Machine Building...comparing the "Testers"

I mentioned at the end of my last post...

"It'll be very interesting to directly compare just how close the two Machines fitted with Lucky Coils will run."

Well, I asked Justin from Eternal Ink to run some direct comparisons between both Machines...
...the Hugo Lucky Coil Tester & the new Lucky Coil Tester.

The two Thin Armature Machines that are fitted with Lucky Coils, sitting side by side.

Justin has run the Hugo Lucky Coil Tester for quite some time now & is really impressed with it...
Check out some of Justin's work using the "Hugo" Liner here & also here.
He's so impressed with this Thin Armature Machine that he hates having to give it back to me!

So what was the verdict from Justin of this new Lucky Coil Tester..?
..."It's pretty close, you can hardly tell any difference between them."

With that confirmation from Justin, I'll now move onto building all the new Orders using this Frame style.

The Hugo Lucky Coil Tester

The new Lucky Coil Tester

Machine Building...new phase "Testers"

Lots been happening, so my apologies in advance for this being such a looong post.

Continuing with the new phase:
I've been working on those new smarter Fames so that I can get them up & running as a set of "Testers".
I figured that 4 x Frames should be enough to test & make sure that everything goes together & works well.

Choose any color, as long as it's Black:
I also decided to try out a new coating using these particular Frames...it's a Black Oxide finish.
This Black Oxide is a special treatment that only colors ferrous metals, in this case the steel Frames.
And all the welded seams show up as gold because I'm using Bronze, which is a non-ferrous metal.

The Testers will then go to Eternal Ink to be used daily & confirm that everything works as expected.
Once proven, this new style Frame will then replace those earlier "Hugo" Frames that I was making.

And all going well, this new Black Oxide will also replace that Clear coating used previously.

Here's a collection of photos showing the progression of these new Frames into Machines & into Testers.

Frames welded & now awaiting their Quickchanges

Frames fitted with Quickchanges & the new Black Oxide finish

Close up of Frame with Black Oxide finish & the Bronze weld seams

Next the assembly is started, Coils fitted & awaiting wiring

This Frame fitted with a set of Lucky Coils

Coils wired, Capacitors fitted & everything soldered

This Frame fitted with a set of Lucky Coils

Springs & Armatures for 3 x Frames

A special Tester, a Thin Armature Magnum...real Aussie Old School

This Tester, a Big Needle Liner

This Tester with the Lucky Coils, a Thin Armature Liner to directly compare against this one

There's still a bit of work to do on these Testers...one still needs a set of Springs made for it & then they'll each require some shimming & tuning.
It'll be very interesting to directly compare just how close the two Machines fitted with Lucky Coils will run.

Old Tattoo Video...Signatures of the Soul

I follow a number of Tattoo related Blogs...TAM (Tattoo Artists Magazine) is one of them.
TAM just posted about an old video documentary from 1984 called Signatures of the Soul.


From an old Aussie Tattoo Artist perspective:
By 1984, most Aussies had a variety of US Tattoo Magazines available on our local Newsagents shelves.
As young Tattoo Artists, we were all hungry to see what was the latest trends coming out of the States.
All too often, these US Magazines had the same collection of photos of pretty much the same stuff.

So when this video Signatures of the Soul came along, it was a treasure trove of wonderful new ideas for us.
It also had interviews with all those big named Tattoo Artists we'd been constantly reading about.
Most importantly, it had great info about ALL the (then) current styles we were wanting to do or just seeing.
I still have a copy of this (VHS) video & have often wanted access to an updated digital version to watch.

Thanks to NZ On Screen, now everyone can freely watch the full length video.
http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/signatures-of-the-soul-tattooing-today-1984

Machine Building...a new phase

While I was hand making all those Frames for Batch 1, an old saying kept constantly repeating in my head...
..."work smarter, not harder"..."work smarter, not harder"...

As much as I enjoy building all those hand made Frames, it's hard work, with each taking over 1 day to complete.
To continue building them this way isn't a viable option, which means I definitely need to work a lot smarter!
My dilemma was to find a smarter way of building Frames that still allowed me the ability to hand make.

Back in 2005, whilst still working as a Jeweller, I decided to venture into the world of CAD/CAM.
I'm pretty much self-taught at doing CAD & my preference is using a program called MoI.
So I started playing around with various Frame ideas in MoI, searching for a possible CAD solution.

Frames made with a Side Plate are the logical starting point & the Paul Rogers "J" Frame is a classic.
So I started modelling how the various sections would fit together using a modified Rogers "J" style design.
Once I had everything looking right, it was time to have the various sections cut in steel using a Laser.

3D view of the new Frame created & modelled using MoI

Here's a quick "photo realistic" render of the CAD model using V-Ray

The following photos show the various stages of the new "smarter" Frame & how I'm still hand making them.

Rights Of Passage 2012...Update

Important Update:
For those following this Blog, I'm sad to report that Eternal Ink will not be attending this years ROP.
This of course means they wont be requiring my assistance with manning the Booth...
...unfortunately this also means I wont be there with those original prototype Machines.

My sincere apologies to anyone that was hoping to catch up with me at the Booth.

I still intend going in on the Sunday to catch up with those Tattoo Artists attending from interstate, that bought some of the Machines from Batch 1.

Rights Of Passage 2012

There's another Tattoo Convention coming to Melbourne in late April called Rights Of Passage.
By all accounts it's sounding like it'll be a great event to attend.
The days, dates & times are:

• Friday      27th April   1.00pm - 10.00pm 
• Saturday  28th April  12.00pm - 10.00pm
• Sunday    29th April  12.00pm - 7.00pm

The guys at Eternal Ink have organised a Booth at ROP & so they'll be tattooing there.
I'll be at their Booth on the Friday to help with the manning of it & again on Sunday for a few hours.
I'll have my original prototype Machines there for anyone that's interested in seeing them close up.
A number of the Tattoo Artist that have purchased my Machines have informed me they'll also be attending.

Machines for 2012...tune & run-in

All of these Machines are now ready for their final stage...the fine tuning & the running in.

My preferred way of tuning & running-in:
As previous mentioned with the Luckys Museum "Hugo" Machine, I have my own preferred way for testing & tuning Machines.

All of the running-in for these Machines is very kindly being done by the guys at Eternal Ink in Berwick, so once again I give a really Big Thanks to them.

Currently the aim is to get a minimum of 5 Hrs of "tattooing time" clocked up on each individual Machine.
A number of different Needle patterns will be used, so as to put each of the Machines through it's paces.
They'll also be applied to a variety of different work styles, including Tribal, Solid Color, Realistic Black / Wash.

With this batch of Machines containing Orders for both Liners & Magnums, it has allowed the guys the option of using 1 x large Tattoo to be able to run-in  2 x Machines.

This has resulted in several Machines having already clocked up a good number of Hrs & so they'll shortly be off to their "new homes".