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running speeds for rotary machines

Posted by on 11.21.15

I started out with a rotary machine but never really seen quality until i switched to coils, i started out using the cheyenne hawk spirit for lining and shading and it seemed a logical answer at the time. Being inexperienced, the though of not tuning the machine seemed easier also the high quality cartriges seemed easier but the thing i had the most trouble with was trying to find a good speed to run the machine at where i would see consistent results. the machine did work well i have seen many other artists use it very well. I really do love coils now mainly because of their adaptability and the many ways you can custom tune your machine like your springs or changing your gap. This is why i love the coil machines, the way you can customize it then turn your speed up until it kicks over and you hear that specific sound kind of like tuning a guitar. So when i was using the cheyenne there was no perfect sound that i heard that sort of told me that i was running the right speed. Now im very intrested in getting ahold of one of those injecta machines because i would like to use the same tools you do at least for a little while to see the difference. i was just wondering if there is a certain way of figuring out how much power is enough and how much is too much without having to sort of test it out, because i can remember starting a tattoo thinking this is the right speed but it wasnt. i want to try rotaries again but will most likely have the same problem of not being sure whats a good speed. Rambling now anyways hope everyone has a good day today!

Replies:

RE: running speeds for rotary machines

Posted by on 11.23.15

I just switched to a rotary and look to feel the correct vibration in the stretching hand.  

RE: running speeds for rotary machines

Posted by on 11.24.15

thanks for the tip!

RE: running speeds for rotary machines

Posted by on 12.04.15
I've used rotaries all the time I have used them for years, I've had experience on most the high end ones. I've had inkjecta flite v2 for the last 2 years I run 2 of them and a dragonfly ss for my lining. The flite is very different to other rotaries as you can run it up to 19v with the solid bar no other rotary goes that high. I also use t-tech carts in mine with the odd mix of cheyenne carts. But you can mod the t-tech carts to take any companies needles you want I will do another thread to show how to do it. Right volts basically it's around 9v is the average. At the moment I'm using the hard drive bar and a solid bar around 9.3v for colour work. I then use the soft bar for bng about the same volts. But my dragonfly short stroke I use for lining is always 11v but I use normal needles for lining not carts and that a bug pin 3 long taper with plastic round tip. Rotaries have a great advantage over coils as they are so light it can save you wrist and hand and you can work for hours plus it's a constant hit . One advice I give is keep with one machine don't try to look for the golden goose it don't work like that you need to learn the machine and that takes months to get comfortable with some people are lucky others like me has to work at it all the time.

RE: running speeds for rotary machines

Posted by on 12.10.15

thank you so much for the tips really appreciate it!

RE: running speeds for rotary machines

Posted by on 12.10.15

thank you so much for the tips really appreciate it!

RE: running speeds for rotary machines

Posted by on 12.20.15

I've been running my Flite at close to minimum, at around 8.5-9 volts. This is with the 3.5mm cam and the middle spring bar. I'll usually start out by turning down until the machine stops, then going up a quarter turn (or 3 clicks on a push button power unit) so that it's just above minimum. This allows me to layer the color a bit more than if it were hitting harder. 

RE: running speeds for rotary machines

Posted by on 12.24.15

Awesome thank you for the tips, plan on getting the flite 2.1 soon! thank you been learning so much on here, set my coil machine up the other day so that it needs a flick of the wrist to make a connection and its working beautifully. although i dont know how long my front springs will last it seems to be making a decent sized dent in the front spring at the contact point. thanks everyone for the solid advice and merry christmas to all 

RE: running speeds for rotary machines

Posted by on 01.06.16

I've got two rotary works, one which I use for lining and I only run it at 5v (I mainly use it for 5s and 7s), and one I use as a shader (my go to mag is an 11) which I run at 8v. They're two different models. I've also  got a Dan Kubin mc14 which I tend to only use for rounds (specifically 7s) and I run that at 6.4v. Obviously I change these sometimes depending on the job,  but not too much. 

RE: running speeds for rotary machines

Posted by on 03.17.16

7.3 volts for my rotarys for shading or color packing. the rest is in my hand technique

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