John Paul Bertrand has completed more than 416 tattoos in his nine years as a tattoo artist. But next week he'll attempt to do that many in just one day to break the world record for the most tattoos in a 24-hour period.

Bertrand and the crew of Key West Ink will begin tattooing locals and tourists for free starting at 2 p.m. Thursday in hopes of finding a place in the book of Guinness World Records.

"I told him he was crazy," Bertrand said of shop owner Jim McAlhany, who came up with the idea after watching a Texas tattoo artist break the record. The current record stands at 415.

"When I saw the record got broken last year, I thought, 'We could do this,'" McAlhany said. "With a lot of people coming with Fantasy Fest, I figured it would be a good time to do it."

Bertrand and McAlhany hope the event will put both Key West Ink and the city of Key West on the map.

"I just thought it was something that the city of Key West would be excited about," McAlhany said. "We fought so hard to get tattoos, and now we can do something good with it."

He was referring to a discrimination lawsuit he had filed against the city when its charter outlawed tattoo shops.

The city eventually amended the charter to allow only the two shops that had applied to operate on Duval Street; all new ones must be in the North Roosevelt Boulevard commercial corridor in New Town.

Although the shop isn't charging for the tattoos, it is giving any donated money to Helpline, Monroe County's 24-hour crisis intervention service. The shop also will auction the chance to be the last person to get a tattoo that day.

"They help everybody in the community, so they seemed like the best choice," McAlhany said of Helpline.

He estimates he'll need a crew of 50 to 60 volunteers to manage the crowd, get people prepped and keep the process flowing smoothly. Bertrand must complete a tattoo about every three minutes to stay on track for the record.

"We have the logistics down to make it quick," McAlhany said. "People will be pre-stenciled. Any spot on the body -- doesn't matter to us."

Bertrand has come up with several designs approved by the Guinness organization that people may choose from, including a conch shell, a "KW" for Key West, and a pink breast-cancer ribbon, among others. The rules state that each tattoo must measure at least 1.25-by-3 inches and include two colors.

"We're going to need a lot of help from the community," Bertrand said.

There is no restriction on the location of the tattoo, and people can get more than one tattoo, but special requests will not be honored.

"We're hoping a lot of people will be able to show up," McAlhany said. "There may be a line, but considering how small the tattoo is, the wait should not be long."

He encouraged locals to call or stop in to preregister for a time slot. The shop especially needs volunteers for the late-night hours when the line may dwindle.

"Because we only have 24 hours to attempt this, it's important to fill the time slots from the hours of 3 a.m. to 10 a.m.," he said. "We are pretty sure those will be the prime hours with the least amount of waiting time, and this would totally help us out if there's any night owls out there."

All people getting tattooed must be at least 18 years old, and proof of ID will be required.

Bertrand said he thinks the biggest challenge will be staying awake. He's hoping the adrenaline and energy of the crowd will keep him going, because he's not a coffee drinker.

"I have butterflies," admitted the father of four. "But I want to show [my kids] that if you want something in the world, you go and get it."

The current record is held by Oliver Peck of Texas, who set the record on July 13 by tattooing the number 13 on 415 people at his Dallas shop. Peck stole the record from his ex-wife, Kat Von D, of the popular TV show "LA Ink." She was able to tattoo 400 people with the logo of her show last December.

After the record-setting effort, Key West Ink's second annual tattoo contest will take place at 2 p.m. Friday during the Fantasy Fest Street Fair, on stage outside the shop.

For more information or to sign up, call Key West Ink at 305-292-1900.

amswary@keysnews.com