Hey Guys,

i have an a-5 and was wondering if i should polish my internals. Does it make a noticble difference? does it increase efficency? is is hard to do? and is it to risky to do?

I know there has been alot of posts like these, but i havent found the right answer.

Thanks Guys, wouldnt know what to do without u.

better air effiency is all i noticed.

it can be risky but for sure dont use sandpaper. besides that any moron can do it.

I prefer using scotchbrite as a polishing media , steel wool works, but can remove too much material too quickly .

I'll PM you with details over the next few days .

Some say Polishing the internals voids the warranty , but thats unverified .

There should be some good detailed instructions on "model98.org" . Look for posts made by NaturalNewb , other posts there may or may not be as accurate and helpful .

S\/\/4T-L()G4N wrote: carl_the_sniper wrote: better air effiency is all i noticed. it can be risky but for sure dont use sandpaper. besides that any moron can do it. Glad to see you still post stuff you don't know what you are talking about... One reason not to use sandpaper (please...)

i dont get what you problem with my post was?

I'll give you a good reason not to use sandpaper... it is an agressive remover of metal and all you really want to remove (Ideally) is overspray .

This is a case of where too much enthusiasm might ruin your recievers , scotchbrite , or some other less robust means of removing the powdercoating from the inside of the recievers would be , IMHO , a safer choice for novices .

true but that makes using it useless.

for me at least its hard to find something over 600 grit

Most kids will grab whatever sandpaper is lying around the house , say for refinishing furniture , whats that 230 to about 400 grit ?

I've worked in the metal finishing industry for a number of years and am familiar with surface finishing of every type you can think of , and a few most will never see . If I were to use sandpaper at all , I would start with 1000 grit carburundom paper , its not that it cant be done with sandpaper, its just more likely to be a grit unsuitable for the purposes we talk about here .

^^^^ I'd recommend that for the outside of the marker ,if you're gonna paint it .

BUT NOT for a surface you are going to try to polish !!

First off , the recievers Tippmann sells for the 98's are POT-METAL , thats an alloy of Zinc and Aluminum , it does NOT anodize well , and is very rough as a byproduct of the DIE-CASTING method of mass producing them . They Powdercoat them because it is an efficient , less environmentally harsh way of putting a durable finish on metal . Removing this powdercoating can be done by :

Mechanical means , Ie: sandpaper , sandblasting , scraping etc

Chemically , Ie Paint stripper , Methyl Chloride , M.E.K. , Acetone , ad nauseum ,,,

The means used determine the precautions that are appropriate . Whatever means you use , BE CAREFUL , and get familiar with the procedures used before you try anything !! (both for personal safety reasons , and for the sake of preventing damage to your marker ) , all work equally well ,if done properly , JESUS !! Some people dont believe there's more than one way to do anything,,, there is ...

Polished internal is an awesome performance enhancement to your marker if done properly . If not done properly it can lead to a lot of frustration , thing is , its not that difficult to do .

The best tool you can use to polish your internals is your head , THINK ,,,,,

I will try to post a pictoral of polishing internals tomorrow , along with a simple procedure to "Micro-hone" . I will be using materials commonly found in most households and listing precautions to those enthusiastic , but inexperienced individuals that believe "a little is good , more is better" (sandpaper users , thats YOU GUYS !! )

Edit : I see somebody posted a link to model98.org and the polishing "How to" there , thats the same way I polished mine , so nm on the duplication of effort .