...AND, ANOTHER! THE FIRST OFFICIAL RUN OF THE BOLT-TOGETHERS CAME AND WENT. THEY SOLD OUT WITHIN A COUPLE HOURS. I'LL TRY TO GET TO ANOTHER RUN BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. IN THE MEAN TIME, I'LL DO OCCASIONAL ONE-OFFS LIKE THIS ONE, WHICH IS MADE WITH SAKMAR COPPER/NICKEL-SILVER, "LADDER" MOKUME-GANE. SOME REALLY COOL THINGS HAPPENED WITH THE PATTERN ON THIS ONE. THERE ARE MORE PICTURES OF IT ON EBAY.

I'VE FALLEN A LITTLE BEHIND ON THE PRODUCTION STUFF AGAIN. I RAN INTO ANOTHER MACHINING PROBLEM (ABOUT HALF OF THE NEW "ZEKONAH" SHADERS WERE TRASHED). THE ONES THAT DIDN'T HIT THE SCRAP BIN SHOULD BE ALONG SOON. MORE ACANTHAJONES LINERS AND ACANTHAJONES SHADERS ARE ON THE BENCH, WITH A WHOLE WHACK OF HOOK SHADERS, THE LAST OF THE PORTALS AND MINI-HOOKS. I'VE GOT A TON OF WORKHORSE STUFF CLOSE TO COMPLETION. THEY'LL DEFINITELY MAKE IT IN TIME TO PUT IN YOUR FRIEND'S STOCKING. ZOOLINERS ARE STILL A WAYS OUT. LUCKY'S IS TAKING BACKORDERS, AND IT SEEMS TO BE THE BEST WAY TO BE SURE YOU GET WHAT YOU ARE AFTER.

YOU TUBE PULLED ALL OF THE "TATTOO WARS" STUFF. BUMMER, I GUESS IT'S JUST GOING TO FADE AWAY FOR GOOD.

ONE MORE BOLT TOGETHER UP ON EBAY. THIS ONE IS SCULPTED, CARVED, ETCHED, BLUED, CUSTOM-MADE 1018/PURE-NICKEL "CONSTITUTION" DAMASCUS. I MIRROR-POLISHED AND BLUED ALL OF THE HARDWARE, EVEN THE SCREWS. IT'S MY NEW FAV. I AM STILL WAITING ON THE SIDEPLATES FOR THE PRODUCTION VERSIONS OF THE BOLT-TOGETHERS. HOPEFULLY THEY WILL COME THROUGH THIS WEEK.

LUCKY'S WILL BE GETTING PORTALS, MECHOS, HOOKS (ALL BEING DISCONTINUED) AND ACANTHAJONES SHADERS THIS WEEK.


THE NEW HANDMADE VOLUME III IS OUT! I BOUGHT AN EXTRA COPY SO I ENDED UP GETTING IT SOONER THAN I EXPECTED TO...AND MAN!!! THAT WAS THE BEST $60 I EVER SPENT. THE BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. KARL MARC HAS REALLY OUTDONE HIMSELF, AND SO DID ALL OF THE ARTISTS AND MACHINE BUILDERS IN THE BOOK. I AM HONORED AND HUMBLED TO BE A PART OF THIS PROJECT. THIS INSTANTLY BECAME MY FAVORITE TATTOO PUBLICATION EVER. IT IS A LIMITED PUBLICATION THAT WILL NOT BE REPRINTED, SO ORDER ONE TODAY! YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED. INFO ON ORDERING ONE FROM KARL IS ON THE HANDMADE MYSPACE PAGE.

HERE'S THE NEWEST BOLT-TOGETHER CREATION...IT'S UP ON EBAY
THE MATERIAL IS DEVIN THOMAS, COPPER/NICKEL-SILVER/BRASS, LADDER PATTERN MOKUME-GANE.


ALL OF THE "TATTOO WARS" EPISODES ARE UP ON YOU TUBE, INCLUDING THE ONE WITH ME AND GUY AITCHISON. CHECK IT OUT!


POSTERS OF SHAWN BARBER'S PAINTING OF A DAMASCUS MACHINE THAT I MADE, ARE NOW AVAILABLE! CHECK EM. <

THIS PAINTING WAS COMMISSIONED BY MY WIFE, CHRISTINE, FOR A CHRISTMAS GIFT LAST YEAR. IT IS PART OF SHAWN'S "TATTOOED PORTRAITS" SERIES. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN HIS WORK BEFORE, MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE GALLERIES ON HIS WEBSITE. HE IS AN AMAZING ARTIST, AND A HELL OF A NICE GUY TO BOOT!

WELL, THE EPISODE OF "TATTOO WARS" FEATURING GUY AITCHISON AND YOURS TRULY, AIRED THURSDAY THE 1ST. SEEMS LIKE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT IT WERE PEOPLE THAT WE TOLD OURSELVES! TLC DID ABSOLUTELY NO ADVERTISING WHATSOEVER FOR IT, SEEMINGLY ABANDONING THE WHOLE PROJECT. I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH THE ENTIRE SHOW AND HOW IT PORTRAYED THE BOTH OF US, AS WELL AS OUR CREATIVE PROCESS, OUR ART AND OUR FAMILIES. I WAS EXPECTING TO CRINGE IN EMBARRASSMENT THROUGH MOST OF IT, BUT DIDN'T HAVE TO, EVEN ONCE (ALTHOUGH I WAS SHOCKED TO HEAR THAT I GET $5,000 PER MACHINE...I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THEY GOT THAT NUMBER FROM!). IT'S A REAL SHAME THAT THE WHOLE SERIES WILL APPARENTLY JUST SUFFER A QUIET DEATH AND BE SWEPT UNDER THE RUG. IF YOU WATCHED THE SHOWS AND WANT TO SEE MORE...OR DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO SEE THEM THE FIRST TIME AROUND, PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK: TLC/DISCOVERY VIEWER RELATIONS. IT WILL TAKE YOU TO A FORM THAT YOU'LL FILL OUT, THEN A PAGE WHERE YOU CAN LEAVE COMMENTS ABOUT THE SHOW. GUY SPOKE TO ONE OF THE PRODUCERS OF THE SHOW, AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY ACTUALLY DO TAKE IN TO ACCOUNT WHAT THEIR VIEWERS HAVE TO SAY.

EVEN WITH THE LACK OF POPULARITY OF THE TATTOO WARS SHOW, I STILL HAVE RECEIVED A FLOOD OF REQUESTS FOR BOTH TATTOO WORK AND CUSTOM MACHINES IN THE PAST FEW DAYS. UNFORTUNATELY, I'M NOT ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE EITHER. I'M STILL PUTTING IN 80-100 HOURS A WEEK AND GETTING FURTHER AND FURTHER BEHIND EVERY DAY. PLEASE UNDERSTAND, IT'S NOTHING PERSONAL!!! I JUST PLAIN CAN'T.

THE FIRST TWO PAIRS OF THE DAMASCUS BOLT-TOGETHERS CAME TO LIFE A FEW DAYS BACK.

THEY WENT TOGETHER BEAUTIFULLY! BETTER THAN I HAD HOPED FOR, AND NOW I'M GOING AT IT FULL FORCE. I'VE GOT ABOUT A DOZEN DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF DAMASCUS STEEL AND IRON, AS WELL AS A HALF A DOZEN DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF MOKUME-GANE THAT I WILL BE MAKING THE BOLT-TOGETHERS FROM. THEY WILL INDIVIDUALLY PRICED ACCORDING TO AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT ON FINISH WORK AND THE COST OF MATERIALS, AND WILL BE FOR SALE THROUGH LUCKY SUPPLY. THEY WILL NOT BE NUMBERED, AS I PLAN ON MAKING EACH PAIR UNIQUE. AS SOON AS THEY ARE IN STOCK AT LUCKY'S, I WILL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT HERE.

LUCKY SUPPLY IS GOING TO HAVE A WHOLE MESS OF STUFF IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, INCLUDING PORTALS, MECHOS AND HOOKS WHICH ARE ALL BEING DISCONTINUED, AS WELL AS THE DAMASCUS AND MOKUME BOLT-TOGETHERS. I'LL MAKE A NOTE WHEN THEY HAVE INVENTORY. WORKHORSE IRONS HAS MY MACHINES IN STOCK RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY USUALLY SELL OUT PRETTY FAST, SO IF YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR ONE, NOW'S THE TIME.