Turnermade

2012... The End is Here.

2012-02-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

The good people at LLL publishing have done it again! "2012, The End is Here", is an artistic look into how we perceive doomsday prophesies in this sensationalized year. Many of the worlds most talented tattoo artists are featured in this publication and I highly recommend you check it out. A big thanks to Zach and Ezra for inviting me to be a part of this amazing project. Ordering can be done via their website, www.lllbooks.com

Prints Available!

2012-01-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

Prints of this lovely mermaid lady I painted are finally available. They are 12"x18" on lightweight watercolor paper. $45 post paid anywhere in the US. International orders add $10. Paypal turnermade@me.com Thanks!

New Years Eve!

2011-12-31T20:09:00.000-08:00

2011 comes to a close this evening! I'm happy to say that I'll be celebrating in the comfort of my home with my beautiful wife and daughter. It's been a fantastic year and I'd like to say thank you to everyone who got tattooed and purchased machines in 2011!

Everything at the shop has been great and I hope for many fruitful years to come for the wonderful Hell Bomb Tattoo family. Ben Siebert is now in Austin, TX with Jason Brooks of Great Wave Tattoo, but he'll always have a home here in Wichita. Thanks to Kevin, Heath, Megan and Hannah for putting up with my shit on a daily basis. I'll try to stop rambling now and get down to some business....

I'm making big strides to streamline the tattoo machine production part of my business and will be back to taking orders starting in February. I'll be offering an array of choices for frame styles and my rotary model will also be available. Check back in about a month for the whole scoop.

In tattoo news, I'll be sharing a booth with Ben Siebert at the Star of Texas convention Jan. 13-15th. I've got a few more opening, so email me (turnermade@me.com) if you'd like to set something up. I'll have a few machines with me as well, so if you're in the market for one, stop on by. Cheers! - Steven

New Milton Zeis Tribute Book...

2011-11-25T23:11:00.000-08:00

A big thanks to Mr. Scott Boyer for inviting me to be a part of his book project honoring the life and work of Milton Zeis. It features an amazing amount of talented tattooers paying homage to the historic flash he created from the 1920's through the 1970's. If you'd like to get a copy, it's scheduled for release in early 2012. Pre-orders are now available through Yellow Beak Press.

Tattoo Artist Magazine Blog...

2011-10-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to Dawn Cooke at Depot Town Tattoo for the mention in the new Tattoo Artist Magazine blog. I'm in good company on this list that features some of my favorite tattooers. Click the banner to check it out.

Got to do this fun hand tattoo last week. Thanks Lyle for being a trooper!

Winter is a coming...

2011-10-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

Things have been so hectic lately! I'm certainly not complaining... I'd much rather be overworked than bored to death.

First off, I just got back from getting tattooed by Thomas Hooper in Brooklyn. It was a fantastic experience and I'd like to say thanks to everyone at Saved for being so cool. My good friend Andy and I got to see Portishead which is something I never thought I'd do in my lifetime. Good times.

Thank you Thomas.

Portishead at the Hammerstien Ballroom.

MOMA

In other news, I have constructed a chicken coop. It's been nice working on something that isn't tattoo related. I grew up on a farm just outside Wichita and it's nice to have a bit of that in my backyard. One of these days I'm gonna move back to the country, but utill then, this will have to do.

Here's a couple of new painting projects I've finished recently. Thanks for looking!

New tattoos!

2011-09-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks Ashley!

Cover up in progress...

"Portrait" of Wichita's infamous Larry Keith on Mr. Heath Leffel

In progress. Thanks Ant!

A few new tattoo machines!

2011-09-16T11:10:00.001-07:00

Twitter!!!

2011-08-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

So, I'm on twitter. If you wanna witness all the ridiculous things I have to say.... then follow me. Do it now.
@thatsteveturner

Get Rad!!!

2011-08-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

Wichitans, mark your calendars. This Saturday evening there is going to be a fantastic art show happening at the Commerce Gallery. "Get Rad" is a skateboard themed art show put on by Matt Headly of Red Sea Tattoo and Chris Trenary of Notes and Noises. The roster is killer! I'm sure it's going to be a great time. Thanks to Mr. Headly and Mr. Trenary for letting all of us at Hell Bomb be a part! Check out the website for all the info and list of artists.

Finally! Some industry media we can appreciate.

2011-07-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

Check out this great Dan Santoro interview. Vice has done it again! It's interesting, fun, and insightful. I wish all tattoo related media was of this quality. I've got some major peeves about tattooers and their interviews. Most of the time they read like the back of a baseball card. The same old boring stats about how long you've been tattooing, where you have worked, ect. I think most magazines could do away with their boring format for interviewing and move to a standardized fact sheet, thus eliminating the trite bullshit and publish more pictures. I don't know about you, but that's what I'm after when I peruse a tattoo publication. I'm sure it's very much the interviewers fault, but who cares. My point is this- Dan's video is amazing.

On the same note, Marcus Kuhn's Gypsy Gentlemen is a fantastic peice of current tattoo media. A great insight as to what tattooing is really about for those of us who really care. Worth checking out. Hat's off Marcus!

Daily Grind...

2011-07-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Few new tattoos I've been working on...

Thanks Erik!

Thanks Ben!

In progress... Thanks Todd!

Thanks Tim!

Thanks William!

In other news, I'll be tattooing in Bowling Green, KY August 10th-13th. Contact Carters Tattoo (270) 843-1122 for appointments. Thanks!

Communication Breakdown...

2011-07-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

If you e-mailed me in the past 4-6 months and did not get a response, please try me again. I just cleaned out my inbox and tried to catch up on anything I might have overlooked. I'm not the most organized person.... and I'm a tattooer = ultra flakey at times. I apologize if I did not reply to your messages.

On a similar note... I'm going to be simplifying the way I take machine orders. From now on, throw a money order ($400) and a detailed note in an envelope and send it my way. Upon receiving your payment, I will email you to confirm payment and you will then be on the list! It's that easy!!! I'll do my best to accommodate your requests as long as your not too bossy. This will cut down on the back and forth via email and phone calls and will essentially get you your machine much faster! Everyone wins.

Rebuilds... I'm not taking anymore rebuilds at this time. It's been a super hectic summer and I'd really like to get caught up on the ones I already have. I'm planning on lifting this embargo in December when things slow down again, so stay tuned.

WOW! I need to get this blog updated!

2011-07-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

I have so much respect for the people out there who faithfully update their blogs. I can't seem to find the time, so.... my "blog" has turned into an un-updated, failed website. Maybe one of these days I'll have the time to really get on this and make it into what it really should be. Dare to dream. In the meanwhile, here's some pics of some of the things I've been up to. Now back to work.

Que Pictures.... Tattooing...

Thanks Lyle!

Thanks Rob, you're a trooper!

Thank you Jesse!

Thanks Rufas!

Thanks Carl!

Thank you Josh!

Thanks again Shelly!

Thanks Kevin!

Tattooing Devices...

For Ms. Karrie Blackbird

For Mr. Jerrad DeRossett

For Mr. Will Lollie

For Mr. Chris Lain

Check out these other blogs!!!

2011-04-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

Ben Siebert finally got himself a blog! Check it out here.

And why you're out and about on the internets... check out my friend Jordon's blog. Highly entertaining and very obscene.
Jordon the Barbarian!

A few projects finished....

2011-04-12T17:38:00.000-07:00

Finished up this koi fish tattoo. Teri was down with doing a wild color combo which made it even more fun. Thanks Teri!

Also finished up Shelly's cobra / rat tattoo. Healed pics coming soon.

Another koi. One sitting and another fun color scheme. I've been very fortunate lately to have clients who are down with taking their tattoo in fun directions. Hell Yeah!

Such a comedian...

2011-04-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

Oh Mr. Leffel, you are quite a character. Another installment of "this my life...". I've got a stockpile of these drawings somewhere. When I find them, I'll be sure to share them with the world. Heath really needs to get his comic book career off the ground. I really think the tattoo community would appreciate it.

On a more serious note, I built the machine pictured above for Mr. Weston Keisel. Thank you sir for your patronage.

Untitled...

2011-04-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

Fun henna style dagger I did a while back.

A few new machines....

2011-04-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Work.... it'll keep you out of trouble. Que pics.

For Chris Barnett

For Jason Brooks

For Neil Wilson

Above are a couple of custom hand-poke devices I fabricated. Fun little project.

Mr. Siebert... Texas bound.

2011-04-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

My good friend and colleague, Ben Siebert, will be leaving Hell Bomb Tattoo at the beginning of summer. I'd just like to say that is been a pleasure having Ben around both as a friend and a fellow artist. He'll be working at Jason Brook's Great Wave Tattoo in Austin, Tx. I wish him the best and can't wait to visit him at the new shop. If you reside in the Austin area, do yourself a favor and go get tattooed by Ben.... an amazing artist and on hell of a swell guy. Cheers Ben!

Tattoo By Mr. Siebert

Apologies for machine orders...

2011-02-13T17:46:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to apologize to anyone who had been waiting on machines. Things have been super hectic around the tattoo shop.... and needless to say, I haven't been spending as much time as I'd like in the machine shop. I'm finally getting some projects squared away and I'll be sending many of you your new or rebuilt machines very shortly. Thanks so much for your patience and support. If I were more than a one man show, I'd probably be a bit more efficient... but time is what it takes when they are handmade with love. Anyway... I'll quit whining and get my ass back to work. Cheers!

-Steven

Untitled...

2011-01-28T10:15:00.000-08:00

After staying up for a total of 40 hours straight in preperation for the Jet City tattoo expo... I prevailed! Went from 2 completed machines to 16! Then I was so tired and over it, I only took pictures of 2 completed machines. Ugh... they didn't even come out all that great. Oh well... I'm pretty over cataloging machines at this point, I'm way more into building them and getting them out in the world for people to use!

Did a few tattoos on the lovely people of the Northwest, had a few beers, a few laughs, and made it home in one piece. Que pics...

Tattoo Machines...

2010-12-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

Ran across this photo on the Blackheart Tattoo Blog. Just wanted to share it with you. Fucking awesome...

Zappers

2010-12-16T19:10:00.001-08:00

No news to report, just working my ass off in the machine shop. Here's one I finished up today for Aaron Coleman... Rogers style bulldog. Thanks Aaron!

Untitled...

2010-12-15T15:57:00.001-08:00

Just started this project the other day. Thanks Shelly. Hopefully next session won't be as painful.

Here's another fun one I was lucky to do last week. Thanks Cory for getting such a fun banger!

Getting things done...

2010-12-14T20:55:00.001-08:00

Here's a couple projects I've finally finished up. Sorry Malia and Teddy for taking so long. Your patience is deeply appreciated. Que pics...

For Malia Souix, Magnetic Tattoo

For Teddy Safarian, Tattoo Paradise

Not trying to name drop, just giving props to some amazing artists I really respect in our beloved industry. Thanks very much to the both of them.

Rainbows for all...

2010-11-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving eve is here. I can only express my feelings in the words of Charlie Kelly when he exclaims, "Oh my god, I don't care". I'm a bit of a grinch, sorry. To prove to the digital world that I'm not a total dick, I'm sharing with you one of my favorite pictures.... and it's a fucking rainbow! Took this picture out of the window in my machine shop. Just makes you want to listen to the Carpenters and drink White Zinfandel (IMHO)

I also wanted to share this picture of Jordon being worthless. It looks as if he is reciting a stardate from a Star Trek episode. He has one of those phones that at first glance looks like a fancy new touch screen phone, but upon further inspection, as the computing power of a commadore 64. At least I have a chair I could preform autopsies in if necessary. Hat's off to the people at Ritter Medial Supply for building quality equipment. This chair is over 70 years old and still killin' it.

Last but not least, here's a shot of our new shop sticker. Simple and informative. Stop by and get yours today.... they're free you cheap ass bitches. Wu-tang forever.

The Social Network...

2010-11-23T20:15:00.000-08:00

Long before I personally discovered Facebook or even Myspace, there was a sort of tattoo oriented social network called "Inked Nation". I hate to admit it, but I was a part of this site for a short amount of time. Not trying to justify my participation, but my m.o. was hustling tattoos and machines (sorry, but I've got bills... don't knock the hustle). Anyhow, it came up in conversation with a friend today and I was curious to see what "Inked Nation" was up to. After a quick google search, I found that it was pretty much defunct. I glanced back at my search results only to see that there is, in fact, is a social network geared towards the tattoo community called "Inked R Us".

Wow, a truly awful moniker, huh? I tried only to spend enough time on the site to have enough info (other than pukey asetetics) to trash it, but I struggled. After a bit of browsing, I stumbled upon this young chap. It's people like Jakub here that make this part of American subculture a grossly misunderstood one.

He's definitely not the worst by any means... but it's best to take the median of any caste to be their representative. You know, the dude who works at the head shop with too many eyebrow piercings. I know I'm overreacting, but isn't that what blogs are about? Bitching about somewhat ridicules topics to an unidentified audience? That's what I thought. If your opinion differs, then you can be friends with Jakub. Yep, that how you spell it. Dang.

Take a good look. This has been, and always will be fucking silly. I have my reservations about piercings anyhow, but eyebrows? Come on. It's a slippery slope. First the eyebrow, then the lip, then the bad dye job courtesy of you're girlfriend and a trip to Hot Topic. Boo, hiss.

I am Square.

2010-11-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

Going through some old pics from this summer. Thanks for letting me do a sweet tattoo on your hand Tim.

Here's a couple random pics from the machine shop... Kevin's off in the corner doing something ominous. The completed machine is for Mr. Gary Koblis, the raw frames are projects for Malia Souix and Teddy Safarian.

I know it's silly, but I'm really stoked on this Iphone camera app, the Hipstamatic. The four pics you see above were taken via this app. The name says it all. It's especially designed for tight pants Williamsburg hipsters to take shots of their friends riding fixed gear bikes and spending their parents money at trendy bars. Well done Hipstamatic. You've managed to develop a great product and completely poke fun at the hipster lifestyle at the same time. Hats off to you.

Ebayers beware...

2010-11-20T09:11:00.000-08:00

There is a Turnermade Tattoo Machine on Ebay right now. Nothing wrong with that, but this dude is bananas! His starting bid is $750! And that's not the worst part... He tried auctioning this machine months ago for $1200! Anyone who falls for this is a chump. I can build anyone a similar machine (maybe even a better one, given this machine is a few years old) for half that price. So, heads up - don't buy this crap.

Untitled...

2010-11-19T14:01:00.000-08:00

Just finished this rebuild up for Kyle Crowell. Thanks Kyle! Hope she runs better then she did before.

In other news, my counter guy here at the shop (Jordon) really sucks at the game "Unblock Me". I have completely ravaged the first 400 levels of this puzzle game. Jordon is barely treading water. I know this isn't really valuable information to anyone who is visiting this site for Tattoo or Machine purposes, but this is my way of making this more fun... which will make it way easier to commit to this shit. Sorry, but blogging is just not my forte. Que pics....

Oh snap, Jordon.

Dislike.

2010-11-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

Really??? I embrace technology, but sometimes you have to say "fuck youtube". Everyone's an expert.

2010-11-11T14:55:00.000-08:00

Winter is quickly approaching! I'm a winter kinda guy, I enjoy the cold and snow.... and I especially enjoy the couple months of hibernation in my machine shop. Listening to music, drinking coffee and making stuff.... it's doesn't get much better than that. On that note, I'm going to try to devote myself a bit more to this blog. I think it will be cathartic. Here's just a couple things I've been working on...

2010-10-23T11:35:00.001-07:00

This coming Friday, Oct. 29th... Don't miss one of the best tattoo art shows ever to be curated in the midwest! INDELIBLE will feature tattoo artist from all around the United States. There will be plenty of drink and free swag.... but don't forget your pocketbook, some of these fantastic works will be for sale! The show opens at 7 pm and will be kicking ass until around midnight. A short list of artists contributing are....

Thomas Hooper, NYC

Aaron Coleman, Mesa, AZ

Sky James, Loveland, CO

Ian Dana, Boston, MA

Andrew Sharp, Buffalo, NY

Will Lollie, Asheville, NC

Bailey Robinson, NYC

Malia Souix, Loveland, CO

Adam Rosenthal, Denver, CO

Jason Kunz, Burlington, WA

Jen Mumford, Ann Arbor, MI

Wes Carter, Bowling Green, KY

Dru Bias, Dallas, TX

Jason Boatman, Denver, CO

Jason June, NYC

Alex McWatt, NYC

Myles Karr, NYC

Cris Cleen, San Francisco, CA

Chris Erikson, Dallas, TX

Mando Rascoon, Mesa, AZ

...and works from everyone here at Hell Bomb Tattoo.

There will also be vitage drawings, paintings, and other curiosities from...

Sailor Jerry Collins,

Owen Jensen

Ted Inman

Stoney St. Clair

Sailor Barney Sr.

Milton Zeis

Percy Waters

Mike Malone

The whole shop will be there spinning records and talking shop all night. Let's kick off Halloween weekend properly! Come on down to the Tangent Lab and celebrate the art of tattoo!

Rochester... here I come!

2010-08-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

The Rochester, NY convention is this weekend (20th-23rd)! I've been slaving away in the machine shop the last few weeks trying to get a batch of machines ready. I only hope that someone is interested in purchasing some new zappers! Now I just have to pack... my least favorite part.

Above is a picture of a couple of rebuilds I recently finished for Neil Wilson (thanks Neil!). If you are interested in getting some machines rebuilt, just let me know. I only charge $125 per machine and that includes everything. Turn around time varies due to my workload and schedule... but usually does not take too long. Let me know if I can help get some of your old zappers back on their feet again!

2010-07-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

New machine I made for Mr. Kevin Wathke, the man who's taken the time to teach me anything I've ever wanted to know. Thanks very much sir.

2010-07-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have a back log of pics I'm going to be randomly selecting and posting up. Sorry about the lack of linear movement.

2010-01-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

Well, it's time. It's time to party. And if you party like me, then it's time to work. My idea of a good time is working. Might sound lame to some, but it's a jam... trust me. I'll be posting all kinds of random stuff. I hope someone out there in this great big internet gives a shit. We'll see.