Anyone using the Rotary machines?

[Muddy]

I am using coil (Micky Sharpz) and was looking and reading about the new Rotary machines. They seem a lot better to use and handle.
Anyone using these at the moment, and could recommend a brand? I was looking at the The Stigma-Rotary… Whats the best on the market these days?

Thanks :)

[nytemareh]

if your looking to just check rotary out take a look at hildbrandt i have the assassin and executioner. both work great. hope to get a stigma in the future

[nedmanders]

i actually was looking at ordering one to try it out, but i was looking at the picture and cant figure out how you would grip it or hold it or whatever, just cuz the ones i saw a picture of looked like almost nothing to them. please let us know if you try one and how it works out for you!

[Ramenuzumaki]

if you look at this image you can see the rotary machine with the grip:
http://www.tattoomachineequipment.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/hildbrandt-assassin-rotary.jpg

ive also been wanting to try out Rotary but I didnt want to try a cheap one in fears that an inferior machine may give me a negative bias on the machines. the Assassin and Executioner are only 49$. Are they really that good for only 50$?

[LetMeInkYou]

i feel like if you’re going to try a rotary machine, try it. don’t go out and buy it because a lot of people i know say that because they are so lightweight your outlining comes out terribly. i’ve seen the good things about them and honestly, i’ve wanted to try it but i’m not willing to buy anything.

if you have access to tattoo shop equipment through a friend or family member, ask him to let you get the feel of one before you go and order it.

[Ramenuzumaki]

thanks for the advice :3

[Swanhater]

i bought a jack hammer off tattooshop and found it was ok for lining, the only problem i found was when you lift your foot of the foot switch the needle can either be up or down unlike a coil machine. I have no idea if this happens with better quality rotary machines.

[robroy289]

The rotary machines i have used have been cheap with exceptions to my bosses and the cheap ones worked great for what i used them for! I couldn’t tell the difference! I do not like them for lining but, they are great for portrait black and grey shading.. My advise is to buy a couple cheap ones off of ebay or Hildibrant! The jack hammers rattle and need soldering from time to time!! Hope this helps..

[KitchenWizard]

I recently bought a really cheap rotary machine off eBay £6 shipped, and it works a treat :) I was working on my brother in law for about three and a half hours, and it never missed a beat. None of the hassle of adjusting and setting up a coil machine, just fit the tube and needle, and you’re good to go :) Also, in addition to the contact points for using with a clip cord, it also has a socket for using with a jack plug cord 8-) The one I bought, was listed as liner/shader. It was fine for lining, absolutely no issue, but it was an absolute dream for shading, and just threw the ink in with no hassle whatsoever. Also, with a running voltage of 4.5, my brother in law said it was much less painful than my coil machines had been :) I tried it on myself, and would agree with that assessment :)

[smoothmoneyb]

I bought the stealth, the metal version. Only because the shop that I go to get my tattoos use them.
Best $125 I’ve spent so far. As for the outlining it works great, I bought a heavy ss grip from element and it feels like I’m only holding the grip. (If you follow)
Also since the weight is in the grip I feel like its balanced. BEST BUY!

[Viper65]

Nice Man!!! Be sure and post up some of the work!!!! :D

[KitchenWizard]

I did this on my best friend last Monday with my £6 rotary machine. It’s a recreation of the tattoo he designed for his partner, who passed from breast cancer a few years back…

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r44/TreadstoneArt/DSCN4777.jpg

[mussie]

hi i was using a micky sharpz but found i was struggling with the weight and my lining, i used a rotary and the difference was amazing! it has helped my confidence in tattooing alot. i got a microfly rotary for £119 and it’s so smooth never misses a beat and keeps going as strong and smooth as the minute it started. my tutor has one thats he’s had and used for years and never broke like some rotary’s are reputed to do. i love my microfly, and you can set it to line or colour. most rotary’s say they do both but don’t do well at it one of them

[Jester]

I’ve been thinking about one of these. Anybody tried them?
I’ve been watching them, and they usually hit about
$25-$30 by the end of bidding. They’re cheap, but I’m
hoping that it will let me decide if I like rotary or not.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Red-Rotary-Tattoo-Machine-Gun-Stigma-V2-Style-3-Stroke-Excenters-M659-2-/251177512051?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7b58ac73

[Ladysinaz]

I got the mini rotary kit from hildbrandt one is “set up” as a liner and one as a shader. there is a noticeable sound difference from one to the other. The liner is much louder than the shader, but still less than half the racket as my coil.

I have also noticed that when i take my foot off the pedal that the needle may or may not be still sticking out of the tube. I mentioned this to my BF and he said that the motor stops where it stops when the power is cut off..This may just be the way it is *shrug

I have a few issues with them.. The first was that i had to sand out the tube vice because the tubes couldn’t actually fit in the hole. Thats ok now. The stroke is soooo long.. i’ve tried setting the tube/needle flush, less than flush but when i step on the pedal it comes flying out like half a centimeter. ( this could help explain some of my mangled melons ;) )

The other thing is i can’t seem to figure out what V to run them at. From all that i’ve come across so far, the liner should be lower than the shader. If i go any lower than 8 the thing just won’t go.. it ticks but doesn’t seem to have the power to complete the revolution.
IF i feather the pedal like you would if your car was starting to stall on you, i can get it going eventually on the lower setting..

For lining i found the machine to be too light to use the disposable tubes, i put a metal assembly with my squish grip and it then turned into awesome.

[Shaggy]

I have been using NeoTats for about 4 months now, after 5 years of coils, and I can say I love them. No muss, no fuss, no tweaking and no tuning… just the occasional oiling. I also agree with comments I have seen around the net that rotaries seem to produce less trauma to the skin.

@Ladysinaz wrote:

I have also noticed that when i take my foot off the pedal that the needle may or may not be still sticking out of the tube. I mentioned this to my BF and he said that the motor stops where it stops when the power is cut off..This may just be the way it is *shrug

Your BF is correct… when you release the pedal wherever the needle is in the tube is where it stops. Always assume it stops at the point of sticking out of the tube and you will not end up sticking something or someone accidentally… yes I am speaking from experience on that one, only happened to me once so now I always consider it sticking out of the tube.

@Ladysinaz wrote:

I have a few issues with them.. The first was that i had to sand out the tube vice because the tubes couldn’t actually fit in the hole. Thats ok now. The stroke is soooo long.. i’ve tried setting the tube/needle flush, less than flush but when i step on the pedal it comes flying out like half a centimeter. ( this could help explain some of my mangled melons ;)

I actually had to do the same thing with a cheap rotary I got at a convention, but not with the NeoTats… the higher priced machines are definitely cut-out better. You definitely get what you pay for, just not sure a $400 price tag is really worth a high-end rotary… I actually kind of like the cheap one now that I carved out the vise hole. As far as setting your needle throw out what applies to coils, the rule of thumb that I follow (as do others in our shop)… LINER: set up your needle and tube, tighten vise a little and run your machine looking at the needle tip, then adjust the tube up or down till you have the width of a U.S. quarter coming out when it is RUNNING (do not just push the A-bar down). SHADER: do all the same as liner, but set the needle tip coming out at little more than width of a U.S. dime. NOTE: these settings are for riding the TIP, not riding the TUBE… if you ride the TUBE adjust to just over half that.

@Ladysinaz wrote:

The other thing is i can’t seem to figure out what V to run them at. From all that i’ve come across so far, the liner should be lower than the shader. If i go any lower than 8 the thing just won’t go.. it ticks but doesn’t seem to have the power to complete the revolution.
IF i feather the pedal like you would if your car was starting to stall on you, i can get it going eventually on the lower setting..

Not sure where you saw that a liner should be lower than a shader, but that is incorrect. What brand of power supply are you using? (I use a Hurricane, they are like $40-$50) I run my liner at 8.2 – 9v, and my shader between 6 – 6.5v. All my rotaries including the cheap one start cranking at 2-3v (not that you would ink that low, but its where motor kicks in). My suggestion would be to look at the maintenance instructions that came with your machine and add a little oil/lube to where it is directed and/or change your power supply. Nice thing about the Hurricane it has one touch change between all settings, i.e. switching from liner to shader, it also has a timer if you wanna keep track of your tattoo time.

@Ladysinaz wrote:

For lining i found the machine to be too light to use the disposable tubes, i put a metal assembly with my squish grip and it then turned into awesome.

Yes disposable tubes make the machine super light-weight for sure, but once you get comfortable and consistent with controlling needle depth it just feels natural. I use mostly metal tubes since that is what the shop has, (my go to needles are 7RL, 9RS, 15mag) but I have become a big fan of 11 round mags for some of the stuff I do and the shop doesn’t have tips to fit, so I use disposables with those and I’m not really even conscious of the difference because I’ve gotten use to it.

It’s all about PRACTICE and MUSCLE-MEMORY!

[Ladysinaz]

Thank you :D

I thought the liner was suppose to go faster, i think it was the training video i got with the kit that said otherwise. Or i have been taking in so much info i just got confused.. I’ll have to check :)

[JFRANCO]

I’ve also used the Stealth Rotary and love it. This rotary is very consistent, light weight and easier on the wrist than most coil machines. I’ve also heard great things about the Killer Rotary. I’m looking into purchasing that one next. Hope it works as good as my Stealth.

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