Time Bomb Tattoos & Curiosities

I’ve had two tattoos done here in the last two weeks and my wife had hers done here last night. Captain Gordon and Brad did our tattoos and we couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. They were both very patient and made the whole experience awesome. Ava was super helpful and accommodating. This place is awesome and we are planning on returning very soon!

When my friend was hunting for a tattoo artist in October for a rib piece, the attitudes of the people in Classic Electric and Black Label were a real turn-​off. By chance, we spotted Time Bomb, gave them a shot, and she got a gorgeous piece for a wicked reasonable price on a difficult area.
Fast forward a few months, and after surviving two months of nearly dying, I was given some money by friends to go ink my courage and determination on my skin. So I went to Time Bomb. Colin, my artist, was incredible polite, friendly, and calm. He worked with me to get the placement just right, listened to my nattering about the history of the 18^th century scribal hand I’d chosen for my Hamilton tattoo (because not only am I a music nerd, I’m a PhD student, which means I’m incapable of talking about normal things), and talked me through the process. The end result is stunning. The ink is crisp, the placement is perfect, and I am in love with the whole experience. He charged $ 125 an hour, and for that price, I have an amazing piece of art on my skin to testify to my survival and my will to carry on. The whole staff is fantastic; they don’t try to upsell you on after care supplies, and they really work with you to make sure you walk out of the shop with exactly the art you want on your body. As a queer woman with disabilities, I never felt out of place. Everyone was kind, considerate, warm, and welcoming. Don’t let the weird décor fool you. This is like getting a tattoo done by a friend who has been waiting to make a beautiful mark on your life. I’ll be returning for my next piece, no question about it.

I’ve gotten several tattoos from timebomb, the previous one being many years ago. today I got a very simple piece done and I must say that Miranda did a fantastic job. Great staff and great all around atmosphere. I don’t know when I’ll get my next tattoo but it’ll definitely be done at timebomb.

picked this shopped based on the great reviews I saw previously to have my nose piercing done and the staff did not disappoint! Very friendly staff and most importantly… A very clean and professional environment!

I’ve had two tattoos by Sarah at Time Bomb and both experiences have been fantastic. The last piece I had done was custom and Sarah did a fantastic job of creating the piece, which far exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend this shop — it’s clean, everyone is super friendly, and the work is outstanding!

Colin did an amazing job covering up a tattoo for me. He did exactly what I wanted and you can’t tell my old tattoo existed. I would definitely go back!

Hands down the cleanest shop, friendliest staff, and the best work you will find in the area. Always happy to see you, and explain how everything works so you are as comfortable as possible! I have gotten three tattoos done by Colin. I would be loath to go anywhere else.

4 of us made appoibtments for tattoos with Colin! The experience was awesome from the appointment making to the tattoo to Colin’s amazing attitude! I will definitely recommend Time Bomb going forward! Such a great experience and extremely reasonable!

I visited Sarah at Time Bomb Tattoos to have a celtic dog of war tattooed on my forearm. Sarah was awesome. The pain level was very manageable. The shop is exceptionally well maintained. The artists are very friendly. I would definitely recommend them to anyone who wants to be tattooed.

Went to Collin to get a cover up colored in… amazing! So happy with the tattoo and I love the location in downtown Frederick. I’ve been looking for a new place for a few years now and I’ve found it! I’ll definitely be back for more tattoos from Time Bomb!

First time getting pierced and was a wonderful experience. Defiantly will come back for more work. Great job Gordon and thank you

My two best friends and I originally walked into Classic Electric Tattoo, but promptly left due to the employees’ bad attitudes. We walked across the street to Time Bomb on a recommendation from another lady in the waiting room at CE, and I am so happy we did!
We were greeted with a smile by Ava, and everyone there seemed genuinely happy to be there. The shop itself was filled with fabulous steampunk and sideshow curiosities, which were fun to window shop at while we waited.
My two friends got their first ever tattoos with Brad, who was polite and professional, he did an amazing job with both of their pieces!
I got a unicorn side piece from Collin, who was an absolute delight! The tattoo was not my first, but it was definitely my biggest to date, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. He put me at ease from the get go, and was funny, sweet, and very talented (and «ruggedy handsome for a beardless lumberjack», which he insisted I include: P). I could not be happier with the result!!! And on top of that, everything was super reasonably priced!
I DEFINITELY recommend this shop for all of your tattooing needs! I could not have asked for a better experience for me and my friends!!! We’ll definitely be coming back!!!

Great tattoo shop, all the artist are on point! Place is very nice and clean, with some very interesting oddities!

Brad pierced my nostril and cartilage yesterday and it was a wonderful experience. The shop is clean, instructions were clear and all questions were asked and I was not made to feel silly or stupid for not knowing! I’d take my children there if they had the inclination. Highly recommended.

I was in this past weekend to get my first tattoo! Collin did a great job! Very clean shop. Very professional. Will definitely go back if I decide to get another.

Yesterday I received two tattoos from Gordon. I brought my friends and one of them got a beautiful tattoo on her hand. After, we went for coffee and discussed Gordon’s work. He’s the owner of Time Bomb and has been a tattoo artist for years. Both my friends are artists but in different mediums and we agreed that Gordon is an artist first. Anyone can draw tattoos, but the really good tattoos are from artists who understand their medium and think about what you want. Then they follow through and the result looks better than what you thought you wanted. That would be Gordon. Even if you don’t want a tattoo you should check out the shop because it’s eclectic with jewelry and art that I haven’t seen anywhere else and I like different. I love my tattoos and if I get one again this is where I will go.

Amazing work, personable staff, and superb professionalism. The artists have a loyal following and it’s very evident why. The curiosity shop bits really are interesting and quite unique. Love the look and feel of the new location!

I got my last tattoo about 8.5−9 years ago and just got a tattoo done here yesterday. The place is clean, organized, etc and the staff is very professional. Brad did my art and I am impressed. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted and he worked with me to achieve it. I would definitely go back and definitely recommend this place to others!

I’ve gotten 3 tattoos by Gordon himself and I love the quality of work from everyone in this establishment

Time Bomb is the only place I would go to get work done. Gordon and his staff are professional, friendly and always accomodating. I have had all of my work done there and have never been disappointed. If you are looking for a place to get excellent custom work done with artists that will work with you on our designs and be honest with you when they think you may need to modify your design or perhaps go in a different direction these are the guys to see. They really care about their clients and are more concerned about your experience and satisfaction than making a profit from putting ink in your skin. I have referred many friends and relatives to these guys over the years. I am looking forward to continuing to add to my collection of body art with these guys.

I get all my tattoo work done by Sarah. She’s a amazing artist and person. She takes the time to get to know you and get a feel for what kind of tattoo you want. She’s is the most talented person I know. Everyone at the shop is supper friendly, they go out of there way to make you feel comfortable. If your looking for a amazing tattoo shop that’s clean and friendly then go see Sarah. She’s awesome.

After a close friend passed away I wanted to get a tattoo in memory of him. I found a picture of a candle and the smoke that comes from the candle forms a dove. It was beautiful and… perfect. So I went to Classic Electric (I have had some work don’t here before. Nothing elaborate, just a little script) and they told me it couldn’t be done. They explained that there were no definite lines and suggested picking another bird. So, I left there and drove straight over to Black Label. Even though I had never been, I read good reviews on here so I went. They told me the same thing. They said it wouldn’t translate well and over time it would fade and I would be disappointed. They also suggested picking out something else. I left there feeling defeated so I called my girlfriend on the west coast who is married to a tattoo artist and she told me to keep looking. She said someone can do it, I just had to find them. So, I decided to ask around. I was referred to Gordon at Time Bomb Tattooing. I emailed him a picture and within a few hours he called me back. He said it would be tricky but it could be done. After 4 hours in the chair, its not finished but it still looks amazing. It looked so good that I went in yesterday and spent another four hours starting another one. He really is an amazing artist, I don’t know why he hasn’t received more reviews. He did what other said couldn’t be done and he did an incredible job.
I’ve spent now 8 hours watching the lady who works there tattoo and she is good too. They are both very friendly and personable. The atmosphere is great. Also, I have been trained in sanitation of the tattooing process and they followed all of the guidelines. The shop is clean, what more could you want? 5 stars all the way!!!

When you walk into Time Bomb, the first thing you notice is that it is clean, neat, organized; the second thing you notice is that it is obviously inhabited by artists who are more than just scratchers — there are paintings on the wall, sculptured show cases, and other little touches around that let you know that they are talented artists in more than one medium.
I have been going here for years, and have gotten six piercings and four tattoos here. All of my tattoo work has been with the owner, Captain Gordon Staub, who has been in the business for a long time and is a master at old school, new school, portraits (that actually look like the picture!), photo realism, and especially tattoos that have spiritual meaning. He is a master of color; I have a tattoo from him that is about seven years old and I *still* get comments from ink lovers and other tattoo artists about the brightness and clarity of the color. I’ve seen him do some brilliant black and white shading work, as well.
One thing I like about the shop’s set up is that it is clear from when you walk in the door that they’re not looking for the kind of customer who just picks some flash art off the wall and gets it on their body — that is, the kind of person for whom getting a tattoo is more of something to be achieved, rather than a process. Instead, I have worked with the artists there to bring ideas in my head into fruition (and I can’t draw to save my life). I just brought images of art and other tattoos that had elements of what I wanted (I want it to be on this part of my body, but with the color scheme of this one, and instead of flowers I want stars, etc.) It’s important to remember, however, that if you want an artist to spend time drawing your concept into reality for you, that you consider the time it took when you go to pay — although they don’t charge you for it directly, it’s always good to tip well remembering that time and attention they took.
My piercings have been done by several of the staff, including Gordon and Moose, who are both OSHA certified in bloodborne pathogen safety, so you can be assured that not only has everything been autoclaved, but that they are conscious of the whole process and making sure you get a healthy and safe piercing. The only troublesome piercings I’ve had from here were from an artist who no longer works there; all of the rest have healed perfectly and are still on my body years later.
If that isn’t enough, they also have a small selection of body jewelry for all sorts of piercings, including jewelry in larger gauges. If you’re looking for some beautiful wood or stone plugs, or decorative pieces to wear in larger holes, I definitely suggest you pop in and take a look.
And we’re still not done! If you’ve ever been interested in hook suspension, Gordon and Moose have a suspension team that they work with outside of the shop. Don’t be afraid to call them up or stop by and ask them about the next time they’ll be offering suspensions or pulls.
To say I highly recommend them would be an understatement. Once I let Gordon touch a tattoo machine to my skin, I instinctively knew that if I went anywhere else I would feel like I was cheating on him, and with someone of lesser quality and cleanliness. There is absolutely no reason to go anywhere else, not just in Frederick but anywhere in the DC/​Baltimore area. Yes, they can be a little more pricey, but what you get for that money is years of experience, a breadth of styles, attention to what *you* want (not just in a design, but they actively want to know why you chose what you did and what it means to you) and top notch cleanliness and professionalism. If your tattoo has spiritual or emotional significance, don’t be afraid to tell them, as that is one of their specialties. Gordon proudly displays his certificate from studying with Fakir Musafar, and if you don’t know who that is, give him a Google so you can be impressed.

A great, clean establishment with chill, understanding, and diligent staff. I had both a monroe piercing and a tattoo done here with zero regrets about 5 years ago.

I highly recommend Capt. Gordon Staub as a tattoo artist. He has done all 9 of my tattoos, and each is distinctively great. Even though Timebomb is 150 miles away, it’s worth the trip to get the ink done.

I haven’t had a tattoo done here, nor a piercing. However I love their selection of body jewelry. I have gauged ear piercings (00 gauge), and I have a hard time finding cool gauges, especially ones that aren’t online. Timebomb has at least 100 different styles, and in all different sizes. They didn’t have many in my size, but some of the others were so awesome that I would be willing to stretch up or down a size just so I could wear them. My favorite was a pair of carved wood Chinese Dragon gauges, and I wish they carried them in more than one size. The people who worked there were friendly and eager to help. Overall a good experience.