Treasure Chest Machine review.

[Bishopbyname]

So i already have a Rapier 2 and a Super V from Cary and was so impressed that i ordered 2 treasure chest machines from him. I asked for 1 to be set as a liner and 1 to be set as a soft shader. The communication once i'd made the order was first class, Cary kept me up to date on an almost daily basis and promptly answered any questions i had.

My machines arrived VERY quickly indeed which is something some other builders could learn from. US to UK in 4 days, not bad at all! Packed with the 2 machines was printed instructions on how to change the stroke and guidelines for the voltage settings. Both machines have an ultra professional look and feel to them.

I've used the liner (3mm stroke) now for nearly 2 weeks and it's hands down the best liner i own. I've used 3rl, 5rl and 11rl and it performed equally well regardless of the needle used. I've used it on forearms, inner upper arms, backs and feet and the ink flew in every time. Really nice lines every time, very consistent. The machine has a sort of hum to it that's louder than my Vivace and my Rotaryworks but is still very quiet. They feel nicely balanced in the hand and are a joy to use.

The shader (2.5mm stroke) is also a great machine. Identical to the liner apart from the stroke length. I haven't been able to achieve super smooth greys with it quite yet. I'm still experimenting with voltages and hand speeds. I'm still getting slight needle marks with darker tones that need layering to smooth out.

Overall i'm extremely happy with these machines and would highly recommend them to anyone. I'm continually impressed with Cary's machines and look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

Update: after experimenting with the shader i've found using it on 9.5 v and above (with the new easy-click needlerunners) the best for me. I've been able to achieve really soft gradations and used it to do this portrait of James Dean which i was pretty happy with.

James Dean..jpg