gnarlynick's POP 2026 Build

[gnarlynick]

After nearly a 14 hour print, the body has completed. I'm really liking the color combo going here. The trigger will also be blue but in PETG so it'll be a bit different shade. Here's a test fit of everything:


The Sconi Spyder feedneck also came in yesterday. As ItsGerryRigged stated in their thread, the radius almost fits, but required some sanding to get it a flush saddle fit. I just took some 240 grit sandpaper, wrapped it around the eNMEy can and lightly ran the feedneck over it back and forth until that radius started to match. I'll finish it up with some finer grits before I start lining it up to be tapped.

[gnarlynick]

Adjusted some dimensions on the wrap around grip and am reprinting that. Still won't be perfect but it's good enough.

[gnarlynick]

I think I got the radius all dialed in for the feedneck

[gnarlynick]

I've also ordered a dust black Ion-threaded Freak back from eBay for $15 and one of DocsMachine's stubby Freak fronts for $32.95

[gnarlynick]

New grips fit a lot better. Gap between the two sides was originally something like 28mm, measured the actual grip frame and it is 19mm wide. Also cut out the safety a little more gracefully.

[gnarlynick]

Trigger came out real nice and it reduces the amount of pull needed to actuate the rocket. Still rebuilding the regs so I can't test fire it with air yet, we'll see if more model adjustments need to be done.


Also printed out some Ion detents and they seem to be doing their job well enough. Again, we'll see when I can cycle some paint through. One concern is with the TPU body I opted for. When manually pushing these solid defense rounds through the breach, they depress the detents outward enough to flex the outer TPU body a little. This may not be an issue with real paint but we'll see what adjustments need done there.


I'm considering designing a small inner sleeve that will be printed in a more rigid PETG to keep that flexing from occurring it it does prove to be an issue. I can also modify the detents to be a bit less stiff, if need be. Benefit of the current body design is the detents can be replaced without any disassembly.

Currently experimenting with printing an "Oops! All walls" print of the trigger model in the same TPU as the grips and body to see how feasible a potentially floppy trigger would be. Making it all walls should make it a lot less flexible. We'll see what comes of that.

[gnarlynick]

Obvious statement of the week: floppy trigger is no good.

[gnarlynick]

The Freak back and front both arrived at the same time. I love how dumb it looks.

[RPP]

I love this... and i love the stubby freak front.

[gnarlynick]

It feels really good in the hands and is very light and versatile. Still waiting to finish rebuilding the regs, can't wait to air it up and cycle some rounds through it.

[Magmoormaster]

It's like a cartoon paintball gun!!

[gnarlynick]

lol ya! It does have some cartoonish aesthetic to it

[gnarlynick]

I've been really happy with the direction this project has been going. Drilled and tapped the feedneck onto the main body today and it's starting to look like a paintball gun again.


My 5 year old said the hopper is way too big. Might look into keeping with the rest of the project and print a mini hopper.

[StaticShocked]

I really like the look you went with and it turned out great!

[gnarlynick]

Having some leak issues now that I've got the regulators rebuilt. I've pressure tested the output from both regs to be around 150/160 PSI.


One valve I can hear a slight leak coming from the main solenoid. I've replaced the 10.5mmx2mm o-ring inside and made sure everything was clean inside with some isopropyl alcohol. Greased the o-ring and made sure the washer and armatures are situated where they should be before closing the solenoid up. Still leaking from that area. Despite the leak, I can attach the trigger frame and cycle shots. Tried swapping the armature from the other valve I have and didn't see any difference. May try swapping the lids between the two valves to see if that may be the issue?


Second valve has a heavy leak at the middle banjo fitting which you can in turn hear it leaking down the barrel. Again, I replaced the 3mmx1mm o-ring by the head of the banjo fitting and the 008 o-ring that seals against the can. Greased everything and tightened it to the can. Still leaking in that area. Even tried swapping banjo fittings from the back and middle spots and same issue. Perhaps it's the hose itself?

[gnarlynick]

Trying to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms at play here. This animation of a dual tail o-ring Ion from zdspb seems to best match the eNMEy. I am airing them up without the trigger frame installed; just the ASA connected to the vertical regulator via the braided line, reg connected to the air valve VASA which is installed on the can with the bolt installed.



When aired up, I placed my ear next to all points of failure along the line. I can't hear or feel any air leaking at any point along the ASA to the VASA. The air leak sounds strongest by the center banjo fitting; covering the banjo fitting head with my finger and moving it rapidly changes the pitch of the leak. It's also leaking into the breach and down the barrel from that banjo fitting. At this point, the bolt is all the way back.

[gnarlynick]

tyronejk I'm not familiar with the workings of this type of marker as I've only dealt with blowbacks and Nelson's up to this point. Please correct me if this understanding is incorrect.

Based on the diagram, I'm assuming both center and rear channels are pressurized when an air source is screwed into the ASA.

When physically pulling the trigger, the center channel is closed which allows the air at the rear channel to move the bolt forward and open the passage at the bolt stop to propel the paintball out the barrel.

Once the trigger is released, the center channel re-opens which resets the bolt to the rearward position.

[tyronejk]

That's basically right. The only nuance I should point out is that the pressure from the rear channel is always pushing the bolt forward. The bolt is held back by pressure in the center channel. The valve fires the gun by venting the air in the center channel.

[gnarlynick]

tyronejk thanks for the clarification. I'm going to try some experiments to make sure both channels are pressurized. Probably slightly loosen the rear channel while it is pressurized to see if I can create a slight leak to ensure air is getting back there. If so, maybe I'll also push the bolt all the way forward before pressurizing the system and seeing if that leak at the center channel still persists.

[gnarlynick]

tyronejk

I did replace the metric and SAE o-rings on both ends of the banjo fittings; as well as the metric o-ring inside the solenoid. The metric are 3mmx1mm and the SAE are 008, according to the diagram:



I'll double check the bolt o-rings, mine are the v2 bolts so I don't have the two o-rings located inside the can at either end of the breach.

[tyronejk]

Ah ok, I think you got them all then. It might be time to start spraying some soapy water on joints to try to pinpoint a failure.

[autococker04]

As a reminder, I do have extra banjo bolts and 3 ways. I don't know if they work, but if yours cant be fixed it might be worth trying a different one.

[gnarlynick]

Thanks autococker04 I will exhaust the rest of my plans for troubleshooting first.

[gnarlynick]

I believe I have located the source of each leak.

1. Leak one, it appears the leaks are coming from where the red 4mm hose secures over the barbs for both the main solenoid and the banjo fitting. Dripped some soapy water onto the whole assembly and supplied air and those two areas, primarily the barb on the main solenoid body, became bubble generators.
   • At the very least, I can do some searching for replacement hose and likely get that squared away.
   • If I'm feeling dangerous, I may look into putting a QEV in place of that banjo fitting since I'm replacing the hose anyways.
2. Leak two seems to be self-inflicted. When I drilled and tapped for the feedneck, apparently the front o-ring for the bolt cap is intended to seal right where the rear feedneck screw was drilled out. I will look into ways to seal that back up and I may be in shape to test fire the marker in that configuration.
   • What would be the best way to seal this?
     • PTFE thread sealant tape is one obvious option to maintain the ability to easily remove the feedneck.
     • On the subject of easy removability, blue loctite may also be a good contender and may provide a more positive seal.
     • If regular removability isn't important, red loctite could be used in the same vein.
     • If I want the feedneck to be permanent, I could even use something like JB Weld in both the feedneck screw threads as well as the mating surface between the feedneck and the can. This will strengthen where the feedneck and marker interface and permanently bond and seal that area.

Regarding the first leak, would it be as simple as throwing a QEV in place of the banjo fitting at the center of the can? I see some available for the eNVy/eXTCy which I assume would be compatible for this setup.

Regarding the second leak, I'm up for suggestions on what path I should take. Minimally, I'll obviously try the thread sealant tape and see how feasible that option is. I like that the feedneck is removable but I guess it isn't particularly critical for it to be; bolstering that interface between the feedneck and the marker would be beneficial for durability in the long run.

[gnarlynick]

tyronejk thanks for the assistance through this. I just put some blue loctite on both feedneck screws and will let that cure. Hopefully that will provide enough of a seal.

The more I think about that specific placement, the more concern I have that I may have compromised the sealing ability of that portion of the bolt tip.

If that's the case and the loctite doesn't solve it, I may be able to recover by using a longer screw and cutting it to size to provide more or a sealing surface for that o-ring.

If all else fails, I have a spare can I can swap in to recover from. Will have to rethink the feedneck mounting situation then.

[tyronejk]

No problem, my man. It's a good learning experience for me too. I was thinking about mounting a feedneck this same way.

[gnarlynick]

Well I will keep you posted should the loctite be sufficient

[Magmoormaster]

I had a similiar issue with an old cocker body, where someone bored out the valve chamber so large the front frame screw poked thru it. I just teflon taped the screw, it worked just fine. I'm considering doing this feedneck mod as well, and that's what I was planning on doing with it.

Re: leak #2, you'll likely need to replace the hose. If you add a QEV, you might need to trim the hose a bit and that might be enough to stop the leak. But it's a big maybe. The hose is the same 4mm stuff they use on Ions. I might have the mcmaster listing on my home computer, zdspb should have the specs at the very least.

[gnarlynick]

I was meaning to reach out to you on your thread. I saw you had a valve that broke at one of those barbs and were considering threading a new barb into it. Wasn't sure if you got any further on that. Assuming the barb stays part of the rest of the assembly, are the hoses removable without causing further damage? Was hoping to be able to slide a new hose on as mine appears to be leaking at both ends.

Regarding a QEV, I'd imagine the main difference between the HD eNMEy valve and the HE one is the addition of the QEV. I'm not 100% confident on that assumption as I see the HE valve also uses a different rocket to actuate it, so there may be a bit more to it.

I'll keep you posted on if that loctite seals that leak for the feedneck. I'd imagine if you drilled halfway through the can and used a bottoming tap, you may be able to thread the feedneck in similarly without compromising the bolt tip seal.

[Magmoormaster]

I haven't gone any further since threading mine. Not quite sure what I'm going to do. I don't think I can find a barb for the hose size in the same threading. And there's no room to thread it for anything bigger. I would need an armature still anyway. Still looking at alternatives.

Theoretically, you should be able to pull the hose off the valve and replace it. It is possible they glued the hoses on, but I doubt it. More likely the hose hardened up over time. I wasn't even trying to pull the hose off, just pull the valve out of the trigger frame. I would normally say heat the hose up with a lighter, but since the barb is plastic too I'm not sure what to do.

I don't know if the valve itself changes on the HE. If anything it would probably just be the armature. But yeah, the QEV is one part, the rocket is another.

[gnarlynick]

Magmoormaster thanks for the info. I guess it's already "broken", so how much worse can it get? (I know it can get worse lol)