How to effectively remove the graphite coating from Straight BBs

[CDN_Stalker]

Since there is a dramatic improvement using Straight BBs that have had the graphite washed off, after attempting a few good washes only to find graphite remained, I've figured it out.

Cola. I used Pepsi, Coke or other cheap stuff would work fine. Dump your BBs into a bowl, then cover with cola, stir with your finger and let sit for about 10mins. Then rinse them off with water, pour into a sock you don't mind having grey in (wool works really good!) and tie the end of it to keep them inside. Toss into the washing machine, either with a load of laundry, or on their own, detergent and wash the crap outta them. After the washing machine is finished, rub vigourously between both hands, open the sock and dump into a bowl to let dry. Look around to see if there is any fuzz, marks or whatever and pick the debris/bad BBs out. Put in a container (I use a small lunch box juice container for each of my sniper BBs) and enjoy.

Note: Straight 0.30 and 0.36g BBs are white on the inside, so the finish on the outside when fully washed will be a beige/slight golden colour that looks like marble. 0.43g BBs are made out of a different material, they are dark grey on the inside, and will remain that colour on the outside when all the graphite is gone. Just take a few of them and rub between your hands to see if any graphite rubs off on to your skin.

[SEALs]

You got any proof of that upgraded effectiveness? ( sorry I mean piss you off)
I just wanna see results!

[yanhchan]

Cola? is this inspired by mythbusters?

[CDN_Stalker]

Ok, SEALS, this isn't long range by any means, but I've seen some impressive results at closer range (old Japanese adage....... "Small things become big things" meaning that the tighter a grouping you can shoot at close range, the tighter your longer range groups can be).

I'll say this, previously my KJW M700 on propane was pretty inconsistant in my basement at 30ft. Was using .36g BBs right out of the bag, and out of many hundred rounds shot, I think once or twice I got a 1" grouping with 10 shots. Most of the time I'd get 2-3" groups with a few flyers. So using the washed 0.30g straights (am out of 0.36g right now) I got a great group, next I got what I took a pic of:



and the two mags of 10 I shot the next night, I got the exact same sized 10 shot grouping. Four 1" groups in a row! All I did to keep consistant was to fill the mag, dry fire off 4 shots to level the pressure off, and run a dry patch through the barrel to just give it a wipe and see if more graphite needs to be removed.

Yanhchan, I got the idea from LitterBug on ASR:

<i>Originally posted by Litterbug</i>
<br>Here are my results for the Straight/Digicon BB TEST. Sorry about the poor lighting in the picture, i was so eager to post my results that i performed the test right before dark.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39...i/PICT0003.jpg

I used STRAIGHT .36's (middle bb group) with were originaly coated with graphite (left bb group) Washed with regular washing machine detergent and rinsed.

It was slightly windy and dust was being lifted from the ground.

the target i used was a standard un-opened COKE can, at approximately 25 meters, using my tanaka m700, on TOP GAS equiped with a First Factory 6.03 tightbore.

Why unopened?... well, i just wanted to see the Beverage explode out of the can.LOL

Supported by a Bipod, i lined up my scopes crosshairs (which was on a 5x setting) on the target, i slowly pulled the trigger. My 1st shot HIT... then after 15 seconds... HIT AGAIN... then AGAIN after another 15 seconds of spacing right smack in the middle!![:0] ... i was so excited that i forgot to give the gun a 15 to 20 second spacing after the 1st 3 shots. So aparrently, with my accuracy down, the BBS were beginning to hit the edge of the can, as seen in the picture, then started to deviate 1/2 to 1 inch away from the target. []

But nevertheless... 7 out of 11 bbs hit the bottom of the can. I never got these results out of DIGICON.36's with GRAPHITE. With Special Order .43 YES... but not graphite coated.

I was able to recover the first 2 bbs that went in the can (right most BB group).. and it seems like the beverage was able to THROUGHLY remove the remaining Graphite on the BBs! (its less shiny then the ones i DIDNT USE yet).. but not as white as the mass of a SPLIT . 36 Graphite coated BB (split BB in the right)

With the current conditions, I would have probably gotten better results on an Upgraded VSR or APS with Grandmasters, but with straight/digicons on a Tanaka m700?

Well.... what do you guys think? Canadian_Stalker? Dispatch?.... am i over reacting here? or are these results worthwhile?[]

Initially I ran my 0.30g Straight BBs through three washing cycles and while it took some of the graphite off, it didn't take it all off. Then I thought about LitterBug's "I was able to recover the first 2 bbs that went in the can (right most BB group).. and it seems like the beverage was able to THROUGHLY remove the remaining Graphite on the BBs!" and thought about soaking in cola first, then washing, and it works flawlessly.

[DonP]

I'll have to try this! Many moons ago I went through a fair amount of hassle to get a variety of different BBs to try. Among them were .43 Straights and .36 Straights (Really dull yellow label and Green label, respectively).

I figured they were junk after a few tries. I'll have to try washing the graphite off the .36s like you say. (The .43s are not graphite coated -- they are battleship grey in color).

I have to admit I don't like the dark BBs since I can't see my shots. I thought I'd like that before I tried it - but I don't.

[mcguyver]

i'm just curious here, but do you think it's the mildly acidic (carbonic acid) nature of the cola that is the active process, and the washing process just removes what the cola did not? if so, did you try vinegar as it too is acidic (acetic acid) which more acidic than cola? just wondering if it might make the process simpler if the acid was stronger, but not too corrosive.

[DonP]

It's possible the effect has more to do with the bubbles. I'll try with club soda and see if it has the same effect.

[CDN_Stalker]

If you look closely, each BB looks like a little "Morning Star" or other ball with cones sticking out of it when immersed in the cola. Pretty cool actually.

Not sure if it's the corrosive nature, or the bubbles, but I figure it loosens the graphite a bit, or softens it, then washing it in a wool sock gets the rest off. Like I said, my 0.30g Straights went through 3 washings, the first two without detergent (thought the rubbing action was enough) then one with detergent, but grahite still remained. Cola bath and another wash completely took it off. Regardless, the whole purpose is to have heavy non-graphite coated BBs to use, not the science of how it comes off.

One thing I forgot to mention is you'll need to thoroughly degrease (remove the graphite) everything that came in contact with the BBs, inner barrel, hop up, inside your mags, BB loader if you use one. I noticed a while back when I used 0.25g for a bit of basement shooting, the BBs would end up looking dirty grey from picking up graphite inside the mag, and after a couple dozen shots, my cleaning patches would come out the same dirty grey colour as when I used full graphite BBs.

[mcguyver]

i was just looking at some straight .36g bb's today and they are white. the .43 i looked at were graphite colored like your pics but they are very soft. i put one in a vise and it squashed rather easy. it appears to be made from an aluminum amalgum or something similar. they must make many varities of specialty bb's some coated and some not. i remember last year i played around with some .43 from a manufacturer i don't remember and i cut one open with my side-cutters and it was solid aluminum. sorry if this is a little off-topic.

[concept_8]

Any word on a retailer that carries a good stock of the non coated yet?

[mcguyver]

the white ones did not appear to be coated with anything but you can try www.canadianairsoft.ca as they had about 6 bags of 1000 of .36 (white) and .43 (grey). and no i'm not pimping them out here. you asked. i answered.

[concept_8]

Thanx for the tip mcguyver.
Go ahead n pimp out any retailer you see fit, It's not like everyone else doesn't try n help out thier favourite retailers with good word of mouth.

Thanx for the cola tip also stalker.
It'll make it alot easier to clean that crap off if I'm ever stuck with graphite coated bb's only.

[CDN_Stalker]

Originally Posted by concept_8

Thanx for the cola tip also stalker.
It'll make it alot easier to clean that crap off if I'm ever stuck with graphite coated bb's only.

That's the whole point of this thread afterall! Straight BBs are hard enough to find as it is, and the last order I placed with WGC for Straight BBs, the grey ones, NOT the silver ones, I ended up getting all of them in the fully graphite coated. Seems they don't care to be more specific on their product page, or they consider all the Straight BBs per wieght to be the same, except white or not white.

Personally, I'll buy what I can get, and now I have a way of making them better. Just gotta get a supply of .36g now.