- Following 7.5K
- Followers 18K
- Engagement 5.93%
- Avg likes 1.1K
- Avg comments 90
About RUEthless IRONS
RUEthless IRONS (@ruethlessirons) is a Product/service creator on Instagram, also filed under Art & DIY. The account has 18,034 followers and 1,905 published posts. Recent posts average 1,086 likes and 90 comments, an engagement rate of 5.93%.
With 18K followers, RUEthless IRONS is a micro creator by the common 10,000 to 100,000 definition. RUEthless IRONS follows 7,476 accounts, so the audience is roughly 2.4 times the size of the list followed. RUEthless IRONS is set up as an Instagram business account. Flinque files RUEthless IRONS under Product/service, with Art & DIY as a secondary category.
The Instagram bio for RUEthless IRONS runs to 15 words across 3 lines. The bio mentions @vestermfg and @goldrushcollectivetattoos. The latest activity Flinque has on record for RUEthless IRONS dates from June 2026.
Story Highlights
Unlocking shows the title and cover image of every story highlight this creator keeps pinned to the profile.
1,905 Posts
Of the 10 most recent posts shown for RUEthless IRONS, 8 are carousels, 1 is a single image and 1 is a video. That mix leans toward carousels. RUEthless IRONS has built a substantial archive of 1,905 posts. Against the audience, that is roughly 9.5 followers for each post published. RUEthless IRONS also keeps 12 story highlights on the profile. 9 of those 10 carry captions, averaging 192 words each. The captions are written mainly in English. Words that recur across them include trade, it’s, independent, keep and tattoo. The captions tag #ruethlessirons, #vestermanufacturing, #vestermfg, #tattooing and #tattoosuplies.
It tracks back to the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. That law dumped tattoo pigment into the generic box of "cosmetics." When tattooing boomed in the 1990s and 2000s, local workshops couldn't scale fast enough on their own dime. They needed capital, which let Private Equity buy up the supply lines.
At the exact same time, the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC)—the lobby for massive beauty conglomerates like L'Oréal—spent decades pushing for international Harmonization Codes. They wanted standardized chemical rules to ship mass-market makeup globally without changing formulas. Because tattoo ink was stuck under that 1938 cosmetic umbrella, the trade became collateral damage to rules written for the multi-billion-dollar makeup industry.
Private Equity platforms don't fear these regulations. They use them as leverage. They already own the enterprise software and data networks to absorb the paperwork across dozens of rolled-up brands simultaneously. They use the massive barrier of legal compliance to choke out independent shops that can't afford it.
To keep profit margins growing for a 5-to-7-year asset flip while funding corporate legal teams, they squeeze the workshop floor. They fire specialized technical staff, set up generic call centers, and move tool assembly to outsourced labor lines. The compliance paperwork satisfies the state, but the physical tool gets hollowed out to protect the spreadsheet.
Independent builders and mixers deal with the exact same laws. They just handle it directly at the workbench. With no outside investors demanding a massive payout, there is no artificial corporate overhead to fund. They don't compromise the engineering to hit a portfolio metric—they just do the work themselves. The ownership stays at the source, and the quality stays in the trade.
#ruethlessirons #vestermanufacturing
True Line is live and growing every day. We are past the launch now—it’s about using this to protect your bench and keep your money in the trade.
People are asking why certain brands aren’t listed yet. It’s simple. Either they sold to Private Equity and they don't belong here, or I just haven't got to them yet. I’m adding names every day, so if an artist-owned brand isn't there yet, it’s just a matter of time.
I’m also putting together a page dedicated to all the moves made by the PE firms. You’ll be able to see exactly what they own, who sold, and how they’re trying to move into the market. No more hiding behind a legacy name.
As for the regulations, the Model Body Art Code is moving at the state level and the FDA is tightening rules on facility registration and product listings. We have to keep paying attention to how this hits our shops. I’ll be dropping all the updates on that in the Blog section of the app.
Stop guessing who you’re supporting. Use the directory to keep the trade independent. Link in bio to access.
This is 100% free. You can’t buy your way onto True Line. It’s not here for profit—it’s just a directory to help you support the people who actually support the trade.
Nux Shader
Built to pack solid color, day in and day out.
Comanche Liner
Made to scream in lines like a laser beam in a single pass.
This is a collab build with
Thank you to those that have and support my builds. I build all machines no matter if it's a direct drive, pen, or coil—even hand pokers. Whatever gets the job done; I just love building.
True Line is a simple web app directory for independent tattoo suppliers, machine builders, and tattooer-owned companies. Easy to save to your phone and keep nearby while working.
Feels like more and more of tattooing keeps getting pulled toward corporations, investors, algorithms, and outside interests, so it’s refreshing seeing something built to help support the people actually contributing to the trade itself.
Makes it a whole lot easier to spend your money with the right people. Who sell ethically.
Can tell a lot of work went into this thing. Definitely appreciate seeing somebody take the time to build it. Thank you!
To install the free app, go to
#tattooing #tattoosuplies #tattoomachines #madefortattooers tattooerowned
This started as a simple list of breadcrumbs and a goal to leave tattooing better than I found it. It went from a basic note to a Google Sheet, then an Excel file, and finally into a fully functional PWA so the directory is live and searchable for everyone. It took a massive amount of work to get the formatting right, but we did it to keep the trade in the hands of artists and independent owners.
This only exists because of the community. Thank you for the suggestions, the DMs, and the emails. By coming together to highlight independent brands and artist-owned companies, we’ve built something for ourselves.
If you want to know how to help, it’s simple: put your money where your mouth is. Spend your money with people who are actually part of what we do and want to see this trade prevail.
True Line is 100% free and all the information is free. There is no catch. This is about unity and giving back to the tattoo gods.
We are still verifying every link and address by hand, so if you aren’t on here yet, please be patient. It’s not a dig—it’s just me and one other person doing the work. If you’re artist-owned or independent, you belong here. No favorites and no bias.
If you need to be added, message me and send over your logo.
Link in bio. Keep the craft and trade in the hands of the artist and independent and those that want to see tradition push forward.
#ruethlessirons #vestermfg
#tattooartist #tattoomachine #tattoopen #tattoosupply #tattoocommunity
This has nothing to do with tattooing and everything to do with logistics for an industry we aren't even a part of. Because we’ve been lumped into "Cosmetics" since the 1930s, we are getting caught in the crossfire. The goal is a unified harmonization code so major commercial makeup firms can ship products back and forth across borders without custom snags. They are turning your machine into a medical device just to keep their corporate supply chain moving.
The doorway they used was our own online behavior. When the EU pushed the pigment bans, they mined forum pages and social media where people were bickering over ink reactions. They used those negative posts to "prove" the trade didn't trust its own brands and required government intervention. They are scanning our hardware discussions right now to do the same thing.
The "Hardware Tax" is a paywall set by labs and consultants who want you to believe the paperwork is impossible. It’s not. You can self-document using MDCG 2023-5. Since the first coil patents in 1891, the global tattoo community has maintained its own standards. If you’ve been building since before 2023, you have until 2028 to make your move.
Stop the "crabs in a barrel" mentality. Every time we air out negative trade business in public, we are handing them the doorway they need to justify taking over our trade.
#vestermanufacturing #ruethlessirons
We are watching a direct copy of the European REACH rollout where they started with the ink and are now hitting the "Hardware." On May 28th, the EUDAMED database becomes mandatory in Europe, meaning a CE sticker is no longer enough. Without a federal Technical File, your gear is illegal. The facility registration happening in the States right now is the exact infrastructure needed to launch that same hardware registry here.
This is the "Chemical Tax" in action. At $5k–$10k per batch for testing, it is an economic filter designed to swallow the independent trade and hand the market to corporate giants. The "don’t worry" crowd isn't being honest with you. International harmonization means the strictest rules become the global standard, and those telling you to ignore the May 28th deadline are the ones who benefit from you staying reactive.
We starve this movement by sticking together and sharing data instead of circling each other. Proactive defense means using independent third-party labs and sourcing pre-certified components on our own terms. We have to set the standards before they use them to price us out.
#vestermfg #ruethlessirons
Thumbnails are unavailable for 10 of these 10 posts. Open a tile to view the post on Instagram.
RUEthless IRONS's engagement
RUEthless IRONS's engagement rate on Instagram is 5.93%, between 3% and 6%, or 3 to 6 likes and comments per 100 followers. On a typical post that comes to about 1 like or comment for every 17 followers. An average post collects 1,086 likes and 90 comments, close to 12 likes for each comment.
Engagement rate
5.93%
- Avg likes
- 1.1K
- Avg comments
- 90
- Interactions : followers
- 1 : 17
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Frequently asked questions
These answers about RUEthless IRONS are generated from the Instagram profile data Flinque holds for the account.
Who is RUEthless IRONS?
RUEthless IRONS (@ruethlessirons) is a Product/service creator on Instagram, also filed under Art & DIY. RUEthless IRONS is set up as an Instagram business account. The Instagram bio for RUEthless IRONS runs to 15 words across 3 lines.
How many followers does RUEthless IRONS have?
RUEthless IRONS has 18,034 followers on Instagram (18K). RUEthless IRONS follows 7,476 accounts, so the audience is roughly 2.4 times the size of the list followed. RUEthless IRONS has built a substantial archive of 1,905 posts.
What is RUEthless IRONS's engagement rate?
RUEthless IRONS's engagement rate on Instagram is 5.93%, between 3% and 6%, or 3 to 6 likes and comments per 100 followers. On a typical post that comes to about 1 like or comment for every 17 followers. An average post collects 1,086 likes and 90 comments, close to 12 likes for each comment.
What does RUEthless IRONS post about on Instagram?
Flinque files RUEthless IRONS under Product/service, with Art & DIY as a secondary category. Of the 10 most recent posts shown for RUEthless IRONS, 8 are carousels, 1 is a single image and 1 is a video. The 9 recent Instagram captions Flinque holds for RUEthless IRONS repeatedly use the words trade, it’s, independent, keep and tattoo. RUEthless IRONS's captions carry hashtags such as #ruethlessirons, #vestermanufacturing and #vestermfg. RUEthless IRONS writes those captions mainly in English. RUEthless IRONS keeps 12 story highlights, which open with a free Flinque account.
How do I contact RUEthless IRONS for a collaboration?
RUEthless IRONS's contact details are not published on Flinque's public profile. The Instagram bio links to 2 external sites, and a free Flinque account opens those links. The account is registered as an Instagram business account. Brands with a free Flinque account can shortlist RUEthless IRONS and use Flinque's outreach tools wherever a contact route is on file.
Links
RUEthless IRONS's own Instagram profile is the one outbound link Flinque publishes for the account, and the 2 bio links open after signing up.
Public profile data sourced from Instagram. Flinque is not affiliated with RUEthless IRONS.