How do you line w a rotary?

fruitcanoe · 10 Feb 2022

Hello! Im untrained self taught tattooer about 2 years. Only recently I switched over to a coil set up after a frustrating experience trying to line w my pen, an axys valhalla. I love the machine because its supposed adjustable hard lining to the softest shading, but found it saturated so light but easy to blow out.
Does anyone feel this way about rotary pens? That they are built in a way that doesn't bounce off of the skin, they are consistent, but too easy to go deep and doesn't change w resistance. I could never find a voltage and throw comfortable for me to do one pass lines, unless my hand moved so slow, smoothness in lines was hard to achieve bc i was moving so slow. It made the smallest tattoos take forever
Do you find any difference lining w a coil vs a rotary? any difference how they heal and the smoothness? Anyone work w a valhalla?
Thankyou for any response or reading this, I just wanna improve myself, I love tattooing and am having trouble coming to a solution in my practicing

whippet · 10 Feb 2022

I have a Valhalla as my main machine, after years of jumping around between different set ups from standard coils to various give and no-give rotaries. The reality is, imo, is that if you want the relative ease of use of a pen-style machine without give, you need to work on your depth control to get it right…it takes time and patience. BTW I’m less comfortable packing colour with my Valhalla than I am with lining (now).

I did recently pick up a used Xion pen to provide give in the pen machine equation, and though that machine had to go back, I now plan to buy the same new….I really liked how it performed.

The best rotary I have for give function right now is a Stigma hyper 3, and I love it bar the faff of set up (a laughable statement given what we used to put up with). My worst rotaries are my Rotary Works ID liners, that for some reason I have found totally unforgiving.

Ultimately it’s swings and roundabouts. I love the hit of a coil liner and the security of the needle deceleration, but I don’t always feel in control of the machine. The pen machines are super smooth and consistent, but I’m consciously thinking about depth.

marked 4 life · 10 Feb 2022

I always liked coils and just could not line with rotaries, I tried a variety of direct drive, linear drive and hybrid machines using traditional needles as well as carts, they just didn’t work for me, as a last ditched attempt at rotary machines I purchased an artisan side shift (similar to a Kubin sidewinder) and that lines superb with anything from a 1003 rl to a loose 1218 rl, since switching to the side shift I haven’t used my coils at all.

For the last few years I’ve been using artisan direct drives for colour packing and shading, 3.5mm stroke for colour, 2.5mm for shading.

i said I would never buy a pen but I gave in before Christmas and purchased a Mast flip with adjustable stroke, it seems to work fine and packs colour really well but I don’t line with it, I don’t enjoy the faffing about wrapping it and even though it works well I think I prefer my direct drives.

fruitcanoe · 11 Feb 2022

whippet said:
I have a Valhalla as my main machine, after years of jumping around between different set ups from standard coils to various give and no-give rotaries. The reality is, imo, is that if you want the relative ease of use of a pen-style machine without give, you need to work on your depth control to get it right…it takes time and patience. BTW I’m less comfortable packing colour with my Valhalla than I am with lining (now).

I did recently pick up a used Xion pen to provide give in the pen machine equation, and though that machine had to go back, I now plan to buy the same new….I really liked how it performed.

The best rotary I have for give function right now is a Stigma hyper 3, and I love it bar the faff of set up (a laughable statement given what we used to put up with). My worst rotaries are my Rotary Works ID liners, that for some reason I have found totally unforgiving.

Ultimately it’s swings and roundabouts. I love the hit of a coil liner and the security of the needle deceleration, but I don’t always feel in control of the machine. The pen machines are super smooth and consistent, but I’m consciously thinking about depth.

hi! thanks for taking the time to respond
The only rotary I have worked w is the valhalla, wish there was a cheap way to test out different machines. But I think the pen is something i have yet to graduate up to. Once I feel very comfortable w my technique, i think ill revisit. I guess i was curious if it was just me feeling this way, or if it was more specific for the valhalla if there are other pens that do the trick. thanku much! cool to hear you use it as your main machine, gives me hope i can get there in the future

fruitcanoe · 11 Feb 2022

marked 4 life said:
I always liked coils and just could not line with rotaries, I tried a variety of direct drive, linear drive and hybrid machines using traditional needles as well as carts, they just didn’t work for me, as a last ditched attempt at rotary machines I purchased an artisan side shift (similar to a Kubin sidewinder) and that lines superb with anything from a 1003 rl to a loose 1218 rl, since switching to the side shift I haven’t used my coils at all.

For the last few years I’ve been using artisan direct drives for colour packing and shading, 3.5mm stroke for colour, 2.5mm for shading.

i said I would never buy a pen but I gave in before Christmas and purchased a Mast flip with adjustable stroke, it seems to work fine and packs colour really well but I don’t line with it, I don’t enjoy the faffing about wrapping it and even though it works well I think I prefer my direct drives.

thankyou for this! never heard of the side shift before thankyou hippin me to it. for right now, i really love how the coils work which makes me think something like a direct drive would be a good transition to something more consistent. def working towards getting one that is well worth it, this seems like a great option. with how pricey tat tools can be, i appreciate hearing your experience w certain machines

MalligaMallan · 11 Feb 2022

A while ago you, whippet, wrote a comment here on the forum about really minding the depth and going slowly when using rotaries. It's been said million times but the way you explained it that time, something clicked in me and it's been SUCH a help to me!!!! I've been struggling for about 2 years with my machine but now it works GREAT!! I'm so happy

whippet · 12 Feb 2022

MalligaMallan said:
A while ago you, whippet, wrote a comment here on the forum about really minding the depth and going slowly when using rotaries. It's been said million times but the way you explained it that time, something clicked in me and it's been SUCH a help to me!!!! I've been struggling for about 2 years with my machine but now it works GREAT!! I'm so happy

oj! Tack for din kommentar

How do you line w a rotary?

fruitcanoe

whippet

marked 4 life

fruitcanoe

fruitcanoe

MalligaMallan

whippet

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