Issue with the dial

[tattoolite]

Hi,

It's my first time here and I have not even started my business. Just received the PP and the Durarat ink from TAT through a friend who came from Atlanta, USA to Ethiopia.

I have been reading most of the forums threads which has been very helpful understanding issues I even never thought about.

I am currently facing an issue with the dial on the PP which I hope this wonderful community will help me solve.

First I had hard time to make it not to fall off the gun just by following the video instruction, i.e. just by pushing it onto the gun, however hard I did it, it eventually came off.

But then I found the "How to" page at http://tatstore.com/how_to.asp in the "Power Palette" section telling to "turning the dial right and left while pushing" and it actually helped and now it is not falling off.

My issue now is that the dial does not turn passed the notch as it should, rather the whole dial turns. I really have no clue how to make it hold tighter so that only the part of the dial with gripping surface turns.

I feel so hopeless, I am in Ethiopia so I have no means of dealing with this issue other than through Internet.

Kindly
/Ayehou
Tattoo-Lite

[Franco]

Ayehou and you have come to the right place for help. Although I can't see what you experiencing, I THINK I understand what is happening to you. It sounds to me as if you are trying to turn the dial in the wrong direction OR too far in one direction. The dial will only turn until it gets to the post on the other side. So, the dial only turns so far and then back in the other direction. I am going to send you a couple of pictures in an email because they are too large to attach to this post. The pictures will show you the post I am talking about. I hope it solves the problem and if not please post again and we will do our best to help you.

[Tat2guy]

Hi Ayehou:
Thanks for joining our family of tat artist and business persons. I would like to say that sometimes the nob on the top gets paint buildup and will keep you from getting a snug fit when attaching it to the airbrush. Clean the tip of the dial every time you brake down the gun. This will help. The dial will only turn so many times before you have to back down. This is the order it should be- air,alcohol, black, white, red, blue, yellow, orange, green, alcohol. I know there is a lot of information in this forum. As I'm sure some of it will apply and some won't but don't worry we will help get you off to a good start. We have a four day event we are leaving for today so I will check back when we get back. Tat2guy

[tattoolite]

Hi,

Sorry for my late response, but I was out of town on another business.

I really thank you all, specially Franco, very much for your effort to help me last time.

My issue has not been to which direction to turn the dial rather with the force it needs to turn it.
I managed to shove in a screw driver and by that separated the part with the gripping surface move counter to the upper part, and from then and on it worked fine, for some days.

But now I am having issues with it, since it now gets soo difficult to turn and in the process of me trying to switch colors the whole dial keeps falling of the gun.

You might have suggestion on how to make it switch more smooth.

My second question is, which might hold the permanent solution, about the 2 red colored holes you find on the dial located with about 90 degrees space from each other not on the part with the gripping surface rather on the upper part with the notch. Do you have any idea of the purpose that serves?

Kindly
/Ayehou

[Franco]

used the Power Palette and put it away without cleaning it first. It sounds as if the dial has dried ink in it and that is why it is difficult to turn. Other than that being the case, I would think you have a defective dial. The locking ball in the dial may have come off of the track and is causing the sticking.

The two red holes set at 90 degrees from each other are used for tightening the dial up when it gets loose. There are set crews in the holes that you can turn (although I have never been able to get them loosened in order to tighten them!) to tighten the dial when it gets so loose that the inks blend together because it isn't getting a tight seal on the color you want. My advice at this point is to have TAT send you a new dial and replace it. I would suggest having them do it the first time until you are more familiar with the equipment, but living out of the country may prevent that from being a valid choice. Sorry I couldn't more help and I suggest talking with TAT about the problem and seeing what they say because I am personally at a loss with what to do next. Good luck and be sure to let us know how you fix your problem.

[tattoolite]

The only positive outlook in this whole ordeal currently is trying to loosen it up by using this 2 red holes. I will see what I can do when I get back to my shop later on today.

But as you said, I guess it does not look good, specially considering that I am flying back to Sweden for a couple of months as of tomorrow and was supposed to leave the shop fully functioning to my employees.

I will call tat from Sweden and try to convince them to help me which i have failed to do so far by simply writing them a number of times.

Thanks very much so far for you support and will let you know the result of my trials!!!

Kindly
/Ayehou

[tattoolite]

Hello again,
I've been trying and really don't understand how to use this holes to tighten or loosen the dial. Any clue on how to do it would be soooo much appreciated.
Kindly
/Ayehou

[Franco]

myself and cannot get the screws loosened. You are supposed to use a small allen wrench (hex wrench). I have never been able to get the screws loose. I think the manufacturer uses Loctite on the screws so they do not back themselves out from constant use. That's one thing I haven't been able to figure out on my own. If you do get th dial apart you have to be very careful because there is a ball bearing inside that runs on a track and locks into position when you turn the dial. If you turn the dial you will feel it click? That is the ball bearing and you have to sure not to lose it. Once again, good luck. By the way, I haven't had much luck emailing TAT either so you might want to call their toll free international number 1-616.868.9722.

[Gwendolyn]

I'm brand new just got my system and all ready to go except for... I need some advice on how to turn dial with one hand while the other is holding stencil on customer? :confused:
Thanks
Gwendolyn

[Franco]

and we are going to get you started. I tried to post a couple of pics that show you how I turn the dial with one hand but there is something wrong with the uploading process.

I hold the dial in my fingers, place the end of the gun against my leg and twist. This action gives you the leverage necessary to hold and twist in one single motion. To turn in the other direction simply flip the gun and put it against your other leg. I also put fingernail polish on the dial to indicate where each color is and I don't have to hunt for them. I hope this helps.

[Gwendolyn]

:D Hey that's a great idea about using body parts. I will try that soon. My next question is about leaving ink in bottles and not in lines for a day or two will this clog up the PP? I thought it might be a good idea to get a extra set of bottle with tat off in them to clean after each use and save the ink in the bottles instead of pouring the ink back into the original bottles. Does anyone else do this? I'm liking the power palette it can be heavy but the time saved in cleaning mutiple airbrushes is great, and that I can switch colors without cleaning the airbrush everytime and putting new color in. I think it might be a great idea to have a another airbrush set up for custom colors
Gwen

[Franco]

for each of my PP's so when I am finished I can clean it out quickly. I run alcohol through the PP twice after each use. I do leave the paint in the bottle until the next time because it is an extra cleaning step if you put it back into the original bottle and you lose alot of ink that doesn't come out. Sometimes I change the ink bottle for a new when I start to see little chunks or flakes in the bottle because I don't want them making their way to my gun during an event.