...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.

I HAD SO MUCH FUN DOING THE DAMASCUS PAIR, THAT I HAD TO MAKE MORE TIME TO FINISH UP THIS METEORITE PAIR THAT I STARTED A FEW MONTHS AGO. THEY ARE UP ON EBAY, WITH A BUNCH OF PHOTOS FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES. SUPER SWEET PAIR!!! MY FAVORITE IN METEORITE SO FAR. THE FIRST PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE ACNTHAJONES LINER AND THE ACANTHAJONES SHADER, ARE ALSO LISTED RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE BOTH THE #7 OF EACH RUN. LUCKY SUPPLY IS NOW TAKING ORDERS FOR THEM BY PHONE ON THE WEST COAST LINE ONLY, 541-556-6219.

JUST GOT THE BASEPLATES AND SPRINGSHELVES FOR THE DAMASCUS BOLT TOGETHERS TODAY. IT'S ALL ABOUT TO HAPPEN!

I REALLY DUG THE FIRST "TATTOO WARS" EPISODE WITH MIKE RUBENDALL AND BUGS. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS TONIGHT WITH LEO AND RORY!

I FINALLY STOLE A LITTLE TIME AWAY FROM A COUPLE OTHER THINGS TO MAKE A NEW PAIR OF DAMASCUS MACHINES. IT'S BEEN ABOUT 6 MONTHS SINCE I'VE HAD THE TIME TO DO ANYTHING THIS INVOLVED. THEY TURNED OUT AWESOME! BOTH HOW THEY LOOK AND HOW THEY RUN. THEY ARE UP ON EBAY NOW. IF YOU HAVE BEEN ON THE FENCE ABOUT SPENDING THE BUCKS FOR ONE OF THESE, THIS PAIR WON'T DISAPPOINT.

I JUST FOUND THE SCHEDULE FOR "TATTOO WARS," LOOKS LIKE THE EPISODE WITH ME AND GUY WILL BE AIRED NOVEMBER, 1ST AT 8PM ON TLC. WE ARE THE 4TH EPISODE IN A SERIES OF 6.

10/4/07


I GOT THIS COOL PICTURE EMAILED TO ME FROM ERIC GREGORY WHO I USED TO WORK WITH AT LITTLE VINNIE'S.
I THINK THIS WAS CHRISTMAS 99...I PAINTED THE BOOKS AS ONE BIG PIECE, THEN GAVE ONE TO EACH OF THE TATTOO CREW FOR GIFTS. IT TOOK A LITTLE WHILE FOR SOMEONE TO NOTICE THAT THEY MIGHT ALL FIT TOGETHER INTO ONE BIG PICTURE.

THE PORTALS AND MECHOS SHOWED UP TODAY, SO BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK, THEY SHOULD BE SHIPPING OUT TO LUCKY SUPPLY.

ALL REPAIRS ARE DONE!!! THEY WILL BE SHIPPING OUT TOMORROW, SO START LOOKING FOR THEM IN YOUR MAILBOX ON MONDAY OR TUESDAY.

STILL NO TIME FOR ANY FUN STUFF, HOPEFULLY SOON.

OUT

10/2/07
SEEMS LIKE ALL OF THE BUGS WITH SERVER WORKED THEMSELVES OUT AND MY PHONE IS WORKING AGAIN! THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ALL OF THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK ON THE SITE...AND A BIG HUGE THANKS TO AARON NAGEL FOR THE NEW SITE!!! IT'S EXACTLY WHAT I HAD IN MIND, AND IT WAS A SUPER EASY TO WORK WITH HIM.

I STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO REPAIRS, BUT THAT'LL BE FIRST ON THE LIST ONCE I GET BACK FROM THE MEETING WITH THE NEW MACHINIST TOMORROW. REPAIRS WILL ALL SHIP BY THE END OF THE WEEK. WE ARE GETTING THE PRODUCTION DAMASCUS MACHINES OFF THE GROUND THIS WEEK. THEY WHOULD BE READY TO GO BY THE END OF THE MONTH. THE HOOK SHADERS SHOWED UP LAST WEEK WHILE I WAS AWAY, AND THE PORTALS AND MECHOS WILL BE ALONG LATER THIS WEEK OR EARLY NEXT WEEK, SO THEY ARE ONLY A WEEK OR TWO OUT. THIS WILL BE THE LAST RUN OF ALL OF THE OLDER MACHINES, THEY ARE ALL BEING DISCONTINUED. THE FIRST RUN OF THE ZEKONAH SHADER, THE ACANTHAJONES LINER AND THE ACANTHAJONES SHADER SHOULD BE ALONG RIGHT AFTER.

I SUBMITTED A COUPLE OF SICK NEW SCRATCHBOARD PIECES TO "SKIN VANDALS", ADRIAN LEE, NORM, AND SHAWN BARBER'S UPCOMING GALLERY SHOW IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SAN JOSE CONVENTION OF THE TATTOO ARTS. THE MAIN EVENT IS ON THE 18th OF OCTOBER, WHICH IS THE DAY BEFORE THE START OF THE CONVENTION. THE INTENTION OF THE SHOW IS TO REVEAL THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF GRAFFITI WRITERS, TATTOOERS, AND FINE ARTISTS. WITH THE DIVERSITY AND VOLUME OF TALENT ON THE ROSTER, IT'S BOUND TO BE A ONCE IN A LIFETIME SHOW.

9/25/07 - FIRST UPDATE:

SO, THE SITE IS UP AND EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE ENJOYING IT, BUT ME! THERE IS SOME SORT OF ISP BLOCK THAT IS KEEPING ME FROM DOWNLOADING THE SITE, OR ANYTHING ELSE (INCLUDING EMAIL) OFF OF THE SERVER. THE WEB GUY (AARON NAGEL) AND TECH SUPPORT FOR MY ISP, HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE, SO WE'RE NOT SURE HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO FIX. CONVENIENTLY ENOUGH, MY PHONE LINE WENT OUT THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY, AND THE SOONEST THEY COULD GET SOMEONE OUT HERE IS TOMORROW, WHICH IS ALSO THE DAY THE FAMILY AND I LEAVE FOR FIVE DAYS. SO, IF YOU HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF ME, YOU CAN USE EMAIL: AC@AARONCAIN.COM...I AM STILL ABLE TO GET TEXT FROM THE SERVER BASED EMAIL, I JUST CAN'T DOWNLOAD ANY ATTACHMENTS...OR JUST WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK TO GET IN TOUCH. WE'LL BE BACK SUNDAY. IF ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCES ANYTHING LIKE THIS..OR ANYTHING ELSE KOOKY, PLEASE LET ME AND AARON KNOW: AARON@AARONNAGEL.COM.

THE TLC SHOW "TATTOO WARS," THAT I PARTICIPATED IN WITH GUY AITCHISON, WILL BE AIRING IN THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO. NO ONE IS SURE OF THE EXACT DATE YET, BUT IT WILL BE ONE OF THESE: OCTOBER 11, 18, 25, NOVEMBER 1, 8 OR 15 AT 8:00PM EST. GUY AND I REALLY PUT 100% INTO MAKING IT THE MOST IT COULD POSSIBLY BE. MAKE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT!

KARL MARC'S HANDMADE VOLUME 3 SHOULD BE OUT VERY SOON. I WAS HONORED TO DO AN INTERVIEW FOR THE PROJECT AND I CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT COMES OF THE NEW GALLERY SHOW AND BOOK.

I'M STILL TRYING TO FIND TIME TO GO THROUGH THE PAGES AND PAGES OF TRANSCRIPTS FROM THE INTERVIEW I DID WITH BJ JOHNSON FOR TATTOO ARTIST MAGAZINE OVER A YEAR AGO. WE PLAYED POOL ALL DAY EVERY DAY FOR A WEEK AND COVERED A LOT OF GROUND. MOST DEFINITELY THE LONGEST INTERVIEW I HAVE EVER GIVEN, AND ONCE I GET A CHANCE TO GO THROUGH AND CONSOLIDATE THE FRAGMENTED, MULTIPLE DAY ANSWERS TO SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS, IT WILL ALSO DEFINITELY BE MY BEST.

I'M STILL RUNNING BEHIND ON REPAIRS. I HAVE ABOUT A DOZEN IN HOUSE RIGHT NOW, AND I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU GUYS. I SET UP TO DO THEM ALL LAST WEEK, BUT A FEW THINGS CAME UP, INCLUDING WHAT YER LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW! IT'LL BE FIRST PRIORITY WHEN I COME BACK NEXT WEEK.

ALL OF THE OLD PRODUCTION MODEL FRAMES ARE BEING RETIRED. AS OF THIS POST, LUCKY SUPPLY HAS STOCK OF JONESIES, BONERS AND MINI-HOOKS, BUT ONCE THEY'RE GONE, THAT'S IT...NO MORE. HOOKS, PORTALS, AND MECHOS WILL BE ALONG SHORTLY, WITH THE SAME DEAL. THIS IS THE LAST RUN OF ALL OF THE OLD JUNK, GIVING WAY TO THE BETTER, STRONGER, MORE AWESOMER 2007 MODELS.

I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF DOING A SHIRT FOR AFFLICTION CLOTHING...IT'S GOING TO BE SUPER COOL, AND JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN (HINT...HINT..)

THE NEW DAMASCUS PRODUCTION MACHINES ARE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER! THEY ARE GOING TO BE SICK AS HELL. KEEP YER EYES OUT FOR EM. I HAVEN'T HAD THE CHANCE TO DO ANY CUSTOM MACHINES AT ALL IN THE PAST COUPLE MONTHS, AND I'M REALLY MISSING IT, SO AS SOON AS THINGS MELLOW OUT, I'M GOING FULL STEAM AHEAD TO OUTDO EVERYTHING I'VE DONE IN THE PAST.

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW. I'LL KEEP YA'LL POSTED.

9/24/07 - WELCOME

WELL...IT'S BEEN A LONG, LONG TIME. I HAVE FINALLY REDONE MY WEBSITE! AARON NAGEL FROM TWO TWENTY TWO DESIGN STUDIO HAS COLLABORATED WITH ME TO UPDATE THE CONTENT AND FEEL OF THE SITE. THERE'S A LOT OF NEW STUFF, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE OLD JUNK THAT YOU'VE ALL SEEN BEFORE. DON'T MISS THE NEW MACHINE ARCHIVE.

I'LL TRY TO KEEP UPDATES IN THIS SECTION CURRENT. ANY NEWS ABOUT NEW ART, MACHINE, OR TATTOO PROJECTS...OR ANYTHING ELSE PERTINENT, WILL BE NOTED HERE.