This Copper Direct rotary by Special Technique features a 3.5mm stroke, and a motor and flywheel from our friend Dan Kubin in Kansas city. See Dan’s work at www.DanKubin.com. This Copper Direct has brass clipcord contacts layered in copper, a door latch, a cnc machined tube vise from Workhorse Irons, and a hand lathed aluminum back door on the motor housing. This machine is priced at $275.00 shipped. Buy it here.

The Broken Arm Project direct-rotary by Special Technique is constructed from brass and copper stock, and a clamp for holding pins in place in my old roommate’s arm. She fell of her motorcycle and had quite a bit of reconstruction and therapy for her broken arm. During her healing she had pins sticking out of her arm and this crazy stabilizer arrangement holding the pins in place. When she got the pins removed, the hospital sterilized the clamps and gave them to her. I inherited one of them and made this machine from it. The clamp/tube vise is made from some high tech alloy that’s extremely hard to work with – I dulled two hacksaw blades and broke my 8-32 tap on it. The motor and flywheel are from our friend Dan Kubin in Kansas City, and there’s a one pound coin and a few bits from an old clock. This machine has a 3mm stroke and is perfect for color packing. The Broken Arm Project direct-rotary is priced at $400. Make it yours here.

Most of these machines are available. Contact Brian directly if you connect with one of these… briancampbell.mail@gmail.com.

This installation of the Cartridge Rotary on a Seth Ciferri Walker frame features polished brass hardware and the 3.5mm stroke we’re putting on the first run of machines. It has just a slight amount of dampening or give, so the hit is quite firm. We put copper layered brass binders on it which match the frame finish great and will age nicely. Motor and drive train guaranteed for one year, and the parts are very easy to get. This Cartridge rotary oneoff is Sold.

Seth Ciferri and Special Technique present The Cartridge… A rotary device for your historical and sentimental machine frames you haven’t got around to restoring. Long stroke and medium hit, good for many tattoo tasks. No cutting or drilling of your frame is required. Basic tools will turn your frame into a Special Technique rotary. Shown here are a couple examples of Cartridges installed on frames, and a row of Cartridges before the guts were installed. All the Cartridges to be sold by themselves are gone. Future cartridges will be built on a frame with powdercoating or other finishes. Stay tuned!

This week in the Special Technique lab, we’re having a bit of fun making direct-rotary tattoo machines. It’s the simplest of rotary mechanisms, so we can spend a little more time making them pretty, yet still keep the price down. Copper Direct no. 1 is decked out in gears and clock parts. These machines will all have a 3.5mm stroke, a Workhorse Irons cnc tube vise, and a beefy and solid 5 volt motor from our builder friend Dan Kubin that has just the right speed and torque for fun tattooing. Ugly Bill’s comment: I personally tattooed with this machine(no. 1) for around an hour. It put in color with a loose 9 round and a 7 magnum, fast and effortlessly. It’s a fun ride. The Copper Direct no.1 is priced at $325. It’s sold, but there are a few more on the workbench like it. Want one? Email director@specialtechnique.net and we’ll make it happen. We sell to licensed professionals only.

The Axis 2012 Rotary/Chrome Edition by Brian Campbell of Special Technique features a long 4mm stroke, medium to soft hit, and the same drive train as on the Workhorse Irons rotary. It’s very powerful, yet it’s lighter than most metal tattoo tubes. Any tattoo task will be fun with this machine. The Axis Chrome is SOLD.

Introducing the Traxis rotary tattoo machine by Brian Campbell of Special Technique! The Traxis features extremely smooth and quiet operation, minimal vibration, and an excellent transfer of mechanical advantage in the working parts. Hand milled one at a time by Brian Campbell in the Special Technique lab. The mechanism in the Traxis rotary offers the best advantages of the armature and linear rotaries COMBINED. This mechanism is a Brian Campbell innovation, and uses the same motor as the Workhorse Irons rotary.

The Traxis handmade rotary is $540 plus $10 for shipping. Buy the Traxis Rotary here.

Any questions? Email briancampbell.mail@gmail.com.

The Tracker Lite Rotary is hand milled from aluminum by Brian Campbell. Intended as a liner, this machine features smooth, linear operation and a 3.5mm stroke. It’s set up for RCA connection and is powered by the same motor as in the Workhorse Irons rotary. These machines are very light, agile, and fun to use. This version of the Tracker rotary is $450 with free shipping. Buy the Tracker Lite rotary here.

This steampunk-styled rotary tattoo machine by Special Technique features a long 4.5mm stroke, medium-to-hard hit, and the same drive train as in the Workhorse Irons rotary. It’s made from clock parts, plumbing parts, and a little nautical jazz. This machine is SOLD.