Visiting Hour
Building prison style machines started as a side project to kill time during the first Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in the Netherlands, 2020. As a tattooer I was forced to stop working. Which made me feel like a prisoner in my own home.
In some countries a conjugal visit is a scheduled period in which an inmate of a prison or jail is permitted to spend several hours or days in private with a visitor. With this in mind the name of my business "Visiting Hour" was born in the second lockdown at the end of 2020.
In April 2023 I was asked to create trophies for the creative categories "Best Banner" and "Best Studio Booth" for the Numaga Tattoo Convention in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
The tattoo machines
There are numerous ways to make cool machines. I try to give my Visiting Hour tattoo machines an old school looking prison / home made vibe. With respect for the craft and as simple as possible but with the tools from our daily lives. Think guitar string needles. Tooth brushes. Electric and clockwork razors. Bamboo straws and pencils. Tie wraps. Tape. Whatever works.
Some are made for decoration. Others for real tattooing. All machines are working, original and one-of-a-kind. They might have the same feel or look, but are slightly different everytime I built one.
Follow my instagram (emilkleincustoms) to see them work and running.
Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you need any further information, if you have an question or for custom orders (contraband).
Emil Klein
Private tattoo studio owner in the Netherlands.