Inside Tattoo Machines: The Craft Behind Them (with Chris Cockrill)

This is the first episode of the year — and the first one we’re releasing in video format.

For this episode, I’m joined by Chris Cockrill, tattooer and tattoo machine builder from San Diego.
We spend most of the conversation digging into tattoo machines: how coils really work, how pens and rotaries changed the way people tattoo, what gets gained, what gets lost, and why understanding your tools still matters if you want to tattoo well long-term.

We also talk about machine building from the inside — tuning, materials, geometry, breaking machines in through actual tattooing, and why there’s no such thing as a “perfect machine” that does everything.

Along the way, we get into tattoo history, shop culture in the 90s vs today, the trade mentality, apprenticeships, and how tattooing slowly shifted from a craft you had to earn into something that often looks easier than it really is.

This isn’t a gear review and it’s not nostalgia for the sake of it.
It’s a long, honest conversation about tattooing as a trade, responsibility, and why shortcuts usually come with a cost.

Chris Cockrill on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/chriscockadoodledo

Under the Skin – The Tattoo Podcast:
https://www.instagram.com/under_the_skin_podcast
https://www.youtube.com/@under_the_skin_podcast