Custom Vans

Several of you have asked if we can customize your Vans with a one of a kind 168 graphic. One of the unique things about 168 is that a tattoo is yours and yours alone. Been in that kind of shop with all the generic tattoo designs? That's not us. At 168, the tattoo design you get is all about YOU, and only you.

Want your 168 Tattoo on a pair of Vans - you got it.

Want a custom design for your custom-made Vans - you got it.

Custom designs are $50, plus the cost of the Vans. 

And just like your tattoo, your Vans will last for-evah!

email us at rick168tattoo@gmail.com

Vans and 168

In 1966, brothers Paul and James Van Doren alongside Gordon Lee and Serge D’Elia opened the first Vans store in Anaheim, California under the name The Van Doren Rubber Company.

Initially, the brothers manufactured the shoes themselves, selling them directly to the public. On their first day in business, the company only had display models in stock, so when customers picked out their Vans, they were asked to come back that same afternoon to pick up their purchase.

Paul and Lee had to then head to the factory to fabricate the shoes, 12 pairs to be exact. The customers came back to the store later in the day to pick up their Vans, but the store didn’t have any change. The Vans team, who were in no position to turn down customers, gave out the shoes and asked the customers to return the following day with their payments – all twelve did so.

The three styles sold in '66 retailed for $2.49 and $4.99 at the time. Wow.

While Vans diversified over the years, was gobbled up by manufacturing giants and then spit back out, the company continues to have a growing share of the market, now manufacturing clothing as well and sponsoring events like the Warped Tour and extreme sporting events like the Vans Triple Crown.

Every old-school surfer dude, like this writer, rotates through his Chucks and his Vans, but now, thanks to 168 and tattoo artist Rick Fichter, there’s a new Van in town!

  

For a limited time only, you can get one of Rick Fichter’s tattoo graphics on a pair of specially designed Vans that pair the iconic flair of original Vans and the artistry of 168’s Rick Fichter.

If you are interested in ordering a pair, send an email to 168 at rick168tattoo@gmail.com and 168 will respond within 24 hours. The 168-styled vans as shown are $125.00. 

Tell Me Honestly That You Don't Need These!

Tattoo Tech

Rick Fichter: A tattoo machine consists of a handheld needle gun that penetrates the skin at a rate of 3000 cycles per minute, not unlike a sewing machine. The needles differ in size and shape and are bundled together on a needle bar in patterns depending on the requirements of the artwork. The unit is attached to a power supply that is activated by depressing a foot pedal on the floor beside the workstation. 

Before the tattoo machine was invented or even a thought, ancient cultures used tools like rose thorns, sharks teeth, and pelican bones to push pigments into the skin. Natural pigments like red ochre and soot were used to provide color. In a tattoo ritual, the Maori, in what is today New Zealand, used a chisel made of bone to cut lines and shapes in the skin. After the lines were cut, the Maori tapped the chisel, with the edge dipped in pigment, into the lines.

The first electric tattoo machine was invented, unknowingly, by Thomas Edison. In 1876 Edison received a patent for the electric pen. While carbon paper goes back to the early 19th century, it was impossible for an individual to make more than a few copies of a letter or document at a time. The electric pen used a small motor to drive a needle up and down the shaft of the pen. As the user wrote, the pen created a stencil that could be easily copied. In essence, like having a printer. Patents for tattoo machines were filed less than ten years later by different individuals, each adding their own improvements.

Samuel O’Reilly is credited with the “electric pen”, a device built from the Edison blueprints in 1891. The only thing O’Reilly changed from the Edison version was that he added an ink reservoir.  The machine we use today was first patented by Charlie Wagner, which was called a dual coil reciprocating engraver, especially made for tattooing. While Wagner's invention has stood the test of time, some 130 years, there's a new kid in town. 

With absolute control and accuracy in mind, Cheyenne has introduced the biggest innovation in the tattoo industry – the Cheyenne Hawk Pen. This rotary machine is specially designed to closely resemble an actual pen, which will facilitate even more precise tattoo procedures than before. 

Tech? I know right? Those of you who know me are wondering if it's another Invasion of the Body Snatchers; like the Pod People have taken control over Old School Rick. I mean, maybe... First, it was my iPad Pro, now a whole new inventory of high tech rotary tattoo engravers that are easy to sanitize and are less painful for the canvas.

Oh my God, what will happen in the next exciting chapter of The Further Adventures of Rick Fichter? An Apple Watch? A Prius? No... calm your heart. Just even better tattoos.

Calligraphy - Part 2

A Day in a Life at 168

Tattoo 168 isn’t your typical tattoo shop.  The studio is chock full of trinkets and kitsch, from Mid-Century Modern wall clocks to chalk-ware saints. When a client enters the shop it’s like Alice’s looking glass into another dimension, a different world where enamel Firestone signs mesh with prints of big-eyed urchins. No doubt about it, Tattoo 168 has style.

 

It’s not unusual for a canvas to lug an eight-foot antique crucifix into the shop as trade for a “full sleeve.” And Rick is ready to barter: “I dunno, man; black and white half-sleeve and you got a deal.” Rick and his wife, Leah, know their stuff. Sure, a client bearing the weight of crucifix is surreal, but sometimes it’s an unopened box of New Kids on the Block trading cards that closes the deal.

Although a “traditional” tattoo parlor, it’s the personal touch that sets apart Tattoo 168.  Clients meet with Rick during the day and then schedule private one-on-one sessions for the actual tattooing.  It’s then that the shop comes alive with stories woven in and around the tattoo session, but it’s not so much about the sentimental, but the paths we all take to get where we are, what led to the tattoo, the process, the art, the permanence - the humanity that brings together artwork and skin.

And Rick’s a character, no doubt: artist, tattooist, bike fabricator, entrepreneur, marketing genius, former millionaire, baseball coach, father, husband and picker. 168 is a whirlwind of color and colorful people, rich storytelling, ink and antiques. “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure” just doesn’t say enough.

The Tapers

Rick Fichter: So a canvas walks in and I ask him, what’s the story behind your idea?  He gets nervous and takes off.  I mean, I work one day, one tattoo, you don’t want to lose business, but a tattoo’s more than a splatter of ink on skin.  A great tattoo holds meaning, tells a story, has a voice. So I went pickin’.  Old junk holds meaning, tells a story, has a voice. 

I found a box of cassettes. The girl had spent a lot of time decorating the boxes. I'd say it was a girl, young in the 80s; just a guess. One was from a Taper, or maybe just a Deadhead with a recorder. I remember those days. It was Karma at a Dead Show, the interplay of intertwining fates, the spiritual law of cause and effect. I was a taper, this subculture of Deadheads who recorded shows and traded them. Story goes, Jerry was at Phil's and opened a big dictionary. He saw “Grateful Dead” in big, black letters staring up at him.  “That’s it,” he said.  The name is from a folktale about a wanderer who hears that a pauper died but can’t be buried till his debts are settled, so the traveler pays the debts and continues on his journey.  That night on the highway he’s threatened by thieves when out of nowhere a stranger appears to frighten them off.  It’s the pauper’s ghost, of course, the grateful dead. 

The stories make everything cool.

It’s that kind of spirit that kept us coming back, the tapers, the Church of Unlimited Devotion, spinning like Sufis to Gerry’s twangy guitar, the dragon chasers. I saw them at the Cow Palace and Winterland and JFK, anywhere, everywhere.  I haven’t been able to pin it down, 188 times, maybe. 

I met a guy.  His name was Bran. He heard one of my tapes and said, “That sounds like shit.” It didn’t, not to me. I was there, it takes me there, I can go back again when I want.

There are no bands like that anymore. Can’t break new ground when the grounds already broke.

Rick on Tech

Technology has finally taken me by storm. The old method was draw, draw, draw: overlays, tracing paper, colored pencils, markers, every gadget you could imagine to make a drawing come to life. Then to the airbrush station; then to the painting: watercolor, oils, acrylics. But with the addition to my arsenal of the new iPad Pro and the Mac 1 pencil this system, it's now a far simpler task. Getting used to everything is a little bit difficult, but all in all, it's incredible what can be done - the same art with just one tool. The graphic is my first "painting" on the iPad Pro. I can put it up for sale; I can post it to Facebook; I can send to Instagram. I can reproduce it on big canvas. it’s high resolution and I can alter it, pull out the color or create a tattoo stencil. It’s the most amazing product I’ve ever used.

From This                                   to                                                 This

'66 Ironhead Progress

Rick Fichter: I'm trying to decide on the placement of the tank on the '66. I have to figure whether I'm going high Frisco style or drop it low; I'm leaning toward Frisco style. The tank is incorrect for a '66, but it was common in the early 70s to replace the tank with this sleek AMF era style. I really like it. Most likely I'll use my painting skills to patina the rear fender then match up the tank in that way-cool blue.

This is my brand spanking new but old stock Carlisle rear tire. These are pretty tough to come by around here, especially an old stock one like this. This is true Chopper in my eyes, if not the best handling tire. Made, basically to ride in a straight line - sounds like the Arizona desert to me - and I will sacrifice maneuverability for the great looks. I'm already in love with it. Settled; it's definitely not coming off.

Just got my hands on a new 21-inch front wheel. I’m going with a 21 front, 16 inch rear - pretty much standard Chopper issue I like this shit; I like the stance of the bike and it just feels right with that combo. Although I could try an 18 on the back, I think I’m gonna keep it this way. Stay tuned. 

Me and my buddy, Thor, welded up this rear brake caliper mount. It took a little bit of time to give it a neat, clean look.  I’m pretty happy with the way it came out. I don’t think I could’ve got it any smoother though I'' grind it down and make it cleaner. I like the way it looks on the back of the frame; you barely noticed that there’s a caliper on the back wheel, which was kind of the goal. So this is also a keeper.

New Tattoo

One of the reasons for tattooing's popularity is its permanence. What we have tattooed on our bodies is a constant symbol of who we are, what makes us tick, children, obsessions, the loves of our lives. Here's is my latest: Leah on top and iron head below sum it all up.

-Rick

Sailor Jerry

Tattooing, of course, has a history that predates even the most knowledgeable scholar. The popularity of tattooing in America though can pretty much be traced to Sailor Jerry during as far back as World War I.  

Sailor Jerry is the name given to Norman Collins, old-school tattooing legend who acquired the name ‘Jerry’ after his father noticed his troublemaker son had the same disposition as the family’s mule (yes, mule) named Jerry. It’s a name that stuck through his stint in the Navy, indeed throughout his life.

At 19, Sailor Jerry enlisted in the Great Lakes Naval Academy and then spent the next 10 years traveling the globe on schooner ships. It was this experience and the time spent in the Orient that heavily influenced Jerry’s leading him to assimilate Asian styles and colors into his tattoos. The style he developed subsequently became the trademark for the shop he opened in Honolulu’s China Town.

After his time in the Navy, Sailor Jerry settled in Oahu, a then-remote island in Hawaii. Jerry would spend the next 40-years perfecting his technique. Jerry’s tattoos became highly recognized and talked about and even made their way into the very secretive Japanese tattooing world, known as Horis.

In today’s day and age, tattoo hygiene and sterilization is serious business and an artist that doesn’t follow sterile procedures is known as a scratcher. Jerry worked hard to ensure that his needles and equipment were clean and sterile and that his shop was tidy.

Jerry had three protégés Mike Malone, Ed Hardy, who today is as famous as Jerry, and Zeke Owen. After Jerry’s death in 1973, he left simple instructions with regards to his shop, one of them was to take it over or burn it to the ground. Thankfully Mike Malone took over the shop and kept the name alive.

Iphones as a Photo Journal

Back when we didn’t know any better, I kept notes in a moleskin bound journal; then came the iPhone. Now I stuff the cloud full of pics like these so that on a pick or a quest I know just what I need. I’m pretty old school, but it’s nice to have pictures as a reference.

Filson Waxed Cotton Jacket

Rick Fichter: This is my 25-year-old Filson waxed cotton pickin’ jacket. I ride in it. I go pickin’ in it. I live in it. It’s bulletproof and only gets better with age. It used to stand up on its own and was so stiff you could barely put it on. Now, after years and years of swap meets, road trips, motorcycle rides, laying in the back of the truck for months without wearing it, it’s taken on a life of its own. These jackets get better with age - just like me. Tough, rough, ragged and soft around the edges.

One of the tools of the trade that I carry with me is my handy Streamlight flashlight. They come at a pretty penny, around 200 bucks, but it’s well worth as the best lights for digging through dark empty space, especially with serial numbers and small etchings. I carry a vintage measuring tape and a hand-carved pocket knife I got up in Portland (ME), such a cool piece of history. And like Beaver Cleaver, my pockets are always full to keep me going through a long pick, not to mention the room for gears and gadgets and parts. 

Super B Score

Rick Fichter: On a trip to one of my faithful parts guy Tom, down in South Jersey, I was after parts for a vintage Super B Carb I had floating around. Tom’s a cool old biker who lives a simple life with a storage shed that’s a picker’s dream. When I got there, Tom pulled a steamer trunk from underneath his stash of like 15 Super Bs in all different states. I found three or four good ones, a couple of floats and bowls that I needed to rebuild mine and then I found a cool one with a velocity stack air cover from a vintage race bike that he used to run Super Bs on. I figured I could probably reuse it with a couple of modifications. “I’ll let your legend live on, Tom.” 

I got all of these for a sweet little price I couldn’t pass up, so now I have a whole hive of Super Bs to rebuild, or maybe who knows, already ready to go. I won’t know shit until I crack them open, but that’s another day. Kinda can’t wait, want to get busy now, but I've got to get the ’66 done. Man, my mind is racing, like I want to break away from the ’66 to get started on the ’74 (and don’t get me started on my new ’61!). I just know how bitchin’ the Super B looks on the bike. I mean, they’re a bitch to kickstart when they're cold, but that bike lore, man. The way it’s supposed to be.

Abstract Art

Obviously, form follows function, although today it seems as if we're all function without the form. That's not what 168 is about. Yesterday it was cool K-Mart (yes, K-Mart!) fog lights, today it's the abstract art shown here.

Rick Fichter: Like something out of Orwell's 1984, this "taillight" is the coolest find in ages. After a week of wracking my brain, I stumbled upon this beauty. Pictured is a vintage microphone that I will convert into a taillight similar to a lot of cool builds coming out of California, and a throwback to Cali custom shops in the 60s. The next step is to, using technology that will meet today's impossible requirements, mount the stoplight on the fender. Trying to think out of the box here, or maybe to throw away the box completely.

K-Mart Fog Lights

Rick Fichter; In the quest to dot all the i’s and cross the t’s, finding period correct cool headlights is always a challenge. I should say, finding the originals is easy; finding cool ones is hard. So, at the swap meet me and the Mrs., and my boy big ray went on a quest, a vision quest of sorts. Digging through boxes of automotive lights that won’t work, finding some great 6 volt ones that, without redoing the electrical config would be a royal pain in the ass, I was deep down looking for a good set of fog lights.

The bike gods had my back. Not only did I find these vintage K Mart fog lamps with this rad amber lens, (totally illegal, what they hay), but I was sweatin’ ‘em from the minute I saw them. “Uhh, how much for the tractor lights,” wanting to seem like I knew what I’d found. My number, 50 bucks tops. “How ‘bout twelve,” he says. I’m a pretty cool cuke on the outside. “Hmmm; take ten?”

“Sure Boss,” he says. Holy shit, a double-finsky. I pick up a few other parts for the dyna, 16 inch apes, don’t need them but 30 bucks brand new, a vintage hatchet 1800s blacksmith; count this day a success! Fuck yeah. 

And Leah Score Too! Got the Perfect Spot For It.

What's New on the Bike Scene

Couples Who Pick Together, Stick Together

As 168 seeks to grow its brand, we'd like to take our friends and readers along with us for the journey. We started this site a few weeks back in media res - the fancy way to say "in the middle" - but now we'd like to backtrack a bit. A lot has changed over the years: the small tattoo shop has evolved into a two-artist studio - and growing - we've added the bike shop, offset printing, silk screening, and expanded our vintage goods. It's a 24/7 life. 

168 is the lifelong journey of Rick and Leah Fichter and it's their constant creative energy that drives the business along. "A chopper builder's wife isn't always happy," Rick says, "but Leah is the heart and soul of what we do. Leah is Ride or Die. She gets pissed at times and has to bring me down off the ledge: 'You don't need it; you're not trading that; no way; forget it; case closed," but if it wasn't for that we'd have no business and wallow in an endless vintage sea. If it wasn't for Leah, I'd be out of control; she knows me better than I do. At times the problem is, she starts thinking like me; that's what happens after awhile, but then the realities set in and Leah's the one who takes it all on. She turns problems in challenges."

It's been nonstop the past year or so with the shop's expansion and now the bike shop is settling into its new digs. Here are some before and afters, yeah, we're getting there:

Check back with us everyday for updates, vintage goods, bike news and bullshit - it's what we do.

'66 Ironhead - Rick Fichter

Rick Fichter, the brainchild behind everything 168, from tattoos to antiques to bikes, had this to say about the decision to go with the upswept pipes: "We decided to go with a classic upsweep pipe set up.  Fabricating the second pipe through the frame was a vision that I had to mix it up, keeping the look and feel of the old choppers but adding a twist to it. Hunting down old fishtails, I found these extensions at Nick's Custom Cycles in Williamstown, New Jersey. Nick has everything you could ever want, you just need to find it without him charging you an arm and a leg. Nick and I are buds so I get to hunt around without him hovering over my shoulder. I found these in the old chicken coop and got them for a cool 25 bucks. Quite a score....  

"Then we cut up two sets of old Ironhead pipes to get the pie cuts and the bends we needed, and welded them together. Some sanding and pipe wrap and we were in business   It's a cool look, and pretty classic, and not many other bike out there have it.  The Ironhead, of course, has no battery and no big oil tank so it allows room for the pipes."