In this episode, I sit down with Rob Smead—founder of Electrum Tattoo Supply and host of The Business of Tattooing. We get into the real origin story (yes, the Kryptonite/DC saga), solving the “lost stencil” problem with chemistry, and why so many stencil/aftercare products feel like copycats.

We talk about the post-COVID boom turning into a slowdown, shops closing, artists changing jobs, and what a ~50% hit means for suppliers. We also dig into AI & Procreate as time-savers (not shortcuts), apprenticeships and education, and how TIMA + Inktegrity are pushing industry-led standards so regulators don’t write our future without us. REACH in Europe, looming FDA rules, ISO/GMP compliance, shop hygiene—the whole safety & business side of tattooing.

If you care about craft, safety, and longevity, this one’s for you.

Keywords: Electrum Tattoo Supply, stencil primer, tattoo inks, TIMA, Inktegrity, tattoo regulation, REACH, FDA cosmetics, ISO/GMP, tattoo education, tattoo safety, AI in tattoo design, shop hygiene.

Go check Rob Smead:

• Rob Smead (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/noflashninja/ Instagram+1

• The Business of Tattooing (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/business_of_tattooing/ Instagram+1

• The Business of Tattooing (Podcast page): https://thebusinessoftattooing.podbean.com/ thebusinessoftattooing.podbean.com

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