Loosen the wing nut that secures the needle and tube assembly to the tattoo gun. Slide the tube and needle out. Discard the needle into the sharps container. Pour bleach into a plastic container, and drop the tube into the bleach. Let it soak it for 1 minute.
Spray the tattoo gun body with bleach, using a spray bottle. Rinse the gun under a stream of water, and dry it off with a rag. The gun is now ready for your next session.
Remove the tube assembly from the bleach, and rinse it off with water. Drop the tube into an ultrasonic wash basin for five minutes. Remove the assembly from the wash basin, and dry it with a clean rag.
Slip the tube into a sterilization bag. Seal the bag and place it in your autoclave. Run the autoclave for one hour to fully sterilize the tube. The color on the back of the sterile bag will change from pink to gray when the sterilization process is complete. You can now install this tube, along with a fresh needle, onto the gun at your next session.
Verify that there is a space between the armature bar and the two coils of the tattoo gun, just beneath the armature bar.
Turn the contact screw, which sticks out at the top of the gun, counterclockwise to draw the armature bar upwards, if it is touching the coils. When the armature bar is jammed down on the coils by the contact screw, the machine will not operate.
Scrape any carbon buildup away from the contact points on the coils, screws and the front spring, using a dental pick. This buildup can reduce the conductivity of the power pack, causing power cutouts.
Disconnect the rear binding post wire from the capacitor. Pull the coils out of the gun frame, and replace them with a new set. Coil wires break over time, leading to constant stoppages and total gun failure. Insert a new coil set, and connect the binding post wire to the coil capacitor.