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**Grendel** · 06-12-2023, 10:44 AM

In the past they did not re-hydro CO2 bottles post anodizing before selling to the public. If they had you would have seen either a new stamping in the anodization (never seen that) or an epoxied on label (which would be horrible aesthetically). Assuming these suppliers were not willing to risk the wrath of DOT I would assume it is not required but you would have to wade through the bureaucratic nightmare of the appropriate CFR documents.

Edit - Spent some time in 49 CFR and really could not find any reference to the need to re-hydro post anodizing. Not to say there isn't something somewhere in the ether that says something but so far nothing.

**OpusX** · 06-12-2023, 10:50 AM

Originally posted by Grendel View Post

In the past they did not rehydro CO2 bottles post anodizing before selling to the public. If they had you would have seen either a new stamping in the anodization (never seen that) or an epoxied on label (which would be horrible aesthetically).

This was my thought as well, and frankly didn't intend on re-hydro before or after.

**DocsMachine** · 06-12-2023, 05:11 PM

That's definitely one thing I miss about wrapped HPA tanks- being able to color-coordinate with the marker.

Doc.

**OpusX** · 06-12-2023, 05:21 PM

Originally posted by DocsMachine View Post

That's definitely one thing I miss about wrapped HPA tanks- being able to color-coordinate with the marker.

Doc.

Paintball is a fashion show, is it not?

**DocsMachine** · 06-13-2023, 02:55 AM

Originally posted by OpusX View Post

Paintball is a fashion show, is it not?

-Back in the day*, actually, it kind of was.

Back when I started playing, and especially when I first got online, it was very much A Thing™ to want a unique kit. Exotic camouflage BDUs were a hot item- if you showed up in something exotic like East German Fallschirmjager Paratrooper camo, you were coooool. It didn't matter if you couldn't even play very well, you were still cool and everyone wanted you on their team.

This was, point in fact, where Dave Youngblood came from. He made himself famous by playing in a grey three-piece suit, at a time when everyone else was still wearing camo and olive-drab accessories, even on open concept fields, not even in the woods.

Markers, of course, were the same thing. A Piranha longbarrel wasn't enough, you had to have a custom-built-for-you MacMurray Annihilator, with the underslung tank, a suppressor, and a 25-round stick feed with another 10-round green tube stuck in the end. Carters were popular in part because they were hand-made and thus there was a lot of variation on them.

When the color anodizing came around, you wanted to make sure your gun wasn't the same color or pattern as anyone else that frequented your field. That's literally where we got splashes, fades and acid-washes.

Oh yeah, it was all very much a thing. It still is, with Walz "pirate" guns, kitted-out Phantoms, old brass with a trombone horn muzzle, or rare antiques like Mega-Zs, or for that matter, even just Automags. (Which at this point are coming up on having not been manufactured for twenty years.) Just nowhere near to the extent is used to be.

The late aughts saw a turnaround on that. Players stopped wanting custom guns, and started leaning toward team guns. They didn't want a unique gun, they wanted the same exact gun that The Ironmen shot, or Dynasty, or Brimstone Smoke. Which, of course, the manufacturers made available off the shelf.

It's kind of a little swinging back, but again, not to the extent it once was.

Doc.

(*Git off my lawn!

)

**Hp_lovecraft** · 06-13-2023, 07:14 AM

Spent some time in 49 CFR and really could not find any reference to the need to re-hydro post anodizing. Not to say there isn't something somewhere in the ether that says something but so far nothing

I had a bunch of annodized tanks in the 90s. There was one field that gave me an issue- The guy filling tanks claimed to be "certified" and said that any "media change, or contact with caustics or acids requires a rehydro". and refused to fill those tanks. Maybe there is something to that, but I couldnt find anything in 49 cfr either. This was in the late 90s when fields started becoming "hydro date aware", because paintball insurance also became a thing.

It became moot since by 2000, all my tanks were out of hydro. Some of my splast 20oz tanks have been rehydro'd so many times, the crown is out of room.

**OpusX** · 06-13-2023, 08:13 AM

Originally posted by Hp_lovecraft View Post

I had a bunch of annodized tanks in the 90s. There was one field that gave me an issue- The guy filling tanks claimed to be "certified" and said that any "media change, or contact with caustics or acids requires a rehydro". and refused to fill those tanks. Maybe there is something to that, but I couldnt find anything in 49 cfr either. This was in the late 90s when fields started becoming "hydro date aware", because paintball insurance also became a thing.

This is about the same "old wives tale" stuff I recall hearing way back when as well, and you and Grendal mentioned, could not find any hard facts saying you need to hydro. Then again it is hard enough to try and explain "2" rule" stuffs to people, and doubly hard to get them to properly fill CO2 when they accept the tank.

**Chuck E Ducky** · 06-13-2023, 09:10 AM

You realize most aluminum tanks are anodized, powder coated, or Cerokoted from the factory right. Anodizing hardens the surface after it’s etched. The only issue would be if it was left in the acid way too long. This would leave visible pitting and look like crap the opposite effect you’re going for. Anodizing hardens the surface in the process and builds up on it. It’s not like it’s putting massive amounts of stress on the material it makes it more durable.

I would have zero issues with a color matched tank. I fact I plan to have my 9ci (bottle and reg) done with my main shooter when I get around to actually getting it done. Maybe this winter if people stop coming out with new Phantom mods and I can actually pick a setup I want to keep forever. Guess I could just Ano all the setups to match lol.

Also I have had zero issues with 2” rule in 20+ years. 2x I have been questioned and each time I showed the Rule in Black and White. After that I have never had an issue again at those fields. The ones that questioned just didn’t know there were exemptions. So if there is a field “Enforcing”hydro on 2” aluminum tanks it’s strictly to try and sell you a new tank. (Unless the tank is visibly damaged or you put the wrong tank reg on it then I could understand).

**DocsMachine** · 06-14-2023, 08:46 PM

Originally posted by Chuck E Ducky View Post

You realize most aluminum tanks are anodized, powder coated, or Cerokoted from the factory right.

They are absolutely not powdercoated, and even Cerakote, or any other bake-on coating, is highly unlikely.

A significant measure of the strength of a tank comes from the heat-treatment of the metal. Baking, even at comparatively lower temperatures, can 'anneal' the metal, weakening it.

Back when I first got into the sport, one of the few places that filled CO2 (before I learned to do it myself) did SCUBA and SCBA tanks as well. They had a photocopy of a magazine article tacked to the wall near the counter. The article described how some people had had some SCUBA tanks powdercoated- neither they nor the shop doing the work had any idea about the affect on the tanks

The first tank filled, for the first time after coating, exploded, killing the operator, and severely injuring two other people.

CO2 tanks, and steel HPA tanks, are simply painted. Probably a good quality epoxy type paint, but no way is it baked on. At best, it may be run through a "drying oven", using hot air of 150 to 180 degrees F.

Doc.

**Chuck E Ducky** · 06-14-2023, 10:06 PM

I have one that’s definitely a factory Cerokote, and one that the paint is so thick it surely looks like a powder coat. Maybe it’s a spray on enamel? There are several types of Cerokote that dont require very high heat now. You can do plastics and everything.

Interesting watch on how some of these tanks are made. I imagine 3k AL tanks don’t require the same standards as Some of these bottles but still a cool video. The ones in the video are painted your right. Don’t say with what tho.

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**DocsMachine** · 06-15-2023, 05:28 AM

Cerakote and other bake on coatings, are little more than a high-quality epoxy paint, typically infused with a ceramic material or similar (typically friction reducers like molybdenum, but it depends on the brand) which are heat-cured.

Yes, there are lower-temp coatings (I knew a guy that experimented with powder-coating lead bullets, to reduce fouling) but generally speaking, you're much more likely to find simple paints than anything exotic.

Really, it boils down to cost- a decent black paint costs considerably less than Cerakote, which itself costs less than powdercoat. And if the thing doesn't need powdercoat, it's a waste.

Doc.

**JeeperCreeper** · 06-15-2023, 07:02 AM

So what about vinyl wrap? You can get some crazy colors, even can get custom wraps printed if you know a guy. Seems like a safer option.

**OpusX** · 06-15-2023, 08:16 AM

Paint and wraps and things just don't have that "old school" magical jen es sa qua like anno does.

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Anno matching 2" tanks, CO2 and HPA

Anno matching 2" tanks, CO2 and HPA

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