Modding an InkJecta...3.5mm Audio Connection

Following on from my previous post, my new InkJecta Rotary would need some "modding".


3.5mm Audio Plug to suit InkJecta Rotary
I've personally never liked the standard Clipcord or RCA connections for use on my own Machines, instead I use a 3.5mm Audio Connection.
The 3.5mm Plug provides a really firm, solid connection & that's why I've used it on all my Machines since 1989.

Unfortunately this style of Plug connection usually isn't available as an option when purchasing Machines.
That typically means you'll need to fit the 3.5mm Socket yourself...
...sometimes it's easy & sometimes it takes a bit more thought...

So having received my InkJecta Rotary from Chris Cashmore, I set about creating a clean & tidy way to adapt the 3.5mm Socket onto it.


So here's the final result.

3.5mm Socket all fitted & it almost looks like a standard option.

Machine Building 4...on the other hand

Although it's been quite some time since my last post, I've still been busy with building Machines.

Having completed everything related to the Dan Robinson Snr Tribute Machines, it was now time to get back onto completing the Batch 4 orders.
And amongst those orders there were several requests for Left Handed Machines.

It always pays to plan ahead:
From the very beginning, I'd deliberately designed my Frames so they could be built Right or Left Handed.
Designing everything in CAD with tangs to accurately locate components within each other makes assembly easier, but the real bonus is each component can now be the opposite way, making a Left Handed Frame.

So having already planned ahead for just such a request, I proceeded to make the "Jolly Lefties".
The following photos show some of these completed Jolly Leftie Machines.

These two Jolly Lefties were ordered as Thin Armature Liner & Magnum, both to suit 3.5mm Audio plug.

Another view of the Jolly Leftie Thin Armature Liner. 

Another view of the Jolly Leftie Thin Armature Magnum. 

And yet another Jolly Leftie Thin Armature Magnum, this one to suit Clip Cord.

Machine Building2...out they go!

I'd mentioned in a previous Blog post that I still had to build some "Aussie Old School" Machines.
Part of this included a 3.5mm Audio Socket & required a Bracket to suit these Jolly Frames.

Well here's those last two Machines, now all run-in & finished, ready to go off to their new homes.

Left to Right:
Thin Armature Liner with Rubber Block to suit a Straight Shaft Needle Bar...pure "Old School".
Heavy Armature Magnum with the standard Pin to suit Grommets or Nipples & Eyed Needle Bars.

Brett Stewart's Tattoo Museum

Back in April while attending the Rights of Passage Show, I managed to catch up with Brett Stewart who is well known for both his Tattoo Supply & Museum.

The Australian Museum section already has some of my very early built & modified Machines which were made for Beans in the late 80's.
With my return to Machine building again, Brett was most interested in obtaining some of my newer ones.


The Hugo Machines
Batch 1 Machines were named Hugo Machines, which saw the very first of that Batch, Machine #1, going off to Jimmy Whitlock's Luckys Tattoo Museum.
From that Batch, there was a grand total of 11 Machines built, the other 10 were documented on the Blog here.
The last numbered of those Hugo Machines was #11, known as the "Tester" with a set of Lucky Coils.

But what hasn't been documented until now, was that there were actually 13 Frames made in total...
Because I was a Jeweller & being that those Frames were all hand made, I played it safe & so made a couple of extras just in case there was a possibility of a "reject" Frame.
In fact there were two "rejects":

• One had a slight twist within the Frame which was only detected in the final stages & whilst trying to straighten this Frame, a weld cracked making it a reject. This Frame was completed & is stamped.

• One had a 1.5mm drill bit break whilst drilling a pilot hole, which couldn't be removed, thus making it a reject. Although this Frame never reached the point of completion, it has been stamped for Brett.

Although these two Frames aren't complete Machines, I'm guessing in some ways they could be of more importance to Brett's Australian Museum, as normally they'd just have been thrown out as scrap metal.


The Jolly Machines
Batch 2 Machines are the current design Frame & are named Jolly Machines.
This new style of Frame started out as a set of 4 x prototypes, with the very first of them being #12,
having followed on from the last numbered of the previous Hugo Machines.
I've decided to set up this #12 prototype Jolly Machine just like I'd have run it back in the 90's.

• Thin Armature 

• Rubber Block to hold a straight Needle Bar (no Eye Loop)

• 3.5mm Audio Socket & Plug to suit as the Clip Cord connection (Aussie Old School)

In some of the photos, you'll see that I still needed to make up the Bracket for the 3.5 Audio Socket to be attached, but otherwise everything else was done.
And just like with any other of my Machines, this will also be getting tuned & run-in.

Then the two Hugo Frames & this #12 Jolly Machine will be going off to Brett's Australian Tattoo Museum.

The two reject Hugo Frames.
The lower one has the broken drill bit within the Spring Landing.

Here the broken drill bit can be clearly seen in the Spring Landing.
It can also be seen that I did try drilling it out.

Side by side view of both the reject Fames showing their Spring Landings. 

The #12 Jolly Machine awaiting it's Bracket.

Each of the Frames is individually engraved by me, here the engraved #12 can be clearly seen.

Thin Armature, Rubber Block & a straight Needle Bar.

Another view of the #12 Jolly Machine.

The now completed  #12 Jolly Machine.

The complete #12 Jolly Machine showing the Bracket & 3.5mm Audio Socket.

Machine Building2...tune & run-in

Lots been happening & although it's been awhile since posting anything, I haven't been idol.


Are we there yet..are we there yet..?
At present, all 12 of the Batch 2 Jolly Machines are fully assembled, having been Soldered & Shimmed just like all of those Hugo Machines from Batch 1.

Ten of those Jolly Machines have already been fine tuned & are now currently being run-in by the
guys at Eternal Ink in Berwick.  (Please note the Studio name change!)

What about the other two..?
Those remaining two Jolly Machines require the "Aussie Old School" 3.5mm Audio connection instead of
the current standard spring style of Clip Cord.
This kind of "speciality item" has been mention previously in an earlier Blog post here.

Being that the Jolly Frames are a totally new Frame, I'd not had the opportunity to make any Brackets for this particular option, which meant I couldn't finalise their assembly for the tuning & run-in.
The design for the Bracket is simple enough, so I'll be making up a number of them this week.


So for those of you with Orders for Batch 2...expect an email from me within the coming weeks.