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June 1999 Tech Tips
TIP #1 TIP #2 TIP #3 TIP #4 TIP #5
TIP #1 - 
MY HP AIR/NITROGEN SYSTEM HAS TO BE REBUILT A LOT.
One of the greatest enemies to any mechanical or pneumatic device is dirt dirt dirt. Having rebuilt a gazillion regulators of all types I can tell you this at the root of most problems that occur with regulators. One of the most basic ways to prevent dirt in your system is to keep a protective cover over the fill port of your air system. There are several after market companies making snap-on/ QD “aircaps” to put over your fill port as well as plastic slip-on covers and I have even used a female QD with a piece of paper towel wadded up in it to cover the nipple. Getting “clean air” is sometimes a problem as well, even the best breathing air filter if not replaced/ rebuilt often will allow “grime” into your system. This is something you as player can do nothing currently but ride your field operator etc… to keep his filter clean. |
 INSANIAC SEZ: PUT SUMTHIN’ ON THAT FILL NIPPLE GOOBER! |
TIP #2 -
MY MICROLINE
“BLEW UP”.
| One thing to remember about “microline” is that it is only rated at 800-850psi working pressure. CO2 if allowed to can build up much higher than that. Room temperature generally boils CO2 to 800-900psi but if you leave it outside on a hot day or worse yet let it set in direct sunlight it can build up to 1800psi. This will blow the microline every time. You also should always make certain that the line is completely inserted into its fitting before putting gas to the line (if the line blows out of the fitting it will whip the snot out of you). |  SEEING GUNS LYING OUT IN THE SUN MAKES INSANIAC LOCO! |
TIP #3 -
MY MOTORIZED
HOPPER (VL2000/REVO) KEEPS GOING BAD.
| There are many things can happen when dealing with electronics, shorts, glitches, gremlins etc…However there are a couple of things I can recommend to help extend the life of you loader. One common thing that happens is for the motor itself to “burn up”. This is generally caused by over packing the loader with paint, not allowing the impeller to turn freely enough. My rule of thumb is to fill the hopper till it looks full then pull out a handful (about ten balls or so). Another common area of concern is the electric eye in the neck of the hopper. Many guns squirt paint up into the hopper area when they smash/chop a ball. The common thing to do is stick your finger, squeegy, mop, paper towel etc… in the neck and wallow it around. This does two things it mushes the paint and dirt into the crevices around the electric eye, which can block light reaching the eye. Two is you may move the sensor itself out of place so that one “eye” is not in line with the other one on the other side. The best way to clean this area is to take the hopper apart, BUT if you’re not comfortable doing that at least be careful when “mopping” this area out. DO NOT squirt or run water in your hopper. Does a hair dryer work after you drop it in the tub --- NOT. |  PACKING YOUR PAINT SO THE IMPELLER CAN’T TURN MAKES INSANIAC HOPPERIN’ MAD! |
TIP #4 -
ARE
SLIDECHECKS A PIECE OF DOO-DOO OR WHAT?
| The answer is no they are actually quite handy to have. Many people have given up on them after rebuilding the o-rings inside of them a few times. You can avoid chopping these o-rings by sliding the slide sleeve with considerable force/speed. When you baby/gently slide it the o-rings have a tendency to want to “sop” down into the ports of the fittings there is where they get chopped by the port. Also a good quality o-ring helps. You may notice that some “bottle” o-rings are stiffer than others due to the grade of urethane used. Just like a lot of things in this world stiffer is better. |  ACCORDING TO INSANIAC: SLIDE THAT THING LIKE YOU MEAN IT! |
TIP #5 -
MY ON/OFF
TANK VALVE LEAKS AROUND THE KNOB WHEN TURNED ON.
| Inside those valves is an o-ring about the size of a ladybug. This o-ring can pop out of place when the valve is turned on and get ruined when the knob is screwed back down (turned off). To help prevent this happening it is a good idea to open the knob a mere ½ to ¾ turn as opposed to running it all the way out till it stops. If and when you do have to get this o-ring replaced you will want to request your air filler to replace it with urethane not rubber. As a matter of fact the very best o-ring I’ve found is actually an Airgun Designs RT reg valve pin o-ring. It is good and stiff and like all Airgun Design product is extremely high quality. |  INSANIAC SEZ: RUBBER DON’T CUT IT USE URETHANE WITH CO2! |
Erik Hoffman is not to be held responsible for any injury or equipment damage. Our recommendation is that all paintball equipment repair or modification should be handled by a competent and qualified airsmith or by the manufacturer of said product. Anybody using these tips should take great care doing anything to and/or operating any paintball equipment.