There have been many indepth discussions on this board on that topic .

 The oils you mentioned will work nicely , Hoppe's oil is the oil packaged with new Tippmann markers , so it would be the preferred lubricant , but as has been discovered , even WD-40 will work in a pinch (personally I dont recommend it tho,,)

Shadowminion wrote: There have been many indepth discussions on this board on that topic .  The oils you mentioned will work nicely , Hoppe's oil is the oil packaged with new Tippmann markers , so it would be the preferred lubricant , but as has been discovered , even WD-40 will work in a pinch (personally I dont recommend it tho,,)

Well, I still have (for 6 months now) "O" rings and Power Valve seals from a 98C soaking in WD-40. Original concern was that the solvent or some other component of the lubricant would damage these parts. Absolutely nothing has changed with these parts.

Once the solvent evaporated off the WD-40 became very thick, certainly a lot thicker than Hoppe's gun oil, but I have found no interference with marker function. And, the thicker oil appears to reduce scuffing between the hammer and the shells. There also appears to be less grit scratch and scuff marks where the "O" ring of the forward bolt slides into the barrel. I am beginning to like WD-40 more and more. But, as was said, the light oil that ships with the marker these days is Hoppe's. Just about any oil will work well in Tippmanns. Some better than others, but none have caused any problems that I have been able to discover.

Bruce A. Frank wrote: Shadowminion wrote: There have been many indepth discussions on this board on that topic .  The oils you mentioned will work nicely , Hoppe's oil is the oil packaged with new Tippmann markers , so it would be the preferred lubricant , but as has been discovered , even WD-40 will work in a pinch (personally I dont recommend it tho,,) Well, I still have (for 6 months now) "O" rings and Power Valve seals from a 98C soaking in WD-40. Original concern was that the solvent or some other component of the lubricant would damage these parts. Absolutely nothing has changed with these parts. Once the solvent evaporated off the WD-40 became very thick, certainly a lot thicker than Hoppe's gun oil, but I have found no interference with marker function. And, the thicker oil appears to reduce scuffing between the hammer and the shells. There also appears to be less grit scratch and scuff marks where the "O" ring of the forward bolt slides into the barrel. I am beginning to like WD-40 more and more. But, as was said, the light oil that ships with the marker these days is Hoppe's. Just about any oil will work well in Tippmanns. Some better than others, but none have caused any problems that I have been able to discover.

Quite True Bruce (and Pattison too) , but I still prefer to use a lubricant whose chemical and physical properties will remain relatively stable over time ! (at least until the next maintenance performed) .

 Bruce and I have done some extensive research and empirical testing in times past (from differing sides of the debate) and probably discovered as much evidence to support the other's opinion as our own ! I dont agree with him as far as using WD-40 as a primary lubricant , but I can find no harm in using it either .

Quite True Tallen , it is a penetrating oil and works well for that .

The changing Viscosity of WD-40 does cause problems in high speed pneumatic equipment if used ocasionally and left that way as happens quite often in production environments . I've seen countless air cylinders internals torn to shreds by the "MISUSE" of that stuff . Over time the "oils" will turn to a gummy varnish like substance , and thats my biggest beef with using WD-40 , or recommending its use to others .

The primary ingredient in WD-40 that makes it such a good penetrating oil , is a substance called "Stoddard solvent" , commonly known as Dry Cleaning Fluid .

Pattison and Bruce are correct in that this substance has very little if any chemical degradation of the orings in Tippmann markers ,,,, but again , this is my preference and experience that most users of "Lubricants" will assume if a machine (be it a marker or an air cylinder)was lubricated several months ago and stored , it will not need to be lubricated again anytime soon . Hence my attempts to steer general users towards more stable forms of lubricants .

Used the way you described , daily ,, I see no harm in its use ...

I do use WD-40 on things such as door hinges , car hood mechanisms and doors , and as a cleaner for removing built up caked on oil deposits on machinery .

TIPPYACT , do some research , like some of the rest of us have done , when you can find a compatibility chart put out by somebody reputable , Show it to us ..

http://www.engineersedge.com/general_design_engineering.shtml - http://www.engineersedge.com/general_design_engineering.shtm l

http://www.mcmaster.com/ - http://www.mcmaster.com/  

If not,, read these and get back to us when you understand it ....

TIPPY98ACT wrote: Hey clownshooter, do you think they know that petroleum based products over time will (eat) rubber and plastic?

Well, I have been soaking all the "O" rings and seals from the 98C for almost 6 months now. WD-40, Hoppe's Gun Oil, Cutters Air tool oil,  Remington Gun oil, wheel bearing grease and Quaker State motor oil. All are petroleum based (mineral oils) and nothing has changed.

Heck, I have even soaked them in peanut oil and olive oil...no change. Sealing Paintball markers is not the job for which these "O" ring and seals were originally designed to do. They are designed to work in oils.

Some "O" rings and seal materials are designed to work with different types of lubricant, but all the common "O" rings will last for tens of thousands of shots in a Tippmann.

The same cannot be said for petrolium oils on latex...as if you'd ever have the opportunity to find out.

the first orings were made of rubber ...

Buna is now the most commercially available and cheapest material for orings , so its a safe bet most applications using orings are of Buna-n material unless there's a reason for some other material being used .

For the rest of your questions ,,, Read on my good man !! 

TIPPY98ACT wrote: Hey Bruce and shadowminion, thanks for opening my eyes! Last night at work I went into the shop and found one of our copies of the McMaster-Carr catalog. I read the o-ring explanation section and found that most o-rings are not effected by oil based lubricants. Go figure? My question is what type of o-ring do you guys think Tippmann uses in their guns? I found that Buna-n is one of the most widely used o-rings for it's ability to resist petroleum-based oils, hydraulic fluid and non-aromatic solvents. It has high abrasion resistance. Also temperature range is from -65 to +275 degrees Fahrenheit. Sounds like something you would want in a paintball gun right? Then I read on and found Viton and Polyurethane, Neoprene, Kalrez, Teflon, Silicone and even Ecapsulated o-rings. Most have the features you would want to have and some that you don't! So what one do you think they put in the guns? I really want to know what you guys think? On a fun note, I asked ten different people on my shift (ages between 30 to 54) what they thought about petroleum based lubes on rubber and plastic and they all suggested it was a bad idea! Where do think this theory came from?

Buna-N and Neoprene are the two most commonly available in the kits I have.

What is really funny about your "survey" is that "O" rings were originally developed to seal petroleum oils in equipment and engines.