-Reinventing the wheel-
The tattoo machine goes pneumatic
by Damian McGrath

Carson Hill is the inventor and developer of the first mass produced pneumatic tattoo machine, operated on air, not electrical motors or coils. For thousands of years tattooing was done by hand around the world, it's meaning and method varied across the globe. Electrical coil machine tattooing at the turn of the twentieth century brought the craft of tattooing to the modern day , indeed many well respected tattooists are of the opinion that electric tattooing was the catalyst that brought tattooing to evolve from a craft to a contemporary art form. So I took a little time to Chat with Carson Hill about this latest evolution in the science of tattooing.

DM: So Carson, you started playing with pneumatics at a young age, were you one of those kids that took everything apart and tried to put it back together?

CH: I was exactly that. I think my dad didn't know what to do with me at times, so he would give me some old radio equipment or electronic device of some type, that I could destroy if need be. I spent the better part of my childhood dissecting anything electrical or mechanical that I could get my hands on. I don't know why really, other than I enjoyed experimenting and testing whether or not I could reassemble what I had disassembled, and make it work again. That was fun for me. I also enjoyed building things. Sometimes airplane models, sometimes model houses, once I built my dog a doghouse, you know, what kids do. Assembly has always been somewhat interesting to me. The only pneumatics experience I really had, before Neuma, was the pneumatic dremmel that I used at a machine shop I worked at, for maybe a year, when I was about sixteen years old. Of course, the tiny air tool fascinated me quite a bit, and eventually the fascination led to a union between two fascinations of mine. Once tattooing devices came into my spectrum of thought, soon the two thoughts met, thereby creating an idea.

DM: You started your apprenticeship at a shop like so many other artists, was there a moment when the whole idea of reinventing the tattoo machine dawned on you or was there a gradual process in your mind that brought you to that point?

CH: I was on my way into work, with my mentor Jim Hayek. I was still an apprentice at the time, maybe 6 months into a year and a half long apprenticeship. We were driving down the freeway, talking about human potential, and somehow, I had this understanding that if you could think something, you could create it, with some hard work and determination. I spit out the notion of creating pneumatic tattoo machines as an example to Jim that anything can be re-invented to (hopefully) improve on the current design, and that essentially, that's what we all do. I have read before that there are two types of inventions, those which are 'original', and those which are 'modified' or upgraded ideas which already exists. My thought is that no invention escapes the inspiration from some outside source, whether it be just a component of the invention or the whole idea. The rolling stone became the wheel, and so on.
When I mentioned this to my mentor, he liked the idea, and asked me if I thought I could do it. I was feeling inspired that day, so I said yes. After that, I couldn't stop thinking about air-powered tattoo machine idea. It has riddled my thoughts ever since. Throughout my apprenticeship, I secretly designed abstracts of the idea, then took the idea to a product designer and had some prototypes made, with every cent I could save and borrow. I began tattooing at home with my prototypes after I would apprentice at the shop all day. I would sometimes start a tattoo at the shop with my electric coils, and then go home and finish it with my pneumatic prototypes. I realized that it was absolutely necessary to test them thoroughly so I did just that. I didn't want anyone to know because then I would be running the risk of having to stop with my secret operation, which would have been devastating. Once the patents cleared and about 3 months into my "professional" tattooing career, I told the people that I worked with about the machine, they all tried it and liked it, and soon after my mentor switched over to them completely, such as I had.

DM: You mentioned you had to work at the shop by day and then go home to work on your idea, keeping it to yourself at first, what were those days like?

CH: Those days were a bit difficult, being that I had to keep quiet. Omission is ultimately a lie, in my opinion. And it was really hard to subdue my excitement about my new project, especially with what I had begun to consider friends. But that period of time was absolutely necessary in the beginning developing stages. They weren't bad days, as I was a new tattooer and loving every second of tattooing. For me to go home from my apprenticeship to tattoo with my new prototype was exciting for me. I had obviously kept my mentor in the loop with regard to developments, and he was trying it out a bit, but he had kept his word not to tell anyone about it for over a year. When I finally told everyone at the shop about the machine, and they realized that I had kept it quiet, they looked at me strange, as if to say 'how the ...." and that was pretty much the end of it.

DM: There is so much technically that now goes into electrical coil tattooing, the power boxes, the tuning, wasn't it intimidating to think you were reinventing the wheel, especially for an artist that was not a "star"?

CH: To be honest, I was so early into my career and only about 21 years old, so very naive, you know? I didn't really think that far into it, I didn't really know what I was up against, I was just having a good time trying to create something new. The more I know as I get older and have more experience in the industry, and just life in general, the more it can be rather intimidating, but the differences are such that it isn't really a direct competition, its more of an alternative.
The idea behind Neuma has never been to replace other tattooing devices, that seems so spiteful to me, but rather to try and technologically apply a new type of Tattooing device to the Tattoo Industry. I have nothing but respect for all types of Tattoo Machines in the world today and in history. They are all beautiful, and they all lead me to where I'm at, with regard to Neuma. To me, its not about improving on what is already there, but rather improving upon myself.

DM: Once you patented your design and released it, didn't you get "dismissed" from the studio you started in?

CH: was fired from the shop shortly after the patent cleared and I told everyone at the shop what I had done. I'm not entirely sure why they fired me. At the time, I felt that it must have had something to do with the pneumatic machine, being that things changed a lot for me after it. I'm not sure the owner of the shop really appreciated what I was doing, and I think it may have concerned him a bit. The reason, as I was told over the telephone, that I was fired was because I was disrespectful, according to the shop owner. I can hear him now "Stupid fuckin kid!" Later I was told it had something to do with my having left a mess in the back room, who knew? But it didn't devastate me, it really gave me the push I needed to begin facing the world, and I had no choice but to proceed with my Neuma endeavor. Since then I have had to find my own way in the tattoo world. I have tattooed from my home studio(s) for more than half my career, having only worked full-time in 2 street shops. I began exploring the tattoo convention circuit in order to meet some people who I would be very happy to have try my machine. I have remained in the convention circuit as much as possible since then. Since I was fired, I have worked with or near some of the best tattooers in the country. I would have to say that being fired was the greatest gift that shop owner could have given me.

DM: What was the process of going from your idea to production, how did you end up getting a bunch of engineers involved in tweaking the design?

CH: Ok - It started with the conversation with my mentor. Then I took the idea and all the cash I could get my hands on to an engineer/product designer, who made me a working (plastic) prototype. This was way before Neuma even had a name. (Neuma in Latin means "spirited" or "air powered"). I used that prototype for a period while I saved money to have one made in metal, and a bit better than the first. The results from this prototype were quite pleasing, although several small changes needed to take place.
One day I met an investor/entrepreneur, and we made a deal. Long story short he hooked us up with an industrial design firm, a really fancy product design firm, and ultimately put a quoted 300k worth of work into the re-designing of Neuma. I had already spent everything I made for almost 2 years at that point. They went through several prototypes under my close supervision and instruction, and eventually the Neuma2 was made. Neuma1 would be all the prototypes, there would have been about 7. Neuma2 is the first marketable, in other words perfected, Neuma machine.
From there neuma went to the manufacturer and started having some made. Along the way, the Neuma2 encountered some issues and they were altered slightly to account for these issues. I guess technically I should call it Neuma2.3 at this point.
In the end, when sales weren't doing nearly as well as the investor had hoped for, he bowed out, leaving everything in my name from patent to name.

DM: There are a bunch of talented tattooists using your machines now, what do you see as the primary benefit of using it compared to the traditional coil based machines?

CH: Well, I'm not sure that there is a "primary" benefit, but rather a compilation of benefits to using Neuma. Alone, each of these benefits may not make that big a difference, but compiled they do. Neuma allows you to let go of technical stuff, simply stated. Get down to the nitty gritty of what tattooing is and consistently provide good results. The fact that they cant be tuned means that they always run the same, and once an artist has become accustomed to the way they work, the rest is downhill from that point. They are super lightweight (only 1.5 oz) which means almost no fatigue from any kind or amount of tattooing. They are very easily maneuverable which allows for easily getting the desired effect or result. They are also autoclavable, which is a paramount feature in the Tattooing Industry, and now that we are using disposable air hoses, everything all the way back to the workstation is either autoclave-able or disposable, bringing the possibility for cross-contamination to an absolute minimum. They are durable also, they can be dropped numerous times, they last several years without the need for any replacement parts, and have a 5-year parts replacement and repair warrantee. They could potentially save you thousands in medical bills and extend your career by 15 or more years, due to the extremely lightweight design, which can eliminate the risk of getting carpal-tunnel or tendonitis. Besides all that it just allows an artist to be an artist, and not have to be a mechanic at the same time. Some artists find that they can get details with a Neuma that they could never get with a bulky, heavy coil machine. Some say that it is because they can make more passes over the skin without causing damage. Some people claim it hurts less. Some think the sound is more soothing than a coil. Most say that the healing time is cut in half. I believe that it has to do with 1. the lack of electric components, charge, and/or electromagnetic field(s), and 2. that the Neuma is so consistent that it damages the skin less. Less trauma for quicker healing.

DM: Do you still own or use coil machines?

CH: I have a few still. I'll keep them because they were a part of my life, and they helped pave the way for me to explore. I don't use them anymore, but I intend to keep them anyway.

DM: Who are some of the artists using your gear now?

CH: There are a growing number, and I'm impressed with all the amazing work I've been seeing out of them. Its really amazing being able to see just how many great artists are out the using them, and just doing great tattoos. Some people who are using them are: Mike Devries, Mike Demasi, Mario Rosena, Nathan Kostechko, Nikko Hurtado, Johnny Berrios and now all the guys at Off The Map Tattoo, I have gotten Guy Aitchison and Nick Baxter and Mike Cole to use them quite a few times, Dee Dee Seruga, Larry Brogan, Elmo, Dan Plumley, Roman Abrego, and really, I wish I could mention my entire rolodex here, because there are so many artists out there using them, and I'm amazed at how many of them are truly inspiring and visionary artists. I also have some more targets that I will hopefully have the chance one day to get them to tattoo me with Neumas...

To check out the Neumas online go to neumatattoomachines.com

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