Dave Sobel

Chances are this guy is lying about his apprenticeship. People do that all the time to try to gain credibility. And it's a real shame that most people reading the article won't be able to read the subtext of what this guy really is saying which is that he sucks too horribly and is too lazy to get a spot at a real shop, and because of that he could never actually charge anyone for his work. He's probably just using this to be "cool" with his jerkoff hipster friends. Yet another crappy side effect of tattoo TV shows.

Chances are this guy is lying about his apprenticeship. People do that all the time to try to gain credibility. And it's a real shame that most people reading the article won't be able to read the subtext of what this guy really is saying which is that he sucks too horribly and is too lazy to get a spot at a real shop, and because of that he could never actually charge anyone for his work. He's probably just using this to be "cool" with his jerkoff hipster friends. Yet another crappy side effect of tattoo TV shows.

Welcome, and nice work!

Always nice to have someone who has dedicated their life to this thing we love. Glad you joined Dave. Godspeed.

Hi there, my name is Dave Sobel and I'm a tattooer. I've been tattooing since 1990,
Starting in Los Angeles, and now in Maryland for the last 21yrs.
I'm really crappy at talking about myself.
I love the fact that this forum has rules aimed at protecting and respecting this thing that I love and have devoted the last 23yrs of my life to.

Hi there, my name is Dave Sobel and I'm a tattooer. I've been tattooing since 1990,
Starting in Los Angeles, and now in Maryland for the last 21yrs.
I'm really crappy at talking about myself.
I love the fact that this forum has rules aimed at protecting and respecting this thing that I love and have devoted the last 23yrs of my life to.

Hi there, my name is Dave Sobel and I'm a tattooer. I've been tattooing since 1990,
Starting in Los Angeles, and now in Maryland for the last 21yrs.
I'm really crappy at talking about myself.
I love the fact that this forum has rules aimed at protecting and respecting this thing that I love and have devoted the last 23yrs of my life to.

Hi there, my name is Dave Sobel and I'm a tattooer. I've been tattooing since 1990,
Starting in Los Angeles, and now in Maryland for the last 21yrs.
I'm really crappy at talking about myself.
I love the fact that this forum has rules aimed at protecting and respecting this thing that I love and have devoted the last 23yrs of my life to.

Hi there, my name is Dave Sobel and I'm a tattooer. I've been tattooing since 1990,
Starting in Los Angeles, and now in Maryland for the last 21yrs.
I'm really crappy at talking about myself.
I love the fact that this forum has rules aimed at protecting and respecting this thing that I love and have devoted the last 23yrs of my life to.

Hi there, my name is Dave Sobel and I'm a tattooer. I've been tattooing since 1990,
Starting in Los Angeles, and now in Maryland for the last 21yrs.
I'm really crappy at talking about myself.
I love the fact that this forum has rules aimed at protecting and respecting this thing that I love and have devoted the last 23yrs of my life to.

My understanding of the shutdown in NYC from reading what has been said by a few tattooers that were tattooing back then is that it was due to to there being an outbreak of hep in the navy (nationwide according to Jerry) that the navy passed the buck on to tattooing across the nation. NYC tried to get the tattooers there to get together to come up with a set of reasonable health regulations, but since there was so much in-fighting and territorialism between tattooers there, that they wouldn't come together so the city just shut it all down. I believe it was both Crazy Eddie and Stan M that were quoted as saying that.
Tattooing was regulated or shut down in many places across the country at the same time, which tends to support Jerry's story.
Anyway, this guy in the article is a turd regardless, and is doing a dis-service to not only our trade, but to his "friends" as well.

My understanding of the shutdown in NYC from reading what has been said by a few tattooers that were tattooing back then is that it was due to to there being an outbreak of hep in the navy (nationwide according to Jerry) that the navy passed the buck on to tattooing across the nation. NYC tried to get the tattooers there to get together to come up with a set of reasonable health regulations, but since there was so much in-fighting and territorialism between tattooers there, that they wouldn't come together so the city just shut it all down. I believe it was both Crazy Eddie and Stan M that were quoted as saying that.
Tattooing was regulated or shut down in many places across the country at the same time, which tends to support Jerry's story.
Anyway, this guy in the article is a turd regardless, and is doing a dis-service to not only our trade, but to his "friends" as well.

My understanding of the shutdown in NYC from reading what has been said by a few tattooers that were tattooing back then is that it was due to to there being an outbreak of hep in the navy (nationwide according to Jerry) that the navy passed the buck on to tattooing across the nation. NYC tried to get the tattooers there to get together to come up with a set of reasonable health regulations, but since there was so much in-fighting and territorialism between tattooers there, that they wouldn't come together so the city just shut it all down. I believe it was both Crazy Eddie and Stan M that were quoted as saying that.
Tattooing was regulated or shut down in many places across the country at the same time, which tends to support Jerry's story.
Anyway, this guy in the article is a turd regardless, and is doing a dis-service to not only our trade, but to his "friends" as well.

My understanding of the shutdown in NYC from reading what has been said by a few tattooers that were tattooing back then is that it was due to to there being an outbreak of hep in the navy (nationwide according to Jerry) that the navy passed the buck on to tattooing across the nation. NYC tried to get the tattooers there to get together to come up with a set of reasonable health regulations, but since there was so much in-fighting and territorialism between tattooers there, that they wouldn't come together so the city just shut it all down. I believe it was both Crazy Eddie and Stan M that were quoted as saying that.
Tattooing was regulated or shut down in many places across the country at the same time, which tends to support Jerry's story.
Anyway, this guy in the article is a turd regardless, and is doing a dis-service to not only our trade, but to his "friends" as well.

Chances are this guy is lying about his apprenticeship. People do that all the time to try to gain credibility. And it's a real shame that most people reading the article won't be able to read the subtext of what this guy really is saying which is that he sucks too horribly and is too lazy to get a spot at a real shop, and because of that he could never actually charge anyone for his work. He's probably just using this to be "cool" with his jerkoff hipster friends. Yet another crappy side effect of tattoo TV shows.

Hi there, my name is Dave Sobel and I'm a tattooer. I've been tattooing since 1990,
Starting in Los Angeles, and now in Maryland for the last 21yrs.
I'm really crappy at talking about myself.
I love the fact that this forum has rules aimed at protecting and respecting this thing that I love and have devoted the last 23yrs of my life to.

Chances are this guy is lying about his apprenticeship. People do that all the time to try to gain credibility. And it's a real shame that most people reading the article won't be able to read the subtext of what this guy really is saying which is that he sucks too horribly and is too lazy to get a spot at a real shop, and because of that he could never actually charge anyone for his work. He's probably just using this to be "cool" with his jerkoff hipster friends. Yet another crappy side effect of tattoo TV shows.

Chances are this guy is lying about his apprenticeship. People do that all the time to try to gain credibility. And it's a real shame that most people reading the article won't be able to read the subtext of what this guy really is saying which is that he sucks too horribly and is too lazy to get a spot at a real shop, and because of that he could never actually charge anyone for his work. He's probably just using this to be "cool" with his jerkoff hipster friends. Yet another crappy side effect of tattoo TV shows.

Chances are this guy is lying about his apprenticeship. People do that all the time to try to gain credibility. And it's a real shame that most people reading the article won't be able to read the subtext of what this guy really is saying which is that he sucks too horribly and is too lazy to get a spot at a real shop, and because of that he could never actually charge anyone for his work. He's probably just using this to be "cool" with his jerkoff hipster friends. Yet another crappy side effect of tattoo TV shows.

Although Aquaphor has Panthenol in it, it is not a cream, and it is approximately 99% petroleum in the form of petroleum jelly, and mineral oil. Creams are around 50% water give or take depending on the particular one, and so the petroleum in them absorbs more quickly into the skin instead of sitting on top creating a non-breathable barrier as well as a lovely place for dirt and bacteria to hang out and enter your new tattoo through the wet scab that normally would protect you if it were dry.
As far as the science of staph is concerned, everyone carries their own strain of staph bacteria at all times. Some staph infections are caused by coming into contact with someone else's staph and being unable to fight it off, but plenty are actually just flare-ups of our own bodies staph. Any time there is a wound to a person's body, the chances of the bodies staph bacteria blooming into a full blown infection are increased. Staph flourishes in a warm, moist, airless environment which is exactly what you create when you put a layer of petroleum on top of your new tattoo. If you've ever had a bunch of red bumps, or even small whiteheads form on or around a new tattoo, that was your bodies staph flaring up.
I've had a few clients over the years have no infection problems with their tattoos when using lotion as a moisturizer, but then develop staph outbreaks within a day after trying Aquaphor.
As far as what I know of staph and how it works, the knowledge came from reading a paper written by researchers at Johns Hopkins university about staph, and the most effective cleaning agent to use in the hospital to reduce infections from cross-contamination.
One last thing. You wouldn't use Vaseline on a new tattoo would you? People quit using that stuff on their tattoos decades ago because of the regular infections that came along with the use of it. Aside from being slightly less sticky, and having a very small percentage of other added chemicals added, Aquaphor is nearly identical. A little bit of all vegetable oil based lotion is much better for not only your tattoo, but for your personal health overall.

Chances are this guy is lying about his apprenticeship. People do that all the time to try to gain credibility. And it's a real shame that most people reading the article won't be able to read the subtext of what this guy really is saying which is that he sucks too horribly and is too lazy to get a spot at a real shop, and because of that he could never actually charge anyone for his work. He's probably just using this to be "cool" with his jerkoff hipster friends. Yet another crappy side effect of tattoo TV shows.

"Does it feel funny?", followed by "Can i touch it?"
Never say that unless you're prepared for a dirty response. :D

My father, who has no tattoos and is Catholic, asked me what would happen if I met the perfect man but he hated my tattoos... My response :"If he is the perfect man, then he'd love my tattoos."
He also used to teach me as a kid that tattoos will make you go to hell, but has since reversed his opinion on that.

HAHA, you'd have to pay me to do the whole thing, but the discussion around 16:00 about successors is pretty interesting. He says that until three years ago, he had a successor (Horitoshi II) lined up, but that the successor did not abide the rules of the family and was expelled. Then, he had a Horitoshi III lined up, but that this potential successor had no intention of leading the family. So, he has decided that they will elect a Horitoshi III democratically between him and his three oldest "sons." The ideal successor, he says, has to be good at tattooing, but also a man of character. He has to be mild-mannered because he (Horitoshi I/the family) has various domestic and international relations to maintain, and dedicated to the family.
In another really interesting bit of the interview, at around 24:00, he says his "family" differs from other families in that his relationship with his "family" members is really one between father and son rather than master and apprentice. The apprentices start as such, but after spending some time apprenticing and being deemed worthy based on character, they become his sons. That is why they call him "Oyaji" (Pops) rather than "sensei." Despite this, in the most unfortunate case, he says, an apprentice/son left the family after six years.
Finally, towards the end, Horitoshi expresses his devotion to the preservation of tebori as a Japanese tradition. He says that ultimately, he is teaching his apprentices to maintain tradition. The Horitoshi Family, in Japan, he says, is the family most dedicated to tattooing as a Japanese tradition. Machines could be used for lining, but shading has to be done by hand to preserve tattooing as a Japanese art. He doesn't think tattooing will be accepted in Japan anytime soon, but maybe in fifty years, Japanese people will have a more "casual" attitude toward it.

You really should stick with what your artist has been having you do if it hasn't been causing issues. Aquaphor is exactly the same as Vaseline. 100% petroleum jelly (white peteolatum). They do something to make it a little less thick, but otherwise it's identical.
The way the Tegaderm stuff is supposed to be used is to put it on immediately after the tattoo has been done, left on for 24hours, wash the attoo thoroughly to remove ALL the plasma, then reapply for 48 hours. It is sold specifically for tattoos in roll form as "Tatooderm" The owner of the shop where I work uses it all the time.
Also, discuss it with your artist before using it to make sure he's okay with you using it. Otherwise he may not garantee the work.