Tattoo coils, or you can call it wrap coils are made from insulated copper wire and iron, are the electromagnetic heart of tattoo machines. The coils conduct electricity and give power to the guns. You can wrap your own tattoo coils or buy from online tattoo suppliers, which will not be very costly.
Commonly, for tattoo guns, the normal sizes are 8, 10 and 12 wrap coils, among which, 10 wrap coils tattoo machines own the biggest popularity. The sizes are determined by the layers of wire wrapped around the core of the coil. The more layers it has, the more power the gun will have and the bigger sizes of tattoo needles will be required.
Soldering Gun
Ok, let's see how to wrap your own tattoo coils.
First, you can hold the widest end of plastic bobbin with one hand and make the insulated copper wire wrapped around it 2 or 3 three times by your the other hand. Remember to leave about 4 inches of wire sticking out for the next steps.
Then, wrap the wire around the bobbin. Pay attention to make the coils tight and massive when wrapping, and when you finish, all the parts of the bobbin's body will be well-covered.
And then, pull the wire back to the other side of the bobbin and begin another wrapping to create more than one layer. Each layer should start from the same end. At least, eight layers are needed.
Now you need another 4 inches of wire sticking out. To stop the coils from conducting electricity, you should wrap them with electrical tape. Then cut an inch of shrink-wrap sleeve and heat it to fit around the coils.
Make another wrap coil following the above steps. Then put two next to each other, bind their starting wires together, which are left sticking out in the first step. Push the remaining two wires to the correct length, decided by the tattoo machine you use and then remove about 3/4 inch of insulation away by the help of a soldering gun. After that, place rubber insulation around the two back wires, leaving 1/2 inch of wire poking out.
You may need some tools helping to bend the wires towards you to in line with the solder lugs. Then put the capacitor in place to make each end be firmly soldered to the wires and soldering lugs.
Get a soldering gun to solder the wires, lugs, capacitor and the front twisted wires together. The last thing, get a 1/4 inch shrink-wrap sleeve for the base of soldering lugs, so that the gun will not short out.
I've shown you all the detailed steps of tattoo coils wrapping. You may try to make your own tattoo coils for tattoo machines now!