LAST FEW DAYS OF WORKHORSE
(...for a while, anyhow!)

bottle-openers and roundbacks are in stock for the last time! order now or forever hold your peace. i sent a whole bunch of them, so you should still be able to get yer hands on one. ORDER HERE!!!

there's a pair of roundbacks up on ebay right now to announce what's goin' on.















here's how the official announcement on the website reads:

Workhorse Irons temporarily Closing July 18

Dear friends and colleagues,

For the last five years, we at Workhorse Irons have been overwhelmed with the amount of support and enthusiasm shown for what we do, by you, the discerning customer, and we cannot begin to thank you enough.

From the very beginning, our mission has been to provide the tattoo community with top quality, "function-first", tools, at a price which allows the professional tattooer to obtain a machine without sacrificing a week's pay. What we lack in "frosting", we make up for in "cake". This is the core principle which has driven us to become the best at what we do, and continues to drive us, as we create better and better equipment which remains reliable, and affordable.

As our goal is to provide uncompromising products and customer service, we've become increasingly aware of a need for some necessary steps to restructure the business in the immediate future. Simply put, if we are to effectively maintain the same level of quality and service you're used to, and continue to set the industry standard, we'll need to step back for a little while and make some changes before our work begins to suffer. We know it sounds crazy, but sometimes things can go too well, which is exactly what's happening.

In the interest of rumor control, there has been no "fall out", and no dissolving of friendships. It's quite to the contrary, as a matter of fact. Our personal and business relationships have continued to strengthen, which is exactly why we are we are not permanently closing workhorse, nor do we intend to. We only ask that you please bear with us, as we create a new and improved Workhorse Irons, and rest assured that we are here to stay.

Details

Effective July 18th we will be temporarily ceasing sales and production, as we fine-tune the operation to better suit the needs of the customer. This will include all workhorse models by all builders, all parts, and all accessories.

We will be continuing production and distribution of our Stable Color ink; you can place your orders at www.stablecolor.com.

Until July 18th we will only be taking internet orders and communicating through email, we will not be conducting any business over the phone. Inventory will be based on what we actually have left, so as things are sold out we will not be getting them back in stock.

After July 18th, please visit our friends at www.luckysupply.com and www.stablecolor.com, where you'll find top quality machines and assorted shop sundries to make your job easier.

Thanks, and we'll see you in the future!

Sincerely,

BJ "SOBA" Johnson, Seth Ciferri, and Aaron Cain

thanks to all of y'all for supporting us at workhorse over the years!!! see ya soon.

bottle-openers and roundbacks are in stock for the last time! order now or forever hold your peace

workhorse shut down

THE LAST FEW DAYS OF WORKHORSE

new stuff

VINES AND ROSES PAIR

up on ebay right now....the COOLEST damascus pattern ever. you really have to look at all of the photos in the listings to appreciate how involved this stuff is. INCREDIBLE! devin thomas is a master.

the background of this first photo is what the stock looks like when i get it, ad the second photo is a close-up. click the pics to check em out bigger...it'll blow your elfing mind off.

THE TEMPORARY WORKHORSE SHUT DOWN IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!
1 week from now, workhorse irons will be going into our 6 month restructuring recess. i am focusing absolutely ALL of my energy for the next few days on getting all of the bottle opener and roundback frames built and out the door, so if you're in the mood for one, it's now or never. they are being discontinued to make way for the new junk that's coming out when we fire back up. ORDER ONLINE NOW. the site says that there is no stock, but i am sending box after box of all of the machines out to HQ.

REPAIRS HAVE NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN
as soon as i get through all of the workhorse stuff, i will for sure put some time aside for getting all of the repairs back out. rest assured, they will all come back to y'all better than new. thanks for your continued patience!

...half a year later...

...busier than ever before. lots and lots of stuff has happened from the last news update until now. mainly just more of the same, but with some twists.

"SCRATCH ART"

guy aitchison and michele wortman's new book project "scratch art" is out and awesome! i did a few scratchboard pieces for it, including this one of my wife, christine. it was a super fun experience, and it was incredible to see all of the work that everyone did for it. this is a definite must have for any tattooer's collection of art books.

"christine" scratchboard, 5 x 7" 2007

i did a larger format scratchboard piece for the "skin vandals" art show in san jose. it was a version of an earlier piece, rendered with the same scratches as the other boards i did, but with the addition of subltle colors.

"blemish 2" scratchboard and watercolor, 16 x 20" 2007

"UNDERWAY IS THE ONLY WAY"

grime and horitaka's new book, underway is the only way is out now. i was honored to do an interview for it, and i found myself in incredible company. it kills me that i forgot to mention guy aitchison as one of my favorite artists...hopefully he reads this, because he most definitely is! there were also a couple of embarassing misspellings: albert paley and robert venosa, two of my favorite artists...apologies sirs, i ended up doing the interview in my normal last-minute-crunch method and did not have time to proof the text. it was great to see my tattoo stuff in print after a 10 year absence from published work on skin. awesome book!

new CUSTOM MACHINERY...the fancy stuff.

as far as fancy machines go, i have made so many killer new custom machines, i don't even have the time to start posting them now. that will prolly be my next blogging project. i started a flickr page and put up most of what i've done, machine wise, in the past 8 months, there are almost 200 pictures up! so i might just leave this link handy and not post the older stuff, just focus on the new junk. i'm also going to get my web genius, aaron nagel, to update my galleries with all the new stuff. in the meantime...check out the flickr page.

!!!!!!BIG NEWS!!!!!!

workhorse irons is taking a break. follow this link to the official statement. soba's little business got too big, too fast, and we are all experiencing growing pains from the incredible success of WHI. we'll all be back in six months, bigger and better than ever. i have four new models on deck for the relaunch, and the other players will be coming out with some kick-ass stuff also. this is the best possible move that soba could make. after the restructure, he will be able to focus more on creation rather than administration. thank you all so much for the incredible support of workhorse, and big, big, big thanks to soba for making me part of the workhorse team!

i am on full-on scramble to get all back stock of frames built up, tuned and out the door, so if you've been waiting for one of my WHI machines, now is the time. i won't be making the bottle opener or the roundback at all after the break, they are being discontinued...so don't miss out.

IRAQ SPECIAL EDITION MACHINES FOR CHARITY

up on ebay right now! 100% of the money from the sale of this pair will go to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a 4 star charity providing assistance to the families of fallen and severely injured specialists. my best friend henry is over there and he ran into an interpreter with a fresh tattoo. he asked where the dude got it from and dude told him about some iraqi tattooer/interpreter/soldier guy doing tattoo work over there, so i'm sending him a completely new set up...the works! henry and his buddies are going to get souvenir tats by the guy, and hopefully i'll get some pictures of the tat action and post em here. make sure to check out the listings for more details. Tony Ezzell, another american soldier over in iraq, saw the listings on ebay and made this kick ass poster with the photos!!! click on the image for the full size poster.

henry->

REMEMBER, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SUPPORT THIS WAR TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.

TATTOOING TO SAVE BABIES

Krooked Ken Motter and his wife Colleen have organized a great fund-raising event..."tattooing to save babies"...they are recruiting tattooers to donate their profits for the day on august 2nd to the march of dimes to assist premature babies and their families, educate people about prematurity, and prevent premature births whenever possible. i will be making a sick pair of machines to put up on ebay that will close on the 2nd of august while everyone is tattooing away for the cause. 100% of the money from the sale of the pair will go directly to the fund-raiser.

please get involved.

great job ken and colleen!

NEW MACHINE BOOK PROJECT

i'm ramping up for the machine book project with brett from presto art and pulse tattoo. i've been compiling everything my-machine related that i can, but i'd love to get some help from the people who actually use them. i am looking for artistic, well-framed photos of my machines in action. like a close-up of you tattooing, with machine/hands/tattoo/face in frame, with an interesting background. maybe a picture of your machines set up on your station, mid-tattoo. maybe a shot of your collection in your drawer...anything you can think of. just imagine what YOU would be stoked to see in a coffee-table book about fancy machines.

high-res preferred, and large files should not be emailed (my connection blows).
email med size files, or semi-large ones one at a time to ac@aaroncain.com
or send prints or discs to:

aaron cain
p.o. box 1300
cedar ridge, ca 95924

i will be eternally grateful!

.....................................................................................................
that's all i can handle for now. my brain is starting to hurt. i promise i will be updating much more often now that i'm on a blog specific site. the way it was before, i had to write code for everything, and i am NOT a programmer.

thanks to all of you for everything!

...BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!!THE HOLIDAY SEASON WAS PRETTY HECTIC, BUT NOW I'M SETTLING BACK INTO THE RHYTHM. 2007 WAS A STELLAR YEAR FOR ME, AND 2008 PROMISES TO BE EVEN BETTER!

I AM STILL WAITING ON PARTS FROM THE MACHINIST, BOTH THE CAST FRAMES AND THE PRODUCTION BOLT-TOGETHER DAMASCUS SIDEPLATES. THE FIRST TWO PHOTOS BELOW ARE OF MACHINES THAT ARE LISTED ON EBAY RIGHT NOW, THE REST ARE JUST A FEW OF THE OTHERS THAT HAVE SOLD SINCE MY LAST UPDATE.

AARON NAGEL, MY WEB DUDE, SAYS HE WILL HAVE AN IMPROVED WAY FOR ME TO MAKE UPDATES IN THIS SECTION, SO I WILL BE ABLE TO POST MORE FREQUENTLY.


CARVED BRONZE W.H.I. PAIR !!!ON EBAY RIGHT NOW!!! (SOLD)


HEAT-COLORED SIMPLE-STEEL DAMASCUS PAIR !!!ON EBAY RIGHT NOW!!! (SOLD)

CAMPO DEL CIELO METEORITE PAIR (sold)

SAKMAR "SLOW-TWIST" MOKUME-GANE PAIR (sold)


HEAT-COLORED GIBEON METEORITE PAIR (sold)


DEVIN THOMAS 3-COLOR MOKUME GANE PAIR (sold)


SAKMAR "RANDOM" MOKUME-GANE PAIR (sold)


SAKMAR "3 COLOR LADDER" AND "TWO COLOR RAINDROP" PAIR (sold)


HEAT-COLORED ROBERT EGGERLING PURE-NICKEL/1080/PURE-IRON DAMASCUS (sold)
I'LL BE UPDATING SOON WITH MORE DETAILS. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

...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.