If you have made it to Sparkling Skylands and found yourself staring blankly at a Lift Platform recipe with no idea where Tinkagears come from, you are not alone. This is one of those materials that the game does not explain very well, and unlike most resources in Pokemon Pokopia, you genuinely cannot craft it at a Workbench or find it lying around. Everything runs through Tinkmaster, and getting to her takes a bit of work. Here is the full picture so you can stop guessing and get back to building.
What Even Is Tinkagear in Pokemon Pokopia?
Tinkagear is a late-game crafting material that shows up in some of the most important construction recipes in Sparkling Skylands. The key thing to know upfront is that you cannot craft Tinkagears yourself. Tinkmaster (Tinkaton) is the only source, and she will not start producing them for you until you have worked through her initial quest first. Think of her less like a shop and more like a specialist you need to impress before she starts helping you out.
How to Unlock Tinkmaster and Get Your First Tinkagears
Work through these steps in order. Each one leads into the next, and jumping ahead is the most common reason players get stuck even when they feel like they have done everything right.
Step 1: Get to Sparkling Skylands
You need to complete the main story in the three prior regions before the gates open. That means reaching Kyogre’s appearance in Withered Wasteland, Raikou’s appearance in Bleak Beach, and Volcanion’s appearance in Rocky Ridges. Once those are done, you hit Ultra Trainer Rank and the entry gates into Sparkling Skylands open up. Professor Tangrowth usually tags along with you as you arrive.
Step 2: Hit Environment Level 3 and Rebuild the Pokemon Center
Do not get so caught up in exploring that you skip this. Get the area’s Environment Level up to 3 as soon as you can, which unlocks the “Rebuild the Pokemon Center” Important Request. Head to the Shop, pick up the Pokemon Center Rebuilding Kit for around 1,000 Life Coins, gather the required materials and helpers, and get it built. This step runs alongside the Tinkmaster quest, so the sooner you start it, the better.
Step 3: Learn to Glide
You cannot reach Tinkmaster without the Glide ability, and you get that from Dragonite. Set up a Waterside Dinghy habitat to attract Dragonite to the area. Once Dragonite shows up, it teaches you Glide, which opens up the floating islands for exploration.
Step 4: Climb the Tower and Find Tinkmaster
Glide over to the floating island east of the Pokemon Center island and look for the tall tower built from compacted garbage cubes. Climb it using the stairs and ladder. If any ladder pieces are missing along the way, fill them in before you try to go higher. A cutscene kicks off at the top, and that is where Tinkmaster (Tinkaton) makes her appearance.
Step 5: Complete Her Initial Request
This is the step that unlocks everything, so take your time with it. Tinkmaster has two asks before she will start converting Iron Ingots for you:
- 6 Concrete: You need Conkeldurr for this, so set up a Construction Site Generator habitat to attract her. Conkeldurr hands you the Concrete Mixer recipe, which costs 2 Iron Ingots to craft. Place it near water, add Limestone, and Conkeldurr will operate it to produce your Concrete.
- 1 Iron Ingot: Once you bring the Concrete, she then asks for one Iron Ingot. Make sure it is a smelted Iron Ingot and not raw Iron Ore. A lot of players hand over Ore or Concrete at this point and wonder why nothing happens.
Once both are delivered, Tinkmaster processes the ingot and gives you your first batch of Tinkagears, which is enough to get your first Lift Platform built.
Step 6: Build the Lift Platform and Escort Her Back
With your starter Tinkagears in hand, head to a Workbench and craft the Lift Platform (5 Iron Ingots + 5 Concrete + 1 Tinkagear). Place it correctly with the arm facing forward so the cable connects properly, then use it to escort Tinkmaster back to the main Pokemon Center area. Once you get her there, a yellow speech bubble appears above her. Talk to her at that point to officially receive the Lift Platform recipe, then find Professor Tangrowth and speak to him with Tinkmaster present to push the main story forward.
Step 7: Unlock Ongoing Production
After the escort and some further story progress toward the Skyland Building, head back to Tinkmaster. She will now be hanging around the Pokemon Center or the Huge Building area. Walk up to her, select the “Look at this” dialogue option, choose Iron Ingots from your inventory, and pick how many you want to hand over. She takes them and gets to work. You do not need to stand there and watch, so go off and do other things while she processes them.
The Exchange Rate Once You Are Up and Running
Once production is flowing properly, the rate is simple:
1 Iron Ingot = 3 Tinkagears
Most players hand over 4 ingots at a time for 12 Tinkagears per batch, which works without issue. Come back after she finishes and hand in more whenever you need to top up your supply. There is no other way to get Tinkagears in the game, so Iron Ingots are the only thing you need to keep farming.
Watch out for this: A lot of players try handing Tinkmaster raw Iron Ore or Concrete and get nothing back. She only accepts smelted Iron Ingots. Pop your Ore into a Smelting Furnace first and save yourself the frustration.
Everything You Can Craft With Tinkagears
| Item | Tinkagears Needed | Other Materials |
| Lift Platform | 1x Tinkagear | 5x Iron Ingot, 5x Concrete |
| Elevator Platform | 2x Tinkagear | 8x Glass, 8x Concrete |
| Metallic Smelting Furnace | 3x Tinkagear | 10x Iron Ingot, 3x Pokemetal |
| Team Initiation Challenge 5 | 5x Tinkagear | Also needs 50 Electricity + 10 Crystal Fragments |
The Lift Platform is always the first one you will build since the main story requires it. However, keep in mind that Challenge 5 of the Team Initiation Challenge needs 5 Tinkagears on top of everything else, so do not burn through your entire stock on construction and leave yourself short. Tinkagears also crop up in various other late-game Sparkling Skylands rebuilding projects, so producing them in bulk once Tinkmaster is fully available is always the right call.
Recruiting Tinkmaster as a Helper
Here is something a lot of players miss entirely. Tinkmaster is not just your Tinkagear supplier. She is a recruitable Pokemon with an Engineer specialty, and having her assigned to building projects dramatically cuts down construction times, bringing a full-day rebuild down to roughly one hour.
To recruit her, build an Oversized Dumping Ground habitat in Sparkling Skylands, which unlocks at higher Environment Levels. The recipe is 1 Microwave Oven, 1 Waste Bin, 1 Tires, and 3 Iron Beams. Get her settled in there and she becomes one of the most useful Pokemon you can have working for you in the late game.
Keeping Your Iron Ingot Supply Healthy
Since Iron Ingots are the only thing that feeds into Tinkagear production, running low on them is the main bottleneck to watch out for. Here is how to stay ahead of it:
- Mine Iron Ore from the tunnels and mines in Rocky Ridges and Sparkling Skylands
- Smelt it into Ingots at a Smelting Furnace. The basic furnace recipe is 4x Stone + 4x Iron Ore, and you need a Burn-type Pokemon like Torchic or Magmar to run it
- Run multiple Smelting Furnaces at once so you are not waiting around for one batch at a time
- Attract Engineer-trait Pokemon to your habitats to help boost ore output passively
- Once your Tinkagear supply is comfortable, upgrade to the Metallic Smelting Furnace (3x Tinkagear + 10x Iron Ingot + 3x Pokemetal) for noticeably faster and more efficient smelting
One thing worth keeping in mind is that Iron Ingots are also a big requirement for the Rebuild the Huge Building! floors in Sparkling Skylands, so always smelt more than you think you need. Running short mid-build is one of the most avoidable slowdowns in the late game.
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