Paintball sales are about to hit $1 billion. The game became famous in 1980 when people started playing it worldwide. The game is very simple and entertaining; there are multiple fields for playing paintball. A player shoots the paintballs with the help of a paintball gun. These guns don’t kill people, nor have any fatalities reported worldwide. When you shoot the player, the ball leaves removable and washable marks on the clothes of your target. So keep attached with me till the end to complete your knowledge regarding how Are Paintballs Made Out Of? There are no official team players limits for the game, but most teams have 40 to 50 players.
Some people claim that Paintballs are made of toxic chemicals, but these ammunitions are crafted of iodine, calcium, and other raw materials, which we will discuss in detail. By all means, these ammunitions are not lethal nor hurt anyone. Here I am going to tell you How Are Paintballs Made. Please do not skip any information if you want to learn about what is in a paintball. because I will eliminate all the myths regarding paintballs.
What Is A Paintball Made Of?
The paintball market is growing in the United States, and now there are hundreds of paintball magazines and thousands of websites regarding paintballs. The paintball guns do not only use for entertaining purposes but there are a few high-profile guns with prominent pressure and velocity for personal defense. Such guns do not kill the target person but deliver maximum damage. Anyhow, a paintball is an amalgamation of various non-toxic chemicals.
Raw Material – How Are Paintballs Made
A quality paintball possesses iodine, calcium, mineral oils, food colors, ethylene glycol, and water-soluble substances. These materials are non-hazardous, and you can scratch the paint from your clothes effortlessly. Countless websites claim that paintballs are made of toxic materials, but for your kind information, these are the same chemicals used in painkillers. Otherwise, I have some advice: if you feel nausea, vomiting, stomach problems, or headaches after swallowing the paintballs, contact your doctor as soon as possible.
Paintball materials do not make to swallow but to play the survival game. These chemicals are not harmful, but some people with weak immune systems report stomach problems or fever symptoms. However, these chemicals do not cause skin problems like irritation, inflammation, or rashes. Plus, you can wash clothes and remove these marks in a moment.
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Outer Shell Of The Paintball
The outer shell of the ball is neither hard enough to injure the target person badly nor soft enough to tear inside the gun. Different manufacturing companies use numerous materials for the outer shell layers, such as plastic, gelatin, or cellulose acetate. The top layer of the outer shell is made of a shining material so that you can see them in darkness.
Inside Material Of The Paintball
The inside material of the paintball is based on different materials. Some companies use an amalgamation of water solution with food color, and others use iodine and calcium. Most paintball manufacturing companies also use polyethylene glycol. Anyhow, all of these chemicals have no side effects on human skin nor contain dangerous and cancerous chemicals.
The Manufacturing Process
As we have discussed, paintballs are made up of two types of materials; one is a solid, the outer body, and the other is liquid, the inner chemicals. The paintball in your hand is not made within a second, but there are specific steps to manufacture paintballs. Let’s take a look!
Step 1
The first step is to make the paint. You are required to use all chemicals mentioned above and food colors. Fill the tank of the machine with the paint color and material. The device will turn all the substances into one by mixing them hard. The paintball material must have three main characteristics. If you are making paintballs at home, then keep these three features of the paintballs in mind.
- Water solubles
- Biodegradable
- Non-toxicity
Step 2
Then comes the encapsulation procedure, in which you add colored material to the balls. The most used paintball manufacturing uses gelatin strips moving out of two drums. The gelatin strips go forward to form the casing of a ball. Machines turn the stripes into balls as the material goes into dimples and fill colorful material in the gap. The inside chemical of the paintball seals both strips.
Step 3
After filling the bowling chemicals in the stripes and encapsulating the balls, workers use another machine for tumbling and drying. When the balls come out of the encapsulating machine, the workers load them into the tumbling machines. This machine shakes paintball around slightly. By rotating the newly formed paintballs, you can dry the fresh gelatin.
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Step 4
After rotating them multiple times, paintballs come to the shelves. This time the purpose of leaving these half-dried and half-hot paintball in the open air is to dry them. The automatic shelves will keep the paintball in the open air and take them two to three feet for drying, depending on factory to factory.
Step 5
When the paintballs are dried completely, a team is there to discover the manufacturing mistakes workers of the team check for any fault in the paintball. If the team finds a ball is not round, a leakage, or anything fishy, it informs the controller and takes that sample out of stock.
How To Clean And Store Paintballs?
Paintballs are highly durable and can survive for a long time without using any tactics. These balls have the capability to not degrade at room temperature for a long time. The general lifespan of the paintballs is about 5 to 7 months. But it also depends on the manufacturing company and the materials. The service life would be seven months if the manufacturer used quality materials and paintballs dried properly before packing. But some paintballs last two to three months because they are made of low-quality materials.
Furthermore, after seven months, the paintballs will start degrading or expire. In simple words, you cannot use paintballs. People waste their paintballs, but you can store them in the refrigerator in such situations. In this way, you can prolong the life of paintballs and prevent them from degrading.
Paintballs are long-lasting if you store them correctly. Paintballs can be damaged, or their service life will decrease if you leave them in sunlight, humidity, dust, and extremely high or low temperature. Keep paintballs at average room temperature. Plus, protect them from contact with toxic chemicals such as gasoline and other chemicals.
What If I Eat Paintball?
Paintballs are non-toxic, but it does not mean you should eat them like food. The paintballs do not harm you, but they taste awful. The taste of paintballs is more than disgusting and bitter. There are also several reasons you should not eat paintball. The major one is that these paintballs are not suitable for your teeth. They will turn your white brightening teeth into yellow and nauseous.
If you eat paintballs, you will be unable to stop vomiting because of these materials. The paintball’s outer layer is made of gelatin indigestible to the human stomach. You could also face intestinal problems that are common in people who eat paintballs. By all means, you should not eat paintball; otherwise, you can suffer from digestive issues and yellow teeth.
How Do You Wash Paintball Paint Off Your Clothes?
When it comes to cleaning the paintball, stains are easy to clean. You can use any detergent to remove the stains and marks from your clothes. But there is also something you must know that the paint should be removed as soon as possible from the clothes. Some paintballs are made of strong paints, so these paints are hard to remove.
Follow these instructions while washing clothes
- Do not use strong detergents.
- Do not leave stains or paintballs on the clothes.
- Use a soft brush and washing powder for washing out clothes.
- Use warm water for washing clothes.
- Wash white-colored clothes and other clothes separately.
Eco-Friendly
Do people often ask if paintballs are eco-friendly? The answer is yes because no toxic material is used in paintball production. As I have mentioned, paintballs are made of iodine, calcium, ethylene glycol, plastic, gelatin, or cellulose acetate. All of these chemicals are made without any hazardous chemicals.
Plus, the manufacturing procedure also has nothing to do with pollution. The machines do not emit any toxic materials in liquid or gas form. If you are concerned with the environment, then you should know that the paintballs do not cause disturbance directly or indirectly. Plus, it is generating massive revenue, and also the paintball industry provides jobs to thousands of people.
Types Of Paintballs
1. Recreation Paintballs
These paintballs do not damage and use for entertainment. These are cheap paintballs and are made to provide temporary paint stains. The recreational paintballs are suitable for every gun, and they are also available in local stores so that you can buy a package from a nearby store.
2. Tournament Grade Paintballs
The tournament-grade paintballs are the most expensive and highest quality paintballs. These paintballs use for tournaments and competitions on the national level. These balls are more accurate, durable, and reliable as well as, and the tournament-grade paintballs have more service life as compared to the other paintball guns.
But there is also a significant drawback to these balls. The tournament paintball guns are made of rigid materials that tear apart easily. Plus, these types of paintball is not available in neon colors because these colors are not allowed in competitions. However, the tournament-grade paintballs are made of top-quality colors to help you target your opponent without putting more effort into the game.
3. Reusable Paintballs
There are also reusable paintballs, but these balls are used for practice mode. Reusable paintballs are a great option if you are training for the next competition. These balls do not possess any paint because they are made of foam. You can use a foam ball multiple times because the reusable paintballs are made of good quality material. Reusable paintball is not common, but you can find a bundle of balls on online websites. But there is a drawback to these balls. If you use the balls for recreational purposes, your opponent can cheat.
This is one of the primary reasons people do not use these balls. If you are thinking about the price of the balls, you should know that these balls are expensive compared to recreational balls. But you can purchase the balls from nearby stores. Additionally, reusable balls are less damaging and cost you less technically. Because recreational paintballs are cheap, but you cannot use them again, tournament-grade paintball have good quality but are expensive, and you rebuy them. But reusable balls are neither too costly nor cheap enough, but once you buy them, you do not need to repurchase them.
Conclusion – How Are Paintballs Made
The paintballs do not contain intricate chemicals with complicated chemical structures. Paintball has two parts; the outer body is made of plastic or gelatin, and the inner material is based on food color or iodine. These chemicals are not dangerous for humans as well as they are eco-friendly. But it does not mean you should eat the paintball. They are edible but taste very bad. Plus, they cause a yellow layer on your teeth. You can remove marks of the paint from your teeth and clothes easily, and you can use any one of the three types of paintballs for practice or tournament.
Frequently Asked Question
The paintballs are not highly damaging, but each player reports a slight hit. Some heavy guns hit you with power and leave marks on the body for a little. But there is no fatality record worldwide.
Yes, you can bring your own gun, jacket, helmet, or goggles, but remember that you can use them while playing the private game. Because in the national-level match, you cannot use upgraded guns or other accessories.
You should cover your body with a jacket, long boots, and knee pads and also wear strong pants. Protect your head with the help of a helmet or wear goggles for your eyes. Additionally, some people use face masks for safety.
In his impressive career, John M. Anderson has played alongside the best players in the world and earned the respect of many top competitors. His skill, versatility, and timing have helped him become one of the top players in the paintball world. He is a true pro who will likely be remembered as one of the greatest players in the game’s history. His impact goes beyond the field as well. He has become a spokesperson for the sport, sharing interesting stories and facts from the past, and he also regularly contributes to this blog to help and guide new players in the world of paintball.