Hybrid, Brush On, Quick Dry or Long Lasting ink. Which one should I buy?

Well that depends. All of our products are durable and waterproof, however, most of our customers use Quick Dry ink for tattoos and Hybrid for bodyface painting. As the name says, Quick Dry dries quick and that is very important when you have a line of customers waiting to give you money for an airbrush tattoo. Spray it on and powder the final layer and you are done. A properly applied and well placed Quick Dry tattoo will last up to a week to ten days. Hybrid has a higher pigment concentration than the other products, so it’s ideal for body painting. It also doesn’t have to basically wear off like the other products. Hybrid can be removed with soap and water…and a bit of scrubbing. If you want that extra bit of durability and you have a little extra time, then our Long Lasting ink may be your best option. Long Lasting ink is applied in layers with a dusting of powder between each layer. This allows the ink to instantly set before applying the next layer subsequently allowing the finished design to wear off in layers giving your design up to two weeks durability. Brush On ink is very thick and must be applied with a brush or sponge. It’s great for line work and adding small details to your temporary tattoos.

Why is my white Hybrid paint clumpy, even after shaking?

The Hybrid white has a very high pigment concentration to give it exceptional coverage. Because of this plus the nature of titanium dioxide, the pigment will stick together and settle heavily to the bottom. If you shook for at least a minute and it just isn't enough, try pouring about 1/4 of the paint into another container and then shake the bottle. Add the poured out part back to the bottle and shake again. You can also add something to the bottle to help break apart the pigment clumps. Make sure you use a non-conductive material like stainless steel bearings or small glass beads or marbles.

Why is my ink spraying thin and watery?

This is a simple fix. You are either using an airbrush with a nozzle that is too small or your air pressure setting is too low, you’re not shaking the ink well enough, or your nozzle is really dirty. Most of the time, a small nozzle is the culprit. Many import airbrushes say the tip size is 0.5mm but in reality it’s more like 0.3mm. If you are using a Paasche, Badger, or Iwata airbrush you can trust the tip size is as advertised, otherwise demand a 0.8mm tip just to be safe.

Why is my ink goopy and is clogging my gun?

The only thing that can make ink get goopy is water. Our ink is unique in that it is manufactured with pure alcohol that contains no water. Take a look at your operation and make sure you aren’t getting water mixed up in your ink. The biggest culprit of water in the ink is using Isopropyl Alcohol that has too much water. Even though it says that it’s 90% pure that is still 10% water and can cause issues with your equipment. The best product to use for equipment cleaning is Denatured Alcohol. Denatured alcohol is available in the paint section of your local Lowe’s and Home Depot or any other store that has a paint department.

What PSI should set my compressor?

If you have a dual action airbrush, and you should, you can control the amount of air and ink at your fingertip. We recommend setting your pressure around 35 – 40psi for the Long Lasting formula and 20 - 25psi for the Quick Dry.  Hybrid can spray as low as 5 - 10psi if you are spraying around the face and eyes. These setting will solve a lot of problems. It keeps the ink flowing and it help speed up the whole process and when you have a line of people waiting to give you money for a tattoo or artwork, time is of the essence. If you are still concerned, crank up the pressure and spray air on your arm. It won’t hurt your skin and if it damages your airbrush, you need a better airbrush.

Why are my Quick Dry or Long Lasting tattoos only lasting a day or two?

If you follow the instructions in our How To manuals and apply the tattoo just like the videos on our website, they will last a long time. Remember that placement (areas that are oily or contact clothing), lotions, oils, and other outside forces can cause problems too. We have thousands of worldwide customers that spray tattoos every day with no problems at all. If you’re having a problem, we’ll be happy to help you figure out what is happening in your particular situation.

Do you have to powder between layers with Long Lasting Ink?

Yes. Our Long Lasting Ink is designed to be applied in layers. When you apply a layer of ink and then powder you are creating a series of designs on top of each other that will wear off in layers, thus extending the life of the design. Powdering a layer takes a couple of seconds. If you don’t have that much time then this particular ink is not your best choice. Try our Quick Dry Ink. This formula only requires a final layer powdering. We also have the Hybrid, an alcohol based body paint that requires no powder at all, but will only last about a day.

Why is air is bubbling up in my airbrush supply bottle?

If the airbrush is doing this right out of the box, more than likely it has a mechanical problem. Call customer service where you purchased the airbrush and let them help you. If the airbrush has previously sprayed well, then most likely the end cap is dirty preventing the air from properly flowing out of the gun and blowing the air back through the supply bottle. Carefully disassemble your gun and thoroughly clean and reassemble the parts. Make sure you to properly reseat the needle in the gun. Always clean your equipment with denatured alcohol only. Rubbing alcohol just won’t cut the ink.

Why is my dual action airbrush sprays ink without pulling the trigger back?

Your needle is most likely stuck in the open position. Remove the back cover of the airbrush and pull back on the trigger. Make sure the needle is moving in and out as you move the trigger. If the needle isn’t moving then it’s stuck in the airbrush. Loosen the fitting on the rear of the airbrush and pull the needle out. Clean it thoroughly with denatured alcohol and re-insert it. Use only finger presser to seat the needle into the tip. Now tighten the needle holding fitting and try moving it with the trigger. This should solve the problem.

Do I have to use a dual action airbrush?

Not at all! The advantages to a dual action is that you can use it as an air gun to blow off excess powder by pressing the trigger down and not pulling back. You can also draw very detailed lines by controlling the amount of air and ink coming out of the airbrush. If all you are doing is spraying stencils and not doing a lot of blending and fading, you can get by with a single action but make sure you get a quality single action airbrush. A cheap import is never going to be as good as a quality built Paasche, Badger, or Iwata airbrush.