The very act of being tattooed was an act of bravado. Application techniques ran from the brutal to the developed. The worst method involved using nails arranged in a crude pattern dipped in ink made from soot and burnt boot heels mixed with blood or urine. It wasn't uncommon for inmates to die of poisoning. More artistic tattoos were created using customised electric razors. Tattooing in prison was not legal, and inmates could have them forcibly removed. In his book Prison Diaries, Edward Kuzetsov tells the story of an inmate who had 'Slave of the USSR' tattooed across his forehead. This was forcibly removed leaving his skin tightly stretched over his skull. Defiant, he had another tattoo applied. This also was removed. Again he had a tattoo applied. Again it was removed leaving his skin so tight he could not close his eyes so earning him the nickname 'The Stare'.
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