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Titan I & II:

Make sure the airbrush gun is hooked up to the compressor.

Is the compressor plugged in? Plug it in.

Is the compressor turned on? Turn the compressor on.

Does the regulator read pressure?

If not, pull up on the black regulator knob and turn clockwise until the pressure dial reads 25 psi, then press down to lock the knob in place.

      

If you have pressure registering on the dial but no air, most likely the air brush gun is dirty. Clean your air brush gun.

Overheating

The small compressor should never overheat. It does get hot while running; but if it over heats, it is because it’s over worked or has an air leak.

To check for air leaks, spray Windex on all fittings. Windex will bubble where air is leaking. Use thread tape to seal any connection where the air was leaking.

Titan II or large compressor:

Check the gauge and make sure the oil level is %uFFFD full. If not then add oil to fill %uFFFD way.

Do not use a compressor in a non-ventilated area. Make sure the compressor has sufficient ventilation.

When doing sunless tanning, insure that the compressor can "breathe" clean air.

Water in airline

Titan I:

Empty the water trap (the glass chamber on the bottom of the regulator). While the compressor is on, turn the tab to the down position and exhaust all the water from the condensation chamber. If water is still is in the line, disconnect the line from the air brush gun and blow air through the line to clear the water. Repeat as often as necessary.

Titan II:

This can be a very messy task. Before you begin, place towels under the compressor. Locate the screw on the lower left side of the tank. Open up the screw while pressure is in the tank. Air and moisture will blow the water out of the compressor. This procedure should be done daily, weekly or monthly, depending on the humidity in your area.

The compressor will not run if it has overheated. Check the "Overheated" section above.

Check the cord connection.

Lower the pressure in your tank on the Titan II.

Regulator will not turn.

Pull up on the knob. Determine the direction you will need to turn the dial: If the compressor runs and shuts off and the gauge reads O, turn the knob clockwise. If the compressor runs and shuts off and the gage registers pressure, the knob needs to be turned counter clockwise.

You may have to clench the knob with a tight fist to break it free.

Continuously running.

The compressor should not run continuously. You will need to check for air leaks. Check the overheating section above for how to check and repair air leaks.

Gauge does not register any pressure.

Make sure your equipment is connected to the compressor.

Make sure your regulator has been adjusted. Lift the knob and turn the regulator knob clockwise until the gauge shows 25 psi pressure. Press down on the knob to lock in place.

See: "No air from the compressor to airbrush gun".

Keeps turning off and on.

Check for air leaks as described under the overheating section.

Runs very slowly.

Check the air pressure regulator and make sure it is set at 25 psi.

Titan II:

Clean the air-intake filter or replace the air-filter. Make sure the rubber cap is not over the air filter. The rubber cap should only be used in transport.

Note: Never let the Power Palette sit idle with ink in the lines for more than one week

Check the ink bottles to insure the ink bottles are screwed on tightly. Make sure the threads on the bottles are not damaged; if they are, you will need to order new bottles.

If this does not stop the air leak, remove the ink bottles and check the seals on the Power Palette. If a seal is cracked or damaged, you will need to order new seals.

Leaking air at connection to compressor fitting.

Loosen the 1/4" nut, apply thread tape to the threads reattach and tighten it to the compressor.

Leaking air through the quick release on all black hoses.

Quick release the black hose, cut one inch off the black hose and push it back into the quick release.

    

To prevent this problem, position the Power Palette so there is never any stress or pulling on the black hose.

Leaking air at the regulator.

Check the screws at the regulator connection and make sure they are tight.

If this is not the problem, check the gasket. Is it properly placed? Remove the regulator by loosening the two screws that attach it to the board. The gasket sits between the regulator and the board. Check the regulator and board for damage; make sure the gasket is in place. Reattach the regulator.

Remove the pressure gauge, thread tape the threads and reattach the pressure gauge.

Leaking air between the board and the caps.

Remove the cap, check the gasket for proper placement. Tighten the caps to the board.

Leaking air where black air hose screws into airbrush gun.

Make sure the connection is tight enough. If this does not solve the problem, check the

black hose for the O-ring seal. If the O-ring is missing or damaged it needs to be replaced.

You can also thread tape the airbrush gun at the black hose connection.

Leaking fluid at the octoport.

Check the octoport for any damage.

Tighten the octoport down. If this does not work, check the gasket between the octoport and the board. Make sure the gasket is placed correctly and is not worn or damaged.

Leaking fluid where the hose connects to the octoport.

Make sure the hose is pushed all the way onto the barb.

If the leak is clearly in the hose (within 1/4 " from the barb), remove the hose from the barb, cut the hose above the leak, and reattach the hose to the barb. Make sure the hose is pushed, all the way to the base of the barb. If it continues to leak, the barb may be damaged and may need to be replaced.

Leaking fluid at the regulator.

Reference "Leaking air at the regulator" section above and "Colors are back flushing into other lines or mixing with other colors" under the Power Palette section (next page).

Check the post leading from the dial to the air brush gun. If the post has a nick or scratch on it, leakage will occur at the dial. Make sure the post is smooth.

Firmly push the dial up into the airbrush gun.

Leaking fluid where the hose connects to the barb on the dial.

If the leak is within 1" of the connection, remove the hose, trim it past the leak and reattach. Also see "Leaking fluid at the octoport" section above.

Leaking fluid out of the lines.

A hole in the lines can only be repaired if the hole is close enough to the dial so you can cut the hose and reattach the hose to the dial or octoport

Dial will not turn.

Make sure the dial is pushed firmly into the airbrush gun.

No Allen wrench is included with your Power Palette. Do not try to take apart the dial in any way. If you do, your warranty will be invalid. If you have a problem with the dial, call TAT International.

Dial will not stay inserted in the air brush gun.

Make sure the post on the dial and air brush gun are clean. Firmly push the dial into the airbrush gun, turning the dial right and left while pushing.

The dial no longer "clicks" between colors.

The detent ball is missing. The dial will still function without the detent ball.

The Power Palette has been tipped upside down or laid on its side.

The Power Palette and board must be thoroughly cleaned with alcohol or TAT-off.

Remove all the fluid in the Power Palette and clean the board thoroughly with alcohol or TAT-off.

Put alcohol or TAT-off in each bottle, run the cleaner through the airbrush gun. After everything is clean, add the ink to your bottles and reattach the bottles to the Power Palette.

Nothing flows through the dial.

The post is clogged. Dial the valve to alcohol, remove the dial from the airbrush gun and clean the post thoroughly, then reattach the post to the airbrush gun.

Ink spatters and spits.

Check the level of ink in your bottles. Your bottles should be at least 1/4" full.

Your airbrush gun may be dirty. First remove the needle cap and clean the tip of the airbrush gun. If

this does not solve the problem, take the airbrush gun apart and clean it thoroughly.

If the above two suggestions do not work, check your lines for holes. If you have holes in

your line, and the holes are within 1" of the connection, you can cut the hose and reattach it. Otherwise the lines will need to be replaced.

Make sure your air pressure on the compressor is at or above 25 psi.

Changing colors is too slow. Ink flows too slowly.

Turn the pressure on your Power Palette up. Your Power Palette pressure gauge should read between 3 and 15 psi depending on your personal preference.

Colors will not spray.

Make sure your compressor is turned on and the pressure reading on the compressor is around 15 psi. Make sure your pressure regulator on the Power Palette is reading between 3 to 15 psi.

If this does not solve the problem, back flush each line (see "back flush" section), refill the bottles with TAT-off, and flush all the lines. You may want to let the TAT-off sit in the lines overnight. Refill the bottles with ink.

If you cannot back flush any line, replace the lines.

Ink will not spray but alcohol/TAT -off will.

See "Colors will not spray" section above.

Ink is in the airline.

See section "Colors are back-flushing into other lines or mixing with other colors.

All colors are mixing together in the bottles.

See section on "Colors are back-flushing into other lines or mixing with other colors".

There is no pressure reading on the gauge.

The gauge may be stuck. Tap gently on the gauge with your finger. Make sure the regulator is turned up.

Remove the back of the airbrush gun, loosen the nut around the needle, pull the needle out, carefully clean the needle. Push the needle back into the air brush gun until it stops, tighten the nut around the needle and reattach the back of the airbrush gun.

If this does not solve the problem, you need to replace the #4 nozzle on your airbrush gun.

Leaking fluid at the trigger area.

Turn the pressure off, take the airbrush gun apart and tighten the seal (14B- refer to the parts guide) with a flat head screw driver.

If the problem continues, the seal may be worn and needs to be replaced.

Leaking air out the tip of the airbrush gun.

Make sure parts: #1,2, and 3 (refer to the parts guide) are tight.

Remove the single cut handle, part #19, loosen the needle chucking nut, #18, push the needle forward gently. Tighten #18 and reattach.

If this does not solve the problem you need to replace #4 nozzle.

Leaking air at the dial connection.

Tighten the dial connection by firmly pushing the dial into the airbrush gun while turning it slightly left, then right

Trigger does not spring back.

Disassemble the airbrush gun and clean it. Before inserting the trigger back into the airbrush, put a dot of 3 in One oil on the tip of the trigger.

There is no spray when pulling back on the trigger.

Remember to push down on the trigger first before pulling back. Make sure your airbrush gun is clean and pressure is turned up on the Power Palette and the compressor.

Misdirected spray.

Check part #4, the nozzle and #17, the needle for damage. If there is no damage, clean you airbrush gun thoroughly.

Ink splatters.

Remove parts #1, 2, 3, and 4. Clean thoroughly with TAT-off and reassemble.

The trigger does not pull back freely.

Refer to "Trigger does not spring back" section above.

Make sure the hollow section of the trigger is positioned in the airbrush correctly so the needle can pass.

Or: Remove the needle from the airbrush gun. Insert a small screw driver, (General 1/8 x 4 works

well) into the body of the airbrush gun, loosen the screw no more than 1/4 turn. Reinsert the needle.

The ink is not being applied correctly. For optimal wear, apply Duratat ink as follows:

Always clean the skin with rubbing alcohol before applying any airbrush ink to the skin.

Make sure the alcohol has dried on the skin, press the stencil design to the skin, hold the airbrush gun about two inches from the design and spray the ink lightly, in a sweeping motion over the stencil design. Sweep over the design at least three times, multiple thin coats are desirable. With experience you will be able to tell if you have adequate coverage on the skin. If the ink looks shiny and wet on the skin, you have used too much ink and the tat will not last as long.

When spraying the ink, focus spray on the edges of the stencil design. It is easy to spray the center of the design and have the edges fill in with the over spray, this will not, however, give adequate coverage to the edges of the tattoo. So remember to sweep over the edges of the design also.

Practice and experiment on your friends and family.

Instruct your customer on proper tat care: Do not rub or scrub the tat. After showering, pat the tat dry and apply powder it. If clothing rubs against the tat, it will have a tendency to wear off faster.

Ink is runny.

Duratat ink is a water based ink and has a watery consistency. The ink will run if it is applied too thick. Duratat ink must be applied in multiple thin coats.

Ink peels off with stencils.

Ink has been applied too thick and allowed to dry.

Duratat ink colors do not appear as they should i.e. black looks purple.

Duratat ink colors give the tat a more realistic tattoo appearance.

How do I store my ink?

Store Duratat ink at room temperature in a dark place. Do not store the ink in your car in the summer time. Do not expose the ink to freezing temperature.

Duratat white ink will not block out colors.

Duratat white is not designed to cover over other colors.

Orange and yellow do not show up very well. How can I make tattoos show up on dark skin?

Orange and yellow pigment is common in most peoples skin color. Spray a very thin coat of white ink on the skin before spraying the orange or yellow, the tat will show up nicely. This is true for all colors and skin types. A thin layer of white, for example, will cause the tat to show up on dark skin, no matter what color ink you are using.

The longer you wait before exposing the tat to water, the longer it will last. Wait 30 minutes to one hour before exposing to water.

How do I get Duratat ink out of clothing?

It is recommended that this process be used on clothing that is machine washable only: Immediately soak the spot with TAT-off, scrub then blot the area with a towel, repeat this process until the spot is gone. Wash clothing as directed on clothing label.

Bubbles are in the ink.

Do not shake Duratat ink. Shaking only makes the ink bubbly. The pigment does not settle, therefore, it never requires shaking. Let the bottles sit capped until the bubbles disappear.

How to back-flush your lines

Turn the pressure gauge on the Power Palette or Spectrum Color Changer to zero.

A higher pressure setting on your compressor will speed up this process. 35 psi is suggested, but you can back flush at 25 psi.

Turn the dial of your Power Palette or Spectrum Color Changer to access the cleaner. The cleaner is thinner than the ink and will bubble quickly if you are back flushing correctly. Put your finger over the tip of your airbrush gun, press down on the trigger and pull all the way back . Do not allow any air to escape between the tip of the airbrush gun and your finger.

When you see bubbles in the bottle at the end of the line your are clearing, the line is clear. Move your dial to the next color and repeat the process until each line is clear.

If you are intending to clean your system to be stored or transported, run cleaner through each line. After the lines have been back flushed, remove the ink bottles, pouring the ink into storage bottles, then clean and fill each changer bottle %uFFFD" full with TAT-off or alcohol. Turn the pressure up on your Power Palette or Spectrum Color Changer, run all the cleaner in each bottle through each line. Leave the clean bottles on your Power Palette or Spectrum Color Changer for storage.

Nazille ink, as well as all other alcohol based inks, must be shaken daily..

Ink is too thick.

Nazille ink can be thinned with 90%, or higher, rubbing alcohol. Mix one part alcohol to three parts ink, shake vigorously to mix. If the ink is still too thick, repeat the process until the ink is of the proper consistency.

Ink is too thin.

Take the lid off the bottle and let it sit uncapped overnight. Shake the bottle periodically to check for thickness.

How do I get Nazille ink out of clothing?

Do the following on machine washable items only. Soak the spot in rubbing alcohol and scrub with a brush, wash the clothing according to label directions. If the spot is still there, repeat the above procedure.

Nazille ink does not last.

Clean the skin thoroughly with rubbing alcohol before you apply any tat. Do not apply the ink too thin or too thick. If the tat looks shiny and wet, you used too much ink and the tat will not last as long. Practice and experiment on family and friends to test what works. Apply baby power or Talcum powder to the tat and instruct your customer to do the same.

Also instruct your customer on the proper care of the tat: Do not rub or scrub the tat. After showering, pat the tat dry and apply powder to the tat. Tats applied to the lower back area will wear off if the customer’s waist band rubs against the tat.

Nazille colors do not appear as stated on the bottle i.e. black looks purple.

Shake the bottles of Nazille ink vigorously. The pigment in the ink tends to settle so it is important to shake well before using. The colors in the bottle will look different when applied to the skin.

I did not get any bonus stencils.

Check your files again. Your bonus stencils (40 bonus stencils) are the same design as the regular stencil, only the size is different.

How do I apply designs with larger stencils?

Work on one section of the design at a time. Hold one end of the stencil down and spray that section, as you complete the section, roll or finger walk the stencil to the next section. Continue this process until the entire design has been sprayed.

The ink is not being applied correctly. For optimal wear, apply Duratat and Nazille ink as follows:

Clean the skin with rubbing alcohol before applying airbrush ink. Allow the alcohol to dry on the skin. Press the stencil design to the skin, hold the airbrush gun about two or three inches from the stencil, aiming at the mylar portion of the stencil in case it spits at first. Press down on the trigger and slowly pull back. When ink starts to spray, spray the ink lightly, in a sweeping motion over the stencil design. For best results, do not pull all the way back on the trigger. Sweep over the design at least three times, multiple thin coats are desirable. With experience you will be able to tell if you have adequate coverage of ink on the skin. If the ink looks shiny and wet on the skin, you have used too much ink and the tat will not last as long.

When spraying, focus on the edges of the stencil design. It is easy to spray the center of the design and have the edges fill in with the over spray but this will not give adequate coverage to the edges of the tattoo.

Apply Talcum powder or baby powder to the finished tat.

The ink was applied too thick. Refer to above section

The tat looks fuzzy.

Wait until the alcohol is dry on the customer’s skin before applying the ink.

Hold the stencil design firmly against the customer’s skin. Do not allow air or ink to get under the stencil.

Over spray

Hold the airbrush gun close to the stencil (2 to 3 inches away) while spraying the ink.

Splatting

Clean the tip of your airbrush gun. Remove the cap on the tip of the airbrush gun and clean it with a Q-Tip, squirt alcohol onto the end of your airbrush needle and nozzle, gently wipe it clean. Reattach the cap.

Splatting may also occur because you are pulling back on the trigger before you push down. So, push down first and then bull back.

I waste too much ink.

Don’t pull back so far on the trigger of the airbrush gun. Experiment on a piece of white paper to see at what point you start getting color. Push down on the trigger and pull back slowly. Practice

spraying your stencil designs in a thin, sweeping motion. Thin multiple coats are best.

See "Ink is runny when I spray" section above.

Can I use adhesive spray to hold large stencils in place.

You can but we don’t recommend it. At first it may seem awkward holding the stencil with one hand while spraying with the other but "practice makes perfect". Like learning to walk, the more you do it the better it gets.

Spray adhesives create clean up head aches, and self-adhesive stencils would be great for our business but not for yours. Because self-adhesive stencils are costly and not reusable, we don’t use them professionally.

How do I get pastels?

Turn your dial to the color you want to make pastel and spray a little color on a paper towel, without spraying cleaner through your airbrush gun, turn your dial to the white and spray. The color will be pastel.

The colors do not match the poster colors.

There will never be an exact match but they are a close match. Most customers will not be aware of the discrepancy and are happy when they see their tat.

Either your air pressure is set too high, or you are holding your airbrush gun too close to the stencil. Remember set the pressure on your compressor no higher than 25 psi and no higher than 15 psi on your Power Palette. Hold your airbrush gun two to three inches from the stencil.

Can I apply a tat to the face?

Yes with care. Duratat ink will last longer. Let the customer know the tat may be with him/her for longer than he/she would like. Any alcohol based ink should be kept away from the eye area.

Can I apply a tat to a baby or pregnant woman?

Yes.