Wedge

Ahh this looks familiar! :)

Yeah, you caught me. Likewise, love your tattoo.

Since I have accidentally showed up to my tattoo appointment early today (about 6 hours early) I had to kill time. So instead of going back home I decided to become a tourist for the day here in NYC. So far it has been expensive and not all that fun.

Anyone else try this before in their own city?

My town is too small to tour. At least you're in NY where 6 hours can go pretty fast. I was about 2 hours early last week for an appointment in Brooklyn and had no problem killing that time.

I posted this in another section but I just got this last night, done by Ron Wells at Three Kings Tattoo in NY.

For those that wrap their tattoos I'm wondering isn't the trapped moisture from sweating from the wrap bad for the tattoo? I read plenty of people like to dry wrap their tattoos, sometimes just at night, but I'm concerned about sweating and soaking the tattoo. Thoughts?

Got this last night from Ron Wells at Three Kings in NY.

Looks good, congrats. To me it just looks small for the area or just needs something else around it.

Happy Birthday.

That chest eagle is awesome... I'm getting more and more of an urge to get tattooed by Chad Koeplinger.

My sentiments exactly.

ha me too no facebook but have thought about it lately as some artists sites arent updated.

rise against! ;)

I've had friends try to talk me into joining but I haven't caved yet. You're right about many artists updating on their facebook and I don't have access but thats ok I guess. I like to be different and since facebook is so popular and the thing to do... I don't.

@Wedge i could be totally wrong but i think hes tattooing out of Tattoo Paradise in DC. but yes he does travel alot i've noticed!

Thanks, yeah I saw on his blog he was back in DC, I don't think he lasted all that long in NH.

I check a lot of the above blogs, but in terms of a drip-feed of new work and news updates and whatnot Facebook pages are sometimes hard to beat....

I'm one of the few people left on earth that don't do facebook so I love looking at artist blogs.

Nice stuff, @jade1955. Where's Koeplinger tattooing from these days or is he just traveling?

Mike Rubendall at King's Ave is pretty damn good, too, I think.

I've been riding various dirt and street bikes for over 30 years. I bought my first Harley about 3 years ago and will never look back. I'm not a very big guy so I bought an '07 Sportster Cutom 1200 set up to stage 1 specs and I love it. I might trade up to a Fat Boy Lo or a Softail Deluxe at some point because they sit low to the ground. Some of my other street bikes were a Kawasaki LTD 650 (great bike!) and before the HD I rode a Honda Nghthawk. I love the Harley and the lifestyle and have participated in many charity rides that I would never have done before.

It started off pretty boring but I knew it'd pop off at the end!!

Literally. Yeah the beginning was understandably slow to start and introduce the new season but as usual it left me anxious for the next episode...and the next...

I'm definitely looking forward to the new season of SOA. Last season's finale was crazy so I'm curious which direction it goes, I hope it's not a let down.

Depending on the style you're looking to get, I think Litos is still in New Port Richey and he's good.

Forbidden Images Custom Tattoo :

That looks beautiful. I'm more into modern handguns but I love history and all firearms in general so I appreciate the restoration. Last year I went on a tour of the Smith & Wesson factory and museum in Mass. and it was amazing! Thanks for posting that, Jade.

I recognize when it happens to you, it's more than advertised. No offense meant, Wedge, and apologies if what I said caused some.

No, it's cool but thanks. It's obviously been a long day didn't mean to sound so defensive. Actually you were right and technically by the time it hit up here it was "just" a tropical storm so it definitely could have been worse. Still an amazing amount of damage was done and almost 800,000 people are without power.

Glad Irene hopefully is going to turn out to be less that advertised.

Here in CT there was more damage from flooding than from the wind. Parts of CT got 10" of rain in less than 24 hrs. and many people lost their homes and posessions due to flooding. I live inland and got almost 8" and many streets were closed due to rivers overflowing, a few homes and cars were destroyed and there was at least one known fatality. So if it was less than advertised it sure still caused a hell of a lot of damage.

I'm in CT and I'm just now getting some heavy rain from one of the outer bands. Tonight and tomorrow should be interesting. I hope everyone is safe!

We felt it all the way up here in CT, it was just a little shaking for a few seconds but the news would have you believe the world was coming to an end. My buddy and I had just gotten on our Harleys when we felt it and we said "oh well, it's over now let's ride."

Here's mine. It's from a Gil Elvgren painting and tattooed by Shane O'Neill in two LONG sessions. It wasn't fully healed when these pics were taken, and no the front tire isn't flat it just looks off in the picture.

In another tattoo forum someone was looking for opinions of a place called BluGod in Toronto. Apparently they require clients to purchase and use a line of aftercare products they sell or they won't stand behind their work (if I understood the other post correctly).

Yovany Cabanas - BluGod Tattoos & Piercings

i've read through this thread, as well as other sources, most offer similar but slightly different advice, and i understand there is no single "best" way, but i still have questions about washing a new tattoo..

1. how many days (or until what point) should i be washing a new tattoo with unscented antibacterial soap? after that period, do i need to switch to a different kind of soap or stop using soap? i ask this because i wasn't sure if antibacterial soaps have properties that should be avoided after a certain point in the healing stage (just like how one should stop using Aquaphor and switch to a mild lotion after 3-4 days)

2. it's often recommended to wash the tattoo couple times a day the first few days. should soap be used every time? after those first few days, do i still need to wash the tattoo with soap multiple times a day? i wasn't sure if that will irritate or over-dry the skin

3. when can i start using body lotion with SPF on a new tattoo? only after it's fully healed?

i know these sound like really easy dumb questions, my bad. but i would really appreciate hearing thoughts from anyone because you are all more experienced than me. thanks

I'll take a stab at answering these:

1. For me, after the first cleaning or day I usually switch to a milder bar soap like Dove or Dial which typically won't be as harsh or drying as the antibacterial soaps.

2. Unless I'm doing something that I think may have caused the tattoo to get dirtier than normal I usually just wash it once in the morning and once at night (sometimes 3x) with mild soap but keeping a new tattoo clean is important.

3. I'm not positive on this one but I'd say not until after it's pretty well healed. I know my artist told me not to use sunblock until healed or about a month and definitely avoid the sun.