Just got the power system and have a couple questions...

[FauxWild]

Hello Tat forum! Thanks to ftlosm for your help!

Just got my Power system yesterday and played with tat's on the kids. It came with the Spectrum 2000 temporarily (to be replaced by the PP.) I must say I HATE the Spectrum. Is the PP better?
Problems, it is unbalanced because of it's shape and wants to fall over. (I know the pp is wider)
It takes soooo long to clear out one color and go the the next. (Wasting ink!)
The color change dial takes two hands to turn it. Plus, the dots don't indicate the color so you count, spray oops. More wasted ink.
As a newbie, I find it difficult to hold the stencil flat against contoured body parts and not get overspray under the edges of the stencil. Practice practice practice.
Also...Duratat ink on my hubby's back left a perfect tattoo on my nice white sheets when he went to bed. I did forget to clean him with alchohol first though.... OOps.

[drcorey]

Originally Posted by FauxWild

Hello Tat forum! Thanks to ftlosm for your help!

Just got my Power system yesterday and played with tat's on the kids. It came with the Spectrum 2000 temporarily (to be replaced by the PP.) I must say I HATE the Spectrum. Is the PP better?
Problems, it is unbalanced because of it's shape and wants to fall over. (I know the pp is wider)
It takes soooo long to clear out one color and go the the next. (Wasting ink!)
The color change dial takes two hands to turn it. Plus, the dots don't indicate the color so you count, spray oops. More wasted ink.
As a newbie, I find it difficult to hold the stencil flat against contoured body parts and not get overspray under the edges of the stencil. Practice practice practice.
Also...Duratat ink on my hubby's back left a perfect tattoo on my nice white sheets when he went to bed. I did forget to clean him with alchohol first though.... OOps.

yes, the PP is sort of tats version of a better color system.
the spectrum is not balanced good and the paint lines are very thin.
I couldnt even get the dial into the airbrush when I got my system.
I got so frustrated I asked them for a multi-gun system untill my pp was ready. I got a second gen pp. I think they are having problems getting parts in for all the orders they got. I like the pp better than the spectrum. I just have problems holding it in my hand and spraying tats.

[ftlosm]

The part about the tat leaving an image on the sheets scares me a bit, altho I haven't used duratat inks I haven't heard of anything like that happening before, was it right after the tattoo was applied?

[FauxWild]

Well, I did not clean his skin before applying the tat, but he had showered an hour before so he wasn't dirty per se. Then we were up for about 3 more hours before going to bed. I'll attach a picture of the sheet. I'll let you know if the ink comes off!

I am also wondering if I put on too much ink. Should you "feel" it when it's dry? It didn't look too thick, but it had a tacky-ness to it later. Hmmmm

[jeffwisz1]

Originally Posted by FauxWild

Well, I did not clean his skin before applying the tat, but he had showered an hour before so he wasn't dirty per se. Then we were up for about 3 more hours before going to bed. I'll attach a picture of the sheet. I'll let you know if the ink comes off!

I am also wondering if I put on too much ink. Should you "feel" it when it's dry? It didn't look too thick, but it had a tacky-ness to it later. Hmmmm

Hello FauxWild,
I use the duratat, and the spectrum for now. First on the contour of the skin: You should watch some of the video's, they give alot of helpful info on giving a tat, but you have to sort of "walk" the stencil. Its alot harder to say in words, but lets say your doing an armband: start by wrapping it around the arm, then you can start on one end and keep walking it around keeping the spray to the section that is flat to the skin, same thing when you have a contour: start maybe in the middle ( which causes the outer sides to come off the skin ) and then let the outer sides lay flat so you can spray them next.

For the dial: you have a little screw in the center underneath the dial, you see it by looking at the dial up side down in between the hoses. You may want to loosen that a little ( not to much ) to give you a little extra freeness with turning the dial- I had the same problem, but now I can turn the dial freely with one hand while holding the stencil with the other.

For the unbalance, you will have to hang the spectrum on a hook, or whatever you feel is right.

And last the spray, you always want to pull back on the trigger just a little, and spray a couple of thin coats over the stencil, if you try to do it all in one shot, your tat will peel or run. Then when you are done with the tat, you want to apply some baby powder to it, causing it to dry instantly ( to where you can show them by rubbing your hand over it without it coming off.

Hope this helps, give me a call if you need further assist ok

Jeff

[FauxWild]

I played with some more tats today on my own leg. Ooooh a butterfly garden! I see what you mean about building up the layers so it isn't sticky. I'll have to get some powder too. Flushed out the spectrum and going to wait for the PP. It's easier after only a couple more tries. Here's to thousands of TAT's !

[tatdiva]

This is making me think I definately DON'T want to order from TAT, they shipped out a system you DIDN'T order until they are able to ship what you did????? Bait and switch if I've ever heard it! I think it's illegal to do that. Isn't the PP still what they advertise??? Is that what you ordered and thought you would get???? I'm very cursious! WOW, they sound like completely different systems to use too.

I'm going to research my options outside of TAT, that's for sure.

[worliness]

color changer systems. In most cases, they are contacting the person about sending the Spectrum instead of the Power Pallet. They are different, but the way they work is very similar. They have some parts on the PP that are on backorder (or something like that). You can also get the 7 gun system instead too. We have 2 PP, 1 Spectrum, and a 7 gun system. I still prefer the 7 gun, but I like the color changers as well. I just have small hands and have trouble turning the dials with one hand. We were able to start this business due to TatStore's financing. We did change our ink over to EBA, but that is a personal preference. We still get everything else from TAT. If you don't like TatStore, don't buy from them. They are a good company, that has had some problems getting as many parts as they are selling.

[tatdiva]

Thanks for the reply. It does sound like TAT is having some problems, but not being very upfront about them, at least from some of the people I've heard from.

No matter, I like the forum and the freedom to say what's on my mind without being monitored.

Have you heard about the Quick Color Changer system that has been mentioned here several times? How would I order one of those?

[FauxWild]

Hey again. I knew I was getting the Spectrum 2000 instead of the Power Palette. It's temporary, and they will ship the PP to me and I return the Spectrum when the parts are available. It had a piece that was backordered. I asked them about it before I ordered and felt better.

I think getting the spectrum in the interim was better that being told I get nothing 'till the PP is available. I already know how to use an airbrush, and clogging when the brush isn't in use was a big problem. That's why I chose to go with a color changer system. When and if I get busy in the biz, I might choose to have separate brushes.

I tried piecing together systems from various sources online for a couple weeks before I ordered the starter system. It always came out more expensive, or darned close. Plus I was worried about all the different sources I would have to track down if I had a problem with things not working together.

ABOUT INK! The duratat is cool because it is water based. I was reading about the EBA and it doesn't last as long but it's water based too. Who has comparisons? The duratat sure gets built up in the cone of the brush after only a few tats. Maybe I will post this question separately!....