nitro / air??

[F3Z]

right this is going to make me look really stupid im sure of it. I have asked some firen dthis a few times and they have all responded in the same way as i had pressumed. Are nitro and air exactly the same or is there a difference. I have pressumed they are identical so don twant to look stupid filling a 3000psi nitro with air and killing my self if there different. I assume its just the american and english language difference. If im wrong please tell me so i can live to make anpother stupid mistake like filling a co2 bottle with ketchup!! (actually that sounds quite interestin!)

 

[DarWood]

No difference dude. Nitro is the same as compressed air. CO2 and Compressed air (Nitro) are the only source of gas you can use in paintball markers.
So fill away well not the ketchup one

 

[F3Z]

Aha i see good good thought so.

 

[le-pig]

Originally posted by FrontLine
No difference dude. Nitro is the same as compressed air. CO2 and Compressed air (Nitro) are the only source of gas you can use in paintball markers.
So fill away well not the ketchup one

no its not

 

[F3Z]

??

 

[DarWood]

Dont worry, he was being funny

 

[Liz]

Actually, there IS a difference. Nitro is compressed nitrogen, whereas Air is compressed air (hence the names). Not sure if the law has changed recently, but certainly a few years ago it was illegal to use compressed nitrogen as a propellant in the UK (though it was legal in the US). Pure nitrogen is a more corrosive gas than air (which is around 80% nitrogen anyway), and with long term use could permanently damage titanium barrels among other things - not sure but I think that was why sometimes you could see sparking from titanium barrels!
However, they work in almost exactly the same way & filling an air bottle with nitro shouldn't give any real problems that I know of (I've done it once or twice myself).

Hotpoint - if you see this can you clarify the legal situation as it stands these days?

 

[DarWood]

I stand corrected. Though i purely meant in no difference as in the way its filled, nor the outcome when its used to propel a paintball. Unlike C02. Which is liquid induced, and bad for electrical markers.
Yes Pure nitrogen is made up of 78.1% of the earths atmosphere. When mixed with oxygen and minor sparks creates nitric oxide, which will damage titanium as it would eat away at the material.
Nitrogen is made on massive scale by liquefaction of air and fractional distillation of the resulting liquid air to separate out oxygen and other gases. Very high purity nitrogen is available by this route.
Compressed air is formed via compression of various cylinders and pistons, which compact the air closer together. Giving the air more energy, and making it more reactive.
O well science lesson over
Darwood

 

[JoseDominguez]

Pretty sure the laws about decanting nitrogen etc... are still the same.
The sparking is just the ball and the titanium......you can get it with air too, just a static build up being discharged.
Not sure about its corrosive properties either.........nitrogen is largely inert......... it will react with titanium, but at temperatures in excess of 500 degrees.

The Nitro isn't the problem........ titanium has a high affinity for oxygen and forms a protective oxide layer (like aluminium), if this is removed (by lots of fast paintballs) then it regenerates quickly.......unless their is no oxygen available.......so pure nitro would prevent this protective layer from forming (because it itself won't react) and leave the titanium open to attack..........still take an awful lot of constant firing.

 

[le-pig]

thanks jose,liz wasn't sure on the legal side
frontline there are a few other inert gases you could use(if you could afford/get them