Welding Tatoos?

[walker]

I heard this thing a while back. Some one was wanting a tattoo and their was saying "yeah, so you can express your individuality, just like all your friends!" I've thought about that for a long time. I never did end up with a tattoo, much to my surprise and am too old now, nor would they go well with my family/personal life/upscale business. Iv'e also changed my viewpoint significantly since i was 18 and immortal and I know that my viewpoint for a tattoo would change after 20 years or so too. I saw a woman who was in her 50's that had some tattoos a while back. They were blurred and faded and aged her quite a bit. Definitly not the look I am going for when I am in my later years. Someone once told me they have improved the ink for tattos so much, unfortunately they haven't made that many improvements in skin during that time.

[purplewg]

Why would you want to die in perfectly preserved skin and well conditioned body? Think anyone in the after life cares about your skin or condition of your body?

[diamondback]

Dont be a bunch of pusses, and get a **** tat. I have my share of tats from the corps, and I seriously wouldnt mind getting a Miller tat, if miller paid for it!

You are an (took it off due to class)

[usmcruz]

You are an (took it off due to class)

Thats the funniest crap I heard all day. If you wanted to have class, then you should of got a career in basket weaving, or wine tastings, not welding. Go bark up another tree you old fart!

[joshcarlegis55]

run a few beads down a line and lay your arm on one you just burned in while wearing short sleeves.... there is a welding tat

[usmcruz]

run a few beads down a line and lay your arm on one you just burned in while wearing short sleeves.... there is a welding tat

, **** skippy!

[jrw159]

As far as tattoos go I have all my boys names tattoed on my (after the DNA test) and that is it. I do not have my wifes name because even though she may always be mine there is no garauntee of that, my boys will always be mine.

As for a welding tattoo, well I have contemplated that alot and the best thing that I feel would suit me would be a weld bead about 3/8" to 1/2" wide much like the barbed wire or chain link at the bicep location all the way around like your arm was two sections of a pipeline.

The most important thing that many have already mentioned is, make sure it is something you will not regret in the future. If you have to think about removing it in the future DO NOT GET IT.

jrw159

[FusionKing]

I don't have any tats but the idea of one that looks like your skin is ripped open and you have treadplate underneath somehow appeals to me

[Desertrider33]

As for a welding tattoo, well I have contemplated that alot and the best thing that I feel would suit me would be a weld bead about 3/8" to 1/2" wide much like the barbed wire or chain link at the bicep location all the way around like your arm was two sections of a pipeline.

I kinda like that idea for a tat, artisticly speaking. I don't have any attatchment to barbed wire or chain links or other stuff you normally see encircling folk's arms. Those things don't mean much to me. I never made my living with those items. I guess if I made a carreer out of being a rigger, a chain might have meaning in my life, or if I was a carreer barbed wire fence stringer, barbed wire might mean something to me. All those things mean to me is something to lock up my stuff with or pull my broken car home with or lift something with or something to keep somebody out of some place they don't belong. A weld bead would at least have some personal meaning, to me.

Anyhow, I don't have any cause I've always felt that if something was THAT important to me that I would want to put it on my body forever, there would be NO QUESTION in my mind as to WHAT the tatoo would be, or represent, though the details of it's look would be up for debate. Nothing yet has really come on me like a lightning strike that didn't end up going away after awhile, so I guess there's no reason to get a tattoo so far.

[SpyGuy]

Railman, an idea for you:

Motorcycle wheel
Skull in middle of rim
Crossed torches underneath

Also, along the same lines, use a V-Twin engine as the background.

A welding tattoo .... Okay, I'm not going to go into all the "think about what you want, because you'll be looking at it for the next fifty years" thing, because these guys have covered it pretty well, along with the safety issues, blahblahblah. I do want to be fair and say that I have known several guys with arm tats that have to keep them covered up on the job. Some companies have a rule about them, so something to think about. What you do, that's your choce, just be sure you're happy with it, okay? End of sermon.

Speaking strictly as an artist, there's a lot of things you can do. Torching a cursive word or name (with the lit torch at the end, "burning" the word in), cutting steel with a shower of sparks, making a "patch" out of steel plate .... Personally, I like a little monster or critter standing by an oxy/acy rig, holding a lit torch, and wearing a welding helmet, like Ed Roth's Rat Fink or something. The same critter could be coming out of a black "hole" (or hatch, or window, or whatever) and welding a steel plate or patch onto your skin, too.

(Speaking of critters, I saw a neat design for a tattoo. One of the hot-rod monsters in jeans, t-shirt, and welding goggles swinging a lit torch like a baseball bat, and slicing the roof off a slammed Ford touring car. The torch had a long flame on it, and there was a trail of sparks where the curve had sliced through the car pillars. Kool goofy design, daddy-o ...)

[rancherbill]

Well I'd get the butt joint on my rear, the corner joint on my elbow, the Tee joint on my front, and I'm not sure where to put the others.

They should still look good after 30 years when the more complex ones lose their detail.

[youngwelder_154]

It's been a while Miller Welding Project forum I can say I love tattoos and find it a good way to express yourself, I currently have one welding tattoo. I got a Miller symbol tattooed in between my shoulder blades and it wasn't just a thing i thought up and got over night I had that tattoo in my mind for a few years. It has great meaning to me because Miller was the first brand of welding equipment I used and was the only kind i really ever will use ( Do i hear freebies coming here ha ha kidding) I am currently working on a full sleeve piece on my right arm (I'm about halfway done) But the best advice I can give you on getting a tattoo is think long and hard about it and make sure you want to see it there for the rest of your life cause its not going anywhere. But to everyone on the forum who reads this may think I am a little crazy (which in one way or another I am... but who isn't) I keep my tattoos visible when I want them to be visible and are quit easy to hide and I have had no trouble finding any work what so ever. Just make sure its tasteful and not something offensive that will keep you from getting a good job. Good luck on choosing your tattoo and I hope it turns out well.

[diamondback]

Well I'd get the butt joint on my rear, the corner joint on my elbow, the Tee joint on my front, and I'm not sure where to put the others.

They should still look good after 30 years when the more complex ones lose their detail.

lap weld at the belt line? Funny, I get it.

[Richard8856]

Why would you want to die in perfectly preserved skin and well conditioned body?

perfectly preserved skin? i cant say i know any welders with such a thing!

[deafman]

Spend some time with a cut off wheel

No tatoos for me. I have a spot on my neck from when I was piercing 3 1/2" plate. 2 1/4" pierces easily, but 3 1/2" and 5 1/4" got a little messy.
I am also missing a chunk of flesh and notch out of my shin bone from when a 9" cut off wheel on a right-angle grinder suddenly snapped. We only use 5" or 6" now.