Rotary Machine Setup
- Starter con
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I think on a rotary you just turn the voltage down lad, could be more to it than that though as im going to go rotary
custard is right, turn down the voltage, unless you have a rotary that has switchable settings on it [some do] they have stroke excenters each one is geared for lining shading or packing giving you different stroke lenghths. mine doesn't so I just turn the v's down for shading and up for lining.[h=1][/h]
i use nothing but rotaries and getting the voltage right is important but also be very careful you don't run the machine to fast, it does take some practice, i did a full tattoo on myself so that i could get used to using it and really it is much better to do that than using rubber or pig skin, rotaries hit much harder and their is not the same give as in a coil machine, I run mine at 8v-9v for lining but for shading and colour it can be very different depending on the persons skin and where the tattoo is.
Hi con,
It really all depends on what rotary you've got, is it a standard arm bar rotary? ie. like a stealth, or is it a rotary with give? Generally a stealth type you would use the smallest bearing for lining, medium for shading and longest for packing, with a machine with give you would lower the give for lining, although not totally, give is underestimated in lining, depending on the area it helps with depth control, medium for packing at a slower speed, and fast and a lot of give for shading. What type of rotary is it?
A lot of pros wont entertain lining with a rotary, it doesn't translate well from practise mediums to real live skin, there are a lot of theories about this, I wont bore you with the details!!, but like most things in tattooing there is no right and wrong to a certain degree, it's very individualistic, one man's poison is another man's medicine. I wouldn't be too hasty to throw away my coil liner if I was you. I haven't tried all rotaries obviously, but if you want one that is a great all rounder, check out Rotary Works on facebook, the guy who hand builds them, Dale is a top bloke, the brass springer model does just about everything, it has the weight needed for lining without being too heavy, and you get three different gauge springs, which in turn can be adjusted with the top screw, basically you can go from tattooing concrete to barely bending an angels eyelash. Check out Rotary Works Reviews on google and you'll see what I mean, some old school die hard coil users have been converted.
Edit, sorry never seen your second post until after I'd posted, just ignore the first paragraph!!
It really all depends on what rotary you've got, is it a standard arm bar rotary? ie. like a stealth, or is it a rotary with give? Generally a stealth type you would use the smallest bearing for lining, medium for shading and longest for packing, with a machine with give you would lower the give for lining, although not totally, give is underestimated in lining, depending on the area it helps with depth control, medium for packing at a slower speed, and fast and a lot of give for shading. What type of rotary is it?
A lot of pros wont entertain lining with a rotary, it doesn't translate well from practise mediums to real live skin, there are a lot of theories about this, I wont bore you with the details!!, but like most things in tattooing there is no right and wrong to a certain degree, it's very individualistic, one man's poison is another man's medicine. I wouldn't be too hasty to throw away my coil liner if I was you. I haven't tried all rotaries obviously, but if you want one that is a great all rounder, check out Rotary Works on facebook, the guy who hand builds them, Dale is a top bloke, the brass springer model does just about everything, it has the weight needed for lining without being too heavy, and you get three different gauge springs, which in turn can be adjusted with the top screw, basically you can go from tattooing concrete to barely bending an angels eyelash. Check out Rotary Works Reviews on google and you'll see what I mean, some old school die hard coil users have been converted.
Edit, sorry never seen your second post until after I'd posted, just ignore the first paragraph!!
con
Basic
- Joined
- 3 Sep 2012
- Messages
- 7
- First Name
- connie
- Starter
- #9
agree with you there, i always use the top of my leg for practice as i find it alot easier to get a feel for the machine than doing it on pig skin, so ill start with a low voltage and gradualy increase till it feels right, what would u recomend as a starting v?
Hi con,
Trust me on this one, if it's a knock off dragonfly...... check that there is an actual give system on your machine, some of the knockoffs give systems don't actually do anything, it's just there for cosmetic reasons to look like the original, run your machine at about 10v unloaded, and rotate the top adjuster screw anti clockwise, if you put your thumb under the nipple it should start to back up the more you loosen off the adjuster, if that happens good, now pull the adjuster screw right off and underneath there is a smaller pin like screw that fitted into the one you pulled off, unscrew it, pull out the spring and cut it about 1/4 to 1/5 way down, replace the shortened spring after stretching it out a bit, and put it all back together. Now try it, the give will be much better, the spring gauge is too strong initially, it will give, but not enough, and by doing this it will run a lot better, I promise!!
PS If it's a real dragonfly, please God ignore everything I've just told you! :icon_razz:
Trust me on this one, if it's a knock off dragonfly...... check that there is an actual give system on your machine, some of the knockoffs give systems don't actually do anything, it's just there for cosmetic reasons to look like the original, run your machine at about 10v unloaded, and rotate the top adjuster screw anti clockwise, if you put your thumb under the nipple it should start to back up the more you loosen off the adjuster, if that happens good, now pull the adjuster screw right off and underneath there is a smaller pin like screw that fitted into the one you pulled off, unscrew it, pull out the spring and cut it about 1/4 to 1/5 way down, replace the shortened spring after stretching it out a bit, and put it all back together. Now try it, the give will be much better, the spring gauge is too strong initially, it will give, but not enough, and by doing this it will run a lot better, I promise!!
PS If it's a real dragonfly, please God ignore everything I've just told you! :icon_razz:
con
Basic
- Joined
- 3 Sep 2012
- Messages
- 7
- First Name
- connie
- Starter
- #13
hey, will check that out thanks! am having to get rid of my coil machine as its not working right (keeps stopping and the contact screw unscrews its self whilst its going so the needle depth is constantly having to be re-adjusted, also the amature bar moves side to side instead of up and down, have tried taking it all apart and retuning but cant seem to get it fixed.) i will try out the rotary and if i dont lke it for lining may get a new coil liner and mix and match! do like the coils but thought id try something new :icon_mrgreen:
Yeah, I know a lot of them don't work at all, there are so many out there, some of them work, but just not well enough.
con
Basic
- Joined
- 3 Sep 2012
- Messages
- 7
- First Name
- connie
- Starter
- #15
hey, its a real drangonfly, have learnt my lesson with knockoffs after the cheap chinease coil machine i brought last time (the one i just messaged about), would be intresting to try this though and c the diffrence (not with my real dragonfly obv :icon_lol: )
but saying that steve u can get a kit i think its about *£9 that will convert so that it will work have a look any wayhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DRAGON-FL...1793586100334531101&pid=100033&prg=1032&rk=1&
Hi, I could tell you to try new springs, get better coils, check your frame geometry.... etc. etc. etc. and by the time you'g gotten all the hardware, and read all the tuning pdfs, you be down time and more money than this suggestion, look up these machines, Hoodlum, the walker liner is a great little machine for roughly *£40, Steve who makes them will tune it before dispatch with all the details on a guarantee card, his returns policy and customer service are second to none. Check them out on ebay or here is a link to his site, http://www.tattzoo.co.uk/products.asp
PS I'm not a sales rep for these guys, they are just good machine builders, and don't take the piss with the prices. :icon_razz:
Dude, I have that very kit in my drawer, I got it from the same guy, just the other thing was a nice easy way of doing it quick, agree with you though, this is a good little upgrade package. I use the firefly from New Image, *£100+vat on offer, if the original dragonfly is 4x better, it is one awesome piece of kit.
Hi there ,
On my Germany Evolution i used following Volts . Lining around 5,5 V and coloring around 4,5 to 5 v , depending on what needle is in use.
On my Germany Evolution i used following Volts . Lining around 5,5 V and coloring around 4,5 to 5 v , depending on what needle is in use.
hey connie,
first thing u need to know about rotary's is that there generally simple and easy to use, but there are a couple of things you can do to them.
1st is the hit your dial at the top will turn clockwise and counter clockwise, clockwise makes the hit hard and viceversa makes it softer.
so for lining and colour packing a harder hit would work better, also being as most rotary's have a longer stroke helps alot.
however for softer shading the hit alone for me doesnt quite cut it, so i changed the arm for a shorter stroke. think dragonfly are 20mm-25mm and i got a 15mm stroke for it ( i think cant remember)
and this made softer shading so much better. but ten i built my own coils and went back tothem cuz i prefered having a bit more weight in my hand as the dragonfly was too light for me.
hope this helps
first thing u need to know about rotary's is that there generally simple and easy to use, but there are a couple of things you can do to them.
1st is the hit your dial at the top will turn clockwise and counter clockwise, clockwise makes the hit hard and viceversa makes it softer.
so for lining and colour packing a harder hit would work better, also being as most rotary's have a longer stroke helps alot.
however for softer shading the hit alone for me doesnt quite cut it, so i changed the arm for a shorter stroke. think dragonfly are 20mm-25mm and i got a 15mm stroke for it ( i think cant remember)
and this made softer shading so much better. but ten i built my own coils and went back tothem cuz i prefered having a bit more weight in my hand as the dragonfly was too light for me.
hope this helps
I purchased a rotary works recently, the brass allrounder, it is superb, it has the 6 volt motor fitted and will line at 3.5 volts with a 7 liner and shade with a 7 mag at 3 volts, with out a doubt the best machine I have owned and much better than my stealths and well worth the *£140 including postage.
Gotta agree with you Andy, the best machine I've used, coil or rotary, for the price it's great value.
i did start off with a cheep rotary very crud one from the tattoo shop. it just had a motor with a cam on it and liked it. but the needle hit the sides of the tube so had to bend it about every now and agen so changed it for a jack hammer. but dont seem to have the depth so have to work off the tip not the needle like i like to work so never youse it. is it just s**t or is there any tips for it p.s i like the sound of the dragon fly but pricey (in the tattoo shop) is there any thing like that dont wont to get stung with the ebay stuff agen
where can i get this (brass all rounder)
loving this site
where can i get this (brass all rounder)
loving this site
Michael_ink
Basic
Found a very detailed setup guide the other day - How to set up a rotary tattoo machine? - InkedWay
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