Mike Metaxa Brass Direct Drive
I received my new Mike Metaxa machine in the post today. Really excited to try it out. It's my first direct drive machine so it'll be interesting to see the differences between this one and my linear machines.
Firstly i'd like to say what an awesome guy Mike is to deal with. He checked my professional status and was very prompt in answering my emails. His customer service is first class.
After carefully but impatiently opening the bubble wrap to reveal my new machine, i can confirm what i'd heard, this guy is a craftsman. The finish on the machine is flawless. The binding posts are marked so it's easy to connect up. There's a groove machined in to the brass between the cam and the tube vice which presumably will prevent the rubber bands from snapping. First impressions are that it's awesome. I'll update on voltages, needles and functions as i progress with the machine so stay tune guys and gals...
UPDATE:
i shaded with the machine today on 4 volts with a Mike Metaxa 11mg bugpin. When shading with a rotary i always back my needle up so there's 2mm maximum protruding at full stroke length. I didn't get the result i was hoping for initially, i had to slow my hand down considerably. Maybe highering the voltage a little next time would remedy this. Colour packing was achieved at 3.7 volts and was good but not great. Haven't tried lining with it yet, but having said that i'm still kinda struggling with lining with any of my rotaries :(.
FURTHER UPDATE:
I had a couple of chances to use this machine again today and i must say i like it more the more i use it! I highered the voltage to 5v and as mentioned earlier i backed the needle off and boy was it soooooooooooo much more effective at shading! Really happy with the performance. Seems to colour better at higher volts too, just needed to let more needle out; about 2.5-3mm. This machine and Mike's needles are definitely worth a look.
