How To Stop A Scratcher: The Synyster Ink Experiment

We've all seen bad tattoos. They're everywhere. Everyone knows someone with a bad tattoo. I'm not talking about a stupid tattoo, but a bad tattoo. A tattoo that is the nightmare of every professional and the envy of every Playboy-stealing 12-year-old thug. They vary in content from half-melted roses to crooked single-line names like "Jody" or "Tim". They're uneven, they're green, they're faded. They exist. But recently I was shown the WORST tattoos I've ever seen. The kind of tattoos that are so bad it is a health hazard to be near them, far worse even than concentration camp tattoos.

One evening my girlfriend and I were settling into bed, each of us skimming articles and FaceBooking on our phones while chatting to one another when she began to laugh. "What's funny?" I asked. "My friend just sent me a link to some horrible tattoo guy on FaceBook," she replied. She handed her phone to me to take a look. At first I thought it was a joke, but it wasn't. It was real, and it was real bad. Let's go in for a closer look. What I saw were patches of traumatized skin. Not just one, but several. Take a look. 

As I clicked through the pictures I kept asking myself, "Who would do this? What person on earth is so subhuman to consider this 'work' and to pridefully post pictures of it?" With one more click, my question was answered; this guy:

Pissed off and disgusted I passed the phone back to my girlfriend and stared at the ceiling. Soon she clicked off her lamp and was sleeping soundly but I remained awake, unsettled and staring into the darkness. I wondered what I could do and all through the dark hours I remained awake, thinking of how to track this person down and put a stop to what they were doing. 

The morning came slowly and I got out of bed an hour early to revisit the images from the night before, trying to figure out who this person was, where they lived, anything I could learn about them. The FaceBook page found here, though full of photographs was anonymous. 

Throughout my morning routine, in the car on the way to work and all through the day at work I contemplated how to figure this problem out. The following is a step-by-step breakdown of how this issue progressed. 

STEP 1:

I looked at every photo, read every update and checked every comment on FaceBook. This returned only one result: a location: Green Bay, Wisconsin. That was enough for a search. 

STEP 2:

I entered a Google search query for "Synyster Ink". This returned the FaceBook page as one result, some images, a website with the same name, and a couple blog articles about the guy in the picture above. Before I read the blog articles I did a domain lookup for SynysterInkTattoo.com. 

STEP 3:

Via www.WHOIS.net I was able to look up the domain. From the registry entry I could see that his personal information was protected. This isn't uncommon for businesses that do not want to receive junk mail and phone calls. This is also not uncommon for people that wish to remain anonymous. 

STEP 4:

I checked the first blog article returned in the Google search but it provided little to go off of. When I read the second article, a comment left by a reader gave me a name. He went by the name Jeff "Synyster" Custer. It was a good start.

STEP 5:

I went back to FaceBook and did a person search for both Jeff Custer and Jeff "Synyster" Custer. This returned no results. HOWEVER, a Google search for Jeff "Synyster" Custer returned a comment left on an event page by Jeff. 

STEP 6:

Following the Google link to the FaceBook event page, I found a link to his user account. I checked the account out and it was a definite match. 

STEP 7:

I thoroughly checked all his FaceBook information and wrote everything down. I learned that he was from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin but currently lived in Oneida, Wisconsin and was employed by Zeamer's Welding. 

STEP 8:

Using www.WHITEPAGES.com I looked up Zeamer's Welding and wrote down the address and phone number of the company. 

STEP 9:

Going back to FaceBook, I saw that he at some point tagged himself at home which showed up as a pin drop on a map in his timeline. I clicked on the map and zoomed all the way in. This gave me a near-exact location (down to the cross streets) of where he lived. 

STEP 10:

I did a Google search for Oneida, Wisconsin. I learned from www.WikiPedia.com that it lied within Outagamie county. 

STEP 11:

I entered a Google search query for Wisconsin Health Department. From this search I found Wiscosin's Department Of Health Services homepage.  

STEP 12:

On the Wisconsin Department Of Health Services page I entered the search term "tattoo". This returned several results. The first result would prove to be the most important. I learned that tattoo licensing and regulation was controlled by the department of Food Safety and Recreational Licensing. From the Food Safety and Recreational Licensing department homepage I clicked the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the page. This directed me to a contact page. On the page was an option to search the directory by department. At the top of this page there was a field to search by program. On a hunch I typed in "tattoo" and clicked "search". This returned the contact information for the head of the tattoo licensing department. This is when things got interesting. 

STEP 13:

Once I had the name, phone number and email address of the head of tattoo licensing I drafted an email from my personal account which included all of the information I gathered from Google and FaceBook about "Synyster Ink". I've omitted his personal information, but the rest of the email is as the original was written:

"This complaint does not need to remain anonymous. 

I am attending a licensed training facility to become a licensed tattoo artist in my state. I know the regulations in my state and have read carefully the regulations for the state of Wisconsin as set by the Department of Health Services in your state and am basing my complaint off these regulations. It has come to my attention that an individual in or near Oneida is operating a "tattoo" shop out of his home and is not in compliance with health or licensing standards. 

"Synyster Ink Tattoo" in Oneida is believed to be operated out of a home location not in compliance with business zoning or health department standards. It is also believed that the individual responsible for the operation is not a licensed artist.

His name is Jeff Custer and he also operates a website by the name Synyster Ink Tattoo located at: 

http://www.synysterinktattoo.com

In addition to this he maintains a Facebook page which documents through photo his procedures. That link is below:

http://www.facebook.com/SynysterInk?sk=wall

In several of the photographs there are clear violations of health standards for body art establishments as well as evidence of improper techniques and injury caused by the "proprietor" of Synyster Ink Tattoo. This is a serious complaint. I have included is all the information I have readily available. I do not know the exact location of this person but that information should be available through county records. 

Please look into this matter as it is paramount in importance for public health. Only the photo evidence can convey the severity of this situation. 

I concluded by adding my telephone number for contact. Within hours I had an incoming call from a Wisconsin number, it was the head of the tattoo licensing department.

We spoke for several minutes about my complaint and he said the information about the person had been verified and that they were taking the complaint very seriously. He personally contacted the Brown County Department of Health and Sheriff's office with the information and they were processing a cease-and-desist order which was to be to delivered to "Synyster Ink" at his residence the following day.

The following day I received an email. It read:

Thank you for contacting the Department of Health services with your complaint.  The Department has received numerous complaints regarding this individual and the Brown County Health Department has made contact with the individual and issued a cease and desist letter as well as taken enforcement action.  Thanks again for bringing this to our attention.

It worked. 

The following day I checked his FaceBook page to see if it had really worked. I gathered from his angry updates that he'll "tattoo whoever I [he] wants!" that it had indeed worked. 

I was satisfied, and though there were variables to consider about how it affected his personal life, I slept well that night. 

Ink Spots #2: How To Spot Fake Intenze

In an attempt to further educate buyers on spotting fake inks I've included the following video found on the Intenze Products' website.

Ink Spots #1: How To Spot Fake Kuro Sumi

"Fake is as old as the Eden Tree."
-Orson Welles

Not too long ago Dave Muller published an article to help buyers spot fake Kuro Sumi Color ink bottles. As a supplement to his article, which you can read here, I "invested" in a set of fake Kuro Sumi Color from a known counterfeits distributor to compare the authentic with the fakes. What I've come up with is an additional article with some more in-depth measures to spot fakes and avoid purchasing from counterfeiters. I highly recommend you read Dave's article before you read this.

#1 - Avoid Discounters
The absolute best way to avoid purchasing counterfeit Kuro Sumi inks is to avoid purchasing from discounters or wholesalers such as TMart.Com, TradeMe, DHGate.Com and TheLAShop.com. These sellers commonly buy counterfeits from China or the Philipines and sell them at discounted prices to entice unknowing buyers to purchase these items thinking they are getting a good deal.

These kinds of discounters and wholesalers commonly sell other counterfeit goods as well, from electronics to name brand clothing and sports and outdoors gear. Use common sense. You wouldn't buy tattoo ink from a hotdog vendor, why would you buy it from a sporting goods and electronics wholesaler?

If you find Kuro Sumi on the net for much less than you find it from legitimate tattoo supply houses like Technical International Tattoo Supply (who is the official distribution center and trademark owner of Kuro Sumi), it is highly likely that your colors are not authentic.

I've included a list of known counterfeit distributors. All of the sites listed below are perfect examples of the 7-Color shrinkwrap style color set, which you will read about shortly:

Online Tattoo Wholesale

TMart

DHGate

TheLAShop

Cheap-Tattoo

Tattoo Kits Cheap

Wholesale Tattoo Kits

Tattoo-Set.Com

#2 - Neck
If a picture of the bottle is included, look at the neck. Neck spacing between the shoulder of the bottle and the cap on 1/2 oz. bottles of Kuro Sumi Color is about 2mm, enough to see the curve between the shoulder of the bottle and the bottom of the cap. If the bottom of the cap extends all the way down to the shoulder of the bottle, it is likely a counterfeit.

Blacks and graywashes do come in 12oz bottles. All 12oz bottles will have a raised Kuro Sumi emblem on the neck. If your bottle of black or wash is missing this, it is definitely a fake.


#3 - Size
Kuro Sumi Colors are not available in 16oz, 12oz or 8oz sizes as they are often advertised by counterfeiters. Kuro Sumi Colors are only available in 1/2oz, 1oz, 2oz and 4oz bottles, but in no way does that mean all 4oz, 2oz, 1oz and 1/2oz bottles are authentic. Counterfeiters go to great lengths to deceive buyers and have done remarkably well in their attempts to duplicate Kuro Sumi's products and  packaging. Always check all the points mentioned in this article.

#4 - Packaging
If your ink arrives in heat-shrinked plastic packages of 7, it's not authentic. All Kuro Sumi Colors will come in Kuro Sumi white box packaging bearing the Dragon Logo cutout and Kuro Sumi stamp. Pigments will arrive in a plastic tray in the box, not in rows in heat-shrink plastic.

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#5 - Number Of Inks In Package

If you are looking on discount tattoo supply websites and think you've found a good deal on an authentic Kuro Sumi Color set, check to see how many bottles are included in the set. Commonly, counterfeit Kuro Sumi will come in packages of 6, 7, 14, 16, 22, 28 and 35. Be particularly aware of the 28 and 35-Bottle "Complete Color" set. Kuro Sumi Color's complete line has 59 colors, not 28 or 35.

#6 - Pigment Names
Check the back of the bottle for the names. Kuro Sumi Colors have unique proprietary names such as "Tsunami Blue" and "White Rice Mixing". The Kuro Sumi Color chart with all ink pigment names is available here.

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Fake Kuro Sumi bottles will have names like "Lime Green" and "Snot Green", some of them even misspelled. I've included a full list of fake Kuro Sumi Color names below. Note that all misspellings are directly copied from the bottle and not a mistake on my part.

White

Silevr

Platinum

Tribal Black

Black

Coco

Medium Brown

Light Brown

Dark Purple

Lavender

Violent Violet

Koolaid

True Magenta

Rose Pink

Bright Red

Dark Red

Tomato Is Red

Bubblegum Pink

Shallow Pink

Flesh

Carols Pink
(I'm assuming this is supposed to be Coral Pink)

Blue Sky

Sky Blue

Country Blue

Golden Yellow

Deep Yellow

Lemon Yellow

Lime Green

Mustaed

Snot Green

Dark Green

Light Gerrn

Grasshopper

Sea Foam Green

Forest Is Green

#7 - Lot #
If your inks are all from LOT#KCTB10822 they are not authentic. This is because when the original label was copied attention was not paid to this detail. The dates of manufacture will be different by a year or more in some cases but the lot number will always be LOT#KCTB1022

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#8 - C.I.#
A C.I.# is a pigment constitution designation number. It essentially tells you what the primary pigment makeup of an ink is. Check the back of your Kuro Sumi Color bottle for a C.I.# If the number is C.I.#74160 it's possible that your ink is counterfeit. C.L.#74160 is the data for shade green Phthalocyanine Blue. Ink colors such as yellow, red, pink and especially white have no Phthalocyanine Blue pigment in the ink. Check a bottle of each color class of your Kuro Sumi Color to make sure the C.I.#'s are not all the same, as they will not all contain C.I.#74160. This is another mistake that was made when the original label was copied for duplication. The counterfeiter did not take into consideration that the C.I.# is a pigment indicator and that it will be different depending on what kinds of pigments are in the ink. This is a dead giveaway.

#9 - Drying
Original Kuro Sumi dries like a very shiny thin film gel. Fake Kuro Sumi Outline inks dries powdery. To test this, squeeze a couple drops onto a paper plate and allow it to dry overnight. When you check it the next day, scrape it with a fingernail or key tip. If it flakes off or is dusty, it is not genuine.

#10 - Separation
All inks will separate over time. A good shake before use will fix that problem. Ideally, an ink should stay mixed throughout a tattoo procedure and not separate in the ink cap during tattooing. A good way to find out if you've got a fake ink is to shake the ink bottle and let it settle. See how long it takes to separate. If it's at or over an hour, that should be ok. If it's under 15 minutes chances are it has a high alcohol content and is a counterfeit ink.

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There are two main reasons not to support counterfeiters or buy fake ink. The first is a health and safety issue. A lot of counterfeiters are based in China and the Philipines. That's not to say that these countries are not able to produce quality products, but it is to say that they do not have the kinds of regulations and restrictions about what can and cannot go into products like we do in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Europe and other parts of the world. In October in 2010 the New Zealand Herald published an article after a report of contaminated tattoo ink was released by ERMA. The ink, purchased from TradeMe.Com, was tested and was shown to contain metals known to be hazardous to humans. That article is here.

The second is that producers of legitimate and quality inks such as Intenze, Millenium, Starbright, Kuro Sumi and many others have patented formulas which they closely guard. These are not known to be hazardous and strict guidelines are met to ensure that only the highest quality pigments are produced. These colors are the property of the originating company and they deserve to be paid. Their inks aren't just a necessity in the tattoo industry, they're a service. Counterfeiters do not deserve to make a profit off of selling inferior look-alikes and do a disservice to the entire industry and endanger unsuspecting buyers and anyone they tattoo with counterfeit ink. 

For further reading on fake inks, check out this article from Hildbrandt Tattoo Supply.