025
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Shitty/Trashy Tattoos
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Some of my highest quality tatts were done by people who weren't certed and hadn't ever worked at a shop. If one was interested in buying a machine, and really wanted one, they were easily available and always have been.
If one is interested in a machine, one can be made with a radio, but that does not mean there was not a collective culture in tattoo machine selling to try to keep machines in studios.
As for quality, in my experience cleanliness and safety could not be guaranteed in a shop even with the certificates and licenses.
I'd say that the home artists I went to were more paranoid about cleanliness than the certified shops were. And the worst linework I've ever got was at a very reputable shop, and I payed out the nose for it....