PaintballX3 Magazine February 2015 | Page 67

Part Three - PaintballX3 Magazine, February, 2015 67 2004, National Paintball Supply C02 Tank Safety Valves In the early days of paintball there were several incidents in which paintball tanks unscrewed from the tank’s valve, when trying to remove the tank/ valve from the marker. In other words, instead of the tank/valve unscrewing from the marker, the tank only unscrewed from the valve, creating a “rocket” type of effect. In the 90s tank valves began to be manufactured with a cross-screwed hole that in a perfect world, we “bleed” out the excess gas if the tank should be unscrewed from the valve. Although this was a much needed improvement, it wasn’t enough. There were several incidents where the hole was blocked by excess Loctite (used when installing the valve to the tank) rendering the hole useless. In 2004 Simon Stevens, working for National Paintball Supply created a valve with “slots” that would vent the tank while unscrewing, a design that would prevent Loctite or other debris from clogging the hole. This small design adjustment has made the game much safer than it had previously been. WWW.PAINTBALLX3.COM