Needle Talk - Pinchy/Voodoo Body Piercing November 17, 2015 09:00

Welcome to the second instalment of Needle Talk our monthly blog series that tells you everything you need to know about yours, and our, favourite piercers and body modification artists.

Ever wondered what your piercers first body mod was? Or what their strangest request has been? This is your time to find out. This series is a monthly dose of all things modified and a chance to get to know the people behind the needle.

We've a great list of piercers and body modification artists lined up in the coming months and if you would like to see your piercer or body mod artist featured then get it touch, we'd love to hear from you.

Our second instalment of Needle Talk is with Pinchy owner of Voodoo Body Piercing in Barnstaple, North Devon. Voodoo Body Piercing opened in 2009, and as well as being featured on television programmes they also have 3 resident tattoo artists and offer laser tattoo removal services. 

The services available at Pinchy's studio in Devon include:
• Basic piercings
• Advanced piercings 
• Custom & large gauge piercing 
• Surface piercing 
• Mirco dermals
• Branding 
• Scarification 
• Sub dermal implants 
• Transdermal implants
• Genital beading 
• Magnetic implants 
• NFC tags

This is Pinchy, enjoy.


 

Pinchy Portrait

Emba Mods:  Who are you?
Pinchy: Nick Pinch, but everyone knows me as Pinchy.

Emba Mods:  Where do you work? 
Pinchy: I own Voodoo Body Piercing in Barnstaple, North Devon.

Emba Mods:  When did you get your first body mod and what was it? 
Pinchy: My first piercing was at 15, and it was my eyebrow. However if you mean heavy mods then my Transdermal Horns at age 20.

Emba Mods:  What job title do you give yourself? 
Pinchy: I just call myself a body piercer to keep things simple when dealing with the public.

Emba Mods:  How long have you been a piercer?
Pinchy: Since I was 17 I'm now 30 so thats 13 years! Wow time flies.

Emba Mods:  What do you love the most about your job?
Pinchy: The diverse group of people I get to interact and deal with on a daily basis, and hearing peoples ideas about there end goals with regards to there body.

Emba Mods:  What would you be if you weren't a piercer?
Pinchy: I'm not sure, I would maybe do porn. Who else with horns, no nipples and a split tongue has done porn? No one!!!!!

Emba Mods:  Do you do your own body mods?
Pinchy: Haha, everyone asks me that. I actually don't, no. I have friends in the industry that do them for me.

Emba Mods:  What is your favourite piercing/mod to do?
Pinchy: I love branding, it's not as popular as some of the other mods, but I really love doing it. Piercing wise I LOVE doing septum piercings.

Emba Mods:  What is your least favourite piercing/mod to do?
Pinchy: I don't have a least favourite piercing to do, but I hate it when someone shows me a picture of a piece of work and expects me to do it exactly the same without taking into account that their anatomy may be different.

Emba Mods:  Are there any body mods you want to do but haven't done yet?
Pinchy: To be honest, not really haha, all the ones I've wanted to do i have got to to do. There are body mods that I have not done but I do NOT want to do them.

Emba Mods:  Do you prefer projects or individual piercings/mods?
Pinchy: Projects are always great, it gives you and your customer a chance to express yourself on a bigger scale or by thinking outside the box. However that said individual piercings are always nice to do especially when using beautiful jewellery.

pinchy studio

Emba Mods:  Whose work in the body modification industry inspires you?
Pinchy: There are so many great artists out there, but they have really stayed under the radar as using basic plain jewellery does not make a piercing stand out. With all the high end jewellery available now it really shows off peoples creative side so there are to many to list.

Emba Mods:  What has been your strangest request? 
Pinchy: Penis removal. Enough said. And no I did not do it.

Emba Mods:  What is the most regular mod/piercing asked for? 
Pinchy: The regularity of a particular piercing changes depending on what's in fashion at the time, currently I'm doing a lot of noses and septum's. When it comes to mods the magnets & NFC tags are proving very popular.

Emba Mods:  What is the most uncommon mod/piercing asked for? 
Pinchy: It's all a perspective of whats uncommon, it will vary from location to location and who your customer base is.

Emba Mods:  Do you have any studio rituals? 
Pinchy: Haha, I have a routine that involves cleaning etc ready for the day ahead but actual rituals I would say no. 

Pinchy Clean Room

Emba Mods:  Do you have any advice for people wanting to get into the industry? 
Pinchy: It's a hard industry to get into, people have to understand we get asked DAILY about apprenticeships, so do not be disheartened if you are turned away. No one is going to say yes to you first time.

Emba Mods:  Do any body mods freak/creep you out?
Pinchy: Eyeball tattooing. Looks mint, love it and it has an amazing following at the moment with more and more people doing it. I would love mine done, BUT things in your eyes... Makes me feel all weird and squeamish cant even put contacts in my eyes at halloween.

Emba Mods:  What are your thoughts on the CIEH (Chartered Institute for Environmental Health) tattoo & body piercing rating scheme? 
Pinchy: It's a really good idea, but it's based on hygiene not on quality of work. You can have the most amazing studio.... But it does not mean your good at your job.

Pinchy Piercings

Emba Mods:  What irritates you about the industry?
Pinchy: Where to begin..... There's so many things that need to be tweaked to make it better. A few things are:
The councils, they know nothing. They need educating!
Studios using bad quality cheap jewellery to make a higher profit, at the cost of someones body and health.

Emba Mods:  Any news in the industry that excites you?
Pinchy: Yes, the north star implant. This is an implantable circuit with a lithium-ion battery that can be activated using a magnet. When activated LEDs in the circuit light up they can be seen clearly through the skin. The device is coated in Parylene C and then further coated in medical grade silicone to allow for shapes to be moulded, from horns to pentagrams to stars. There are only 3 people in the world Beta testing these and I'm one of them. Hopefully they will be available in January. 

Emba Mods:  What are your industry predictions in the coming years?
Pinchy: Death of the tattoo convention is one of them, I have written an article about the increase of tattoo conventions around the UK, but the drop in foot fall at the shows. In the article I have also included a list of what I believe are some of the best shows and the reasons why.
Also a massive move from externally threaded jewellery to internally threaded. 

Pinchy Branding

Emba Mods:  Any advice for people thinking of getting body mods/piercings?
Pinchy: Do your research, ask a piercer to see their piercing room, most piercers will be happy to show you. Ask about their sterilisation procedures, ask if they hold the documents for the metals that are going into your body. Don't be shy about asking for a portfolio or checking out their website too.

Emba Mods:  Where can people find you?
Pinchy: If people wish to find me just search:

Emba Mods:  Any final words?
Pinchy: Can I have the mince pie you promised me?