John Place's Airbrush Tattoo Setup 

I just bought this box and did it the way you did, and it is AWESOME! I have another kit from a big company, but I had a gig that needed two artists and I couldn't afford a whole another system yet. So I went to Menards, got the Fat Max and a $60 compressor, then went to Harbor Freight store and got guns, hoses and adapters, and the hole saw, and by the end of the day I had a whole second system for under $200. It was a real life saver! Thank you so much for making these videos!

I love making dedicated 'on the cheap' cases for each hobby/job type... This is a great idea to keep everything together.. Still useful half a decade later... :-)

Just did my first show with my new FatMax airbrush station. Since my system has a few more guns that yours, the only significant change I made was adding a wooden table that velcros on to the top with mounts to hold my gun racks. I bought this system second hand and the gal I bought them from came with me to help out. She'd done airbrush tattoos for several years and when we were finished she said my new portable station was a real improvement over the set up she sold me. She was very impressed with it's portability and ease of use. I gave you full credit for setting the example. Thanks for sharing!!!!!

Hey I just wanted to say that I did my first event with this setup and it was great !! It was neat, contained and my hoses did not get tangled, the bottom container even fit my Iwata power jet compressor which is a pretty big compressor , I can't think of anything I would change, except for that instead of the fan I just left the box open about half way. I did buy all Iwata brushes and I love them, I found a few discounted at pawn shops, but yea, I wanted to say thank you for the help 😁

I love your setup, very organized and practical. Cool

As a Canadian I bought this airbrush (Canadian Tire) on your use. This gun is amazing for airbrushing t-shirts. I have Iwata Eclipse bottle guns and let me tell you, I love the cheaper one better. It's a joy to use. Way less tip dry, works flawlessly with very little issues. As long as you clean it good it works great.

Thanks John! I was fortunate to have the investment money for one professional system to start out with, but I had a large event coming up in three days and needed more equipment FAST. (It turned out to be about 3,000 people throughout the day!) I watched your video and put together two more systems like this exact one. Compressors, hoses, and guns from my local Harbor Freight Tools, two of the Fat Max toolboxes from Home Depot, and paint and supplies from Michael’s and I was set. That was many years ago, but I still use these set ups on occasion. You really saved the day with all of your great advice! Thank you!

Such a great description and so informative. Thank you

I'm just considering starting to do tattoos. This was VERY informative. THANKS!

THANKS JOHN!!!!!! This is beyond helpful!!!!!!!

Awesome video - Thanks so much for sharing.

Just browsing and stumbled on to your channel. Watched and subscribed even though it looks like there werent any RECENT responses. Once I subscribed I then learned about what happened to you and so first and MOST important...DAMN I HOPE YOU ARE OKAY AND DOING BETTER !!!! Your health and well being comes first and Im sure youll come out on top. The info on your site is fantastic and definitely useful and thank you.

Oh my!!! Harbor Freight, $20 brushes, what a find. I’m excited to compare and wished I would have known about this 2 airbrushes ago.

Hey John this is quite amazing set up! Very informative and inspiring....headed to Amazon to add to my cart! Thank you!

I will be buying the Stanley Fat Back tomorrow for storage of my airbrush equipment. Thank You! for your ideas and information on convinece and storage.

Wow thank you for all this amazing info 🙌🏼🙏 I recently got into airbrush and looking to upgrade to something like this but was overwhelmed trying to figure it out myself . Just thank you , this is awesome

A great lot of info John. I was going to get an airbrush set up for modeling, but I'd also like to try and make some money at it too. This was very useful for me. Thanks, keep it up.

for beauty makeup.. I would use the top feed airbrush. But yes. they would work fine

Have to give u credit, you are one smart man. This is a Herat idea.

I use Pro Aiir for their Hybrid and Phenix inkx for their inks

Thanks so much for sharing this. It was very informative for someone like me who is just starting out in this business. Thanks Again!

Very nice ! Thanks for the great information :)

Really like your setup very helpful when I do another event! TY!

Thank you very much! Great tips!

Just what I was looking for!!

I need to do this off grid. I have google like crazy many different combinations of words trying to find a set up like yours but to be used outdoors in the streets or at the beach

I'm thinking about buying another FATmax just to show how to make it. maybe next week.

Awesome. You have some fantastic ideas!

love this box, awesome

I just did a complete video on how to build this. look on my channel. thanks for watching.

so cool john

My first kit cost me 200bucks. After that i picked up iwata eclipse brushes on ebay for half or less priced new. But tcp is great start but there compressors are iffy mine died after week but tcp replaced no questions asked.

Nice Set UP, I'd seen you on Heather's You Tubes, but didn't realize you were a face painter also...anyway, I've been interested in doing air brush tattoos but hadn't started, I just freehand face paint, my son used stencils and sponges. I've been trying to get him interested in air brushing....anyway, thanks for the post...

Man i want to do this so bad but my compressor wont fit in this. its a silent California tools compressor but its to wide to fit inside. What a bummer.

Oh my...this is fantastic, thank you so much for sharing your tricks of the trade..i was just at my nieces birthday and one of the mothers did a tattoo on her boys arm..i don't know what she used but he had it on for almost 3 weeks...wow. I would love to try this at a local fair. What colours would you recommend to start as well as where to get stencils, i'm only interested in doing the body tats not face. If you have any other great tips i would be greatly appreciative..thanks so much

I have the compressor set to auto shutoff once it reaches the right psi. it has a tank.

John Place can you make a tutorial on how i can extend the button with a wire so the button is on the side/top of the fatmax box? i hate to open and close it just for 1 button i had a plan to remove the button and add wire then put the button on top/side and wire it up but im not sure if it will work. Thanks

That's hella creative

This looks awesome. You really got it all stream-lined. My only question is, did the lid to the paint bottle with the airbrush connector come with the guns or did you buy it separately? I dabbled a bit in airbrush painting previously and that darn little cup was so aggravating. Connecting straight to the bottle would be a huge improvement.

Hi John I face paint and bought my paasche air compressor & air gun (Paasche bran - both) recently. Wish I had seen your tutorial! Well now that I saw it will follow you as a guide. Where do I get a Fat Mat case like yours? I have one one only but I have a Harbor Freight store down the stree from me and will buy a case of air guns like you. I want a case like yours so will follow you and hope I am not a pest. I love you and appreciate your tutorial so much!

Thanks John for your video but im going to do airbrush t-shirts in miami florida so i think that will do thanks and God bless you

Yes that i understand, maybe i put the question wrong,, for how long can you run the compressor before it overheats with the fan turned on.

video is awesome but I have ?'s regarding your manifold. was there any reason why you used the 1/4" manifold vs. the 1/8"? and what size fittings do u have coming off your compressor

I love this! Thank you, John! I was wondering about adding a couple more holes, too. It seems like I could if needed. Also, why do you put the fan in so it blows inward? Wouldn't having it blow out and suck the air out be just as good? It would also protect you from the blades. Curious minds want to know!

Great job on the video - this is a great option for an inexpensive set-up to get one up and running very quickly! What is the brand of the compressor you are using?

thanks, is there any way you can do a tutorial on how to install the computer fan on the Fat Max?

Great informative vid, thank you :)

I understand speed is of the essence, and having a manifold is convenient, but I am curious if you have ever considered quick disconnects for each of the airbrushes? It seems like a single hose with a quick disconnect on each airbrush, while a tiny bit slower, would eliminate any risk of tangled hoses with the added benefit of a clean and tidy workplace, which could save time in another place. Any reason not to go this route? Only reason I can think of is that those few seconds add up slowly over time, but I'm sure as you get more adept at using that kind of setup, it would be insignificantly slower. Any thoughts on this?

I get stencils from SillyFarm . com and from tcpglobal . com

really good video,, for how long can you work with your compressor non stop without getting it to overheat

How did you mount the compressor to keep it from knocking around when you move your kit?

Hi John. Where did you get the manifold set up? I can't seem to find one of these with the correct adaptors.

thanks a bunch!

lol pretty created i.d.e.a udid john smart very smart like to see ur work

my compressor has an auto shutoff. so it only runs for a few minutes at a time.

love it ..................... sandra good serch

Opinion please: Is there any reason NOT to use a CO2 tank for temp tattoos and if so what would that be? If you were to use a CO2 tank, how big would it need to be for a festival with constant use, vs a birthday party with maybe 30, 40 medium to small guests/tattoos?

Hi John, I'm just starting an airbrush tattoo business so this is very helpful! I've just found a Fatmax on amazon; I'm going to base my set up on yours and start with the basics to keep start up costs down. Would you recommend the business? I'm quite nervous about starting it, any thoughts? I'm going to do stencil tattoos. Thanks for a great video.

Hey John, I also use the proaiir paints and I have a question. When I'm spraying white or some select other colors my brush almost always gets clogged or just doesn't want to spray. Do you thin down your paints using alcohol in order to avoid this problem, or could the issue be with the psi (15psi), or my iwata airbrush nossel? I would love if you made a video doing a walk through of what you do to set up in addition some short cuts you've picked up along the way (cleaning, storing, changing multiple colors through one gun, what to do with extra mixed paint in the hopper instead of tossing it) If you already have a video on this I apologize in advance, I'm new to this channel. Thanks,Rich

I don’t know if anyone asked this yet. But where did yu get the fam from?

Thanks for watching :) Have fun

I have Iwata for personal use, but after watching this, I went ahead and purchased 4 kits from HF for my makeup artists at Fright Nights this year. I also would like to know where you keep your stencils?

Thanks

Thanks for all your answers! Would you recommend only using the Iwata hoses?

Thanks for watching :)

I am having trouble getting the paint to spray. Does it need to be thinned out alot before use...white is the biggest problem. face paint is knew to me I work mostly with createx textile paint. I made your case it's great but i used an exhaust fan for air to my compressor. I was scared to do my own wiring.

what is the reference of your airbrush please ?

What type of paint do you use for face painting?

Rock it out!

Good job bro. Keep on doing your thing. I want to get started and make money doing face painting and tattoos. What should a conservative price to charge my clients? I do appreciate any information you would like to share. Thanks again and best off luck out there. Also any recommendations or things I should have to get this started?

What compressor is that? How do I know what size hose fittings will match the hoses I buy?

Hi john, I bought the pheumtaic gun as you recommended, what kind of hose do i need? i have a iwata studio series compressor. thnks in advance

Hi John ... what brand of manifold is that ? And ... does Central Pneumatic do Gravity fed guns ?

Thanks :)

Oh i meant to ask..i'm in Canada so if you have a link to suppliers here that would be great..

what ink do you use? by the way great set up. i use the same box for my balloon animals.

Hey john, is it way better to have 6 different guns instead of just one?. Right now i have 1 airbrush siphon feed and i switch between colors. But on all videos ive seen about setups you guys have like 6 airbrushes even though your airbrushes are siphon feed. So i dont really understand why have 6 airbrushes instead of just one. Obviously i know theres a good reason, maybe because it dosnt mix colors but then instead of just cleaning 1 gun ill have to clean 6. It would be nice to hear what you think. Thanks!

hey Jhon i was thinking of geting in the bizz but was woundering how much do u charge by tattoo and for party's

Hello I am a newbie facepainter and I want to add airbrush tattoos to my gigs I ama makeup artist also so I was wondering if these guns are good for makeup also?

I had a cheap one like that it was ok at first then it stared working like shit I’d tather have a good brush that works flawlessly all the time but tattoos are a little diff then doing art work

For how long do you run your compressor and have you had any issues with it.

What kind of pie do used for tattoos

I have a question on the compressor..... how do you set it to keep it from leaking air?? I have a compressor like that and it leaks by the red ring

Where did you get your manifold/splitter price to hook up several guns

What size compressor? TC-20??

Where do you get the Manifold from?

Stanley fat max box Silley farm supplies = ( manifold , stencils , harbour freight tools pro air ink

Can you do my liltte brother a tattoos plz and how much you won't for it

What model is that compressor?

What's the powder for

What model is your compressor??

what kind of fan did you use?

No guarantee with a brush like that the little compressors are also junk

hi John can you add your email address this is Sandy's face painting I have question about airbrush

Silly Farm Supplies

I still don’t think it’s very good for compressor a few little holes and a few little fans can’t see that helps much

Like I say if you are not doing fine arts and fake tattoos might be alright but if you are doing a mural use the good shit at least the best u can afford

TCP global.com

TCPGlobal . kom

The side cup works like total shit