Maintenance

[KingAresIV]

What is the best way of maintaining your equipment?

I am looking to buy my own gear over the next month, and would like a few pointers in terms of maintenance and cleaning.

Thanks in advance for your replies

 

[Magic Rat]

Depends on which equipment you want to maintain.
Pods and packs wash with a hose pipe outside and air dry.
Playing gear, washing machine and air dry.
Mask, remove lens wash under tap with warm water, air dry.
Marker, maintenance is pretty specific to each make of marker, but generally i wipe clean with paper towelling, wash barrel with warm water and dry, remove grips and wash/ clean behind them.
Follow manufacturers guidance on grease or oil on the O rings or moving parts.
Plenty specific U tube videos on each type of marker.
If you go Planet Eclipse the factory provides maintenance videos on its site or you could attend a tech course at the factory.
Any thing else ask on here

 

[Kevin Winter]

Throw it all in kit bag when finished. Leave until next event and then panic!

 

[Kevin Winter]

In all seriousness, if I'm on the ball, all the playing kit goes in the bath when I get home to have the paint hosed off with a shower head, the clothing goes in the machine. Markers get a good wipe down, all the paint off and the barrels go in the sink with some very hot water to remove any trace of paint residue etc from inside, then are squeegeed and put away. Mask get a careful sponge down with hot water, with the lens being removed to get paint out from the joins. Be very careful not to get water between the panes of a thermal lens! Pots get cleaned up (they all go in the bath if they're bad). If I'm feeling thorough, I also clean all the old ****ty paint out of the bottom of the kit bag and so on, then put all my allen keys beack in the right spots in the tool box and chuck old batteries etc out.

As I use Egos, they get a quick check and re-lube the night before I next play (and a fresh battery every time to be sure!). My Girlfriends DM8 gets a relube of the bolt just before any event it's used at. If there's been any paint in them, the hopper have the electrics removed and then get cleaned in the sink.

The markers also get an annual thorough strip down and clean, either at the tech tents at campaign or by myself (don't strip your marker totally unless you're very confident, you'll ruin it!)

 

[smudgerebt]

Sort of like the above, apart from the guns (and depends on which guns) but they get stripped down, cleaned and greased (oiled).

Or I drop in and see Ronnie at Factory Paintball and strip and clean the guns with him whilst watching the latest live cast (if a game is on).

Very handy having a shop so near me.

 

[rkohal]

It is sort of like a ritual. You get home from a game, throw clothes into the washer, clean the mask and the marker from paint leftovers and then clean and lube the bolt and bolt guide. Then pack everything back into a duffelbag and you are ready for the next time.