X-Valve Bumper is Shredded

[Raven4000SX]

After having my X-Valve for only a few days while breaking it in, it has been shredded badly. What is wrong with it? I noticed that it is very very soft compared to my ReTro bumper and the Minimag bumper. It's now half it's original width and I'm afraid it's about to tear in half. Is it ok to use a Minimag bumper? (the blue one). Is this bumper defective? It's only 5 days old. What can AGD do for me?

[Chronobreak]

ur just having all kinds of problmes arent you? a few others had soemthing similar happen and switched to the other bumpers and said they work fine however agd says they use diff bumpers for a reason

[fuentes925]

I had the same problem. After my first time playing with my mag I opened her up to clean and the bumber was in about 3 pieces. I have since used a blue bumber and all seems ok. Did AGD give a reason for using the new stlye bumper in the Xvalve Lx bolt?

[robertjuric]

Actually the RT/Xvalve bumper is the better one compared to the hard plastic blue one.

Here is something I saved from a convo w/ BlackVCG in the chat about the bumper issue, and how to resolve it:

"<BlackVCG> Well, I RIT dye the bumper black so you don't see the glue under the clear stock bumper. Then I clean both surfaces off with rubbing alcohol... then put a bead of glue around the base of the PT, slide the bumper half way onto the PT and push the bolt on and then push down the bumper with the bolt, twist it a bit and then hold it down hard for a few seconds"

It isn't necessary to RIT dye the bumper, its more for aesthetic purposes. The glue he is talking about is called IC-2000, its made by Bob Smith Industries, and can be found here: http://www.bsiadhesives.com/Pages/hobby/ca.html

Hope this helps.

[Raven4000SX]

so you are saying the only way is to glue it? i'm hoping Tom will answer this post. I'm just upset that after only 5 days it's torn to shreds.

[robertjuric]

Send BlackVCG a PM, he could explain it better than I. But yes, glueing it so it will stay put is the only way to fix this issue.

[abunkerer]

the bumper issue has already been discussed in great detail...
-a few key pionts:
-the clear retro bumpers are clear/soft plastic to reduce the return impact of the bolt, the blue ones are harder and are not recommended
-rt bumpers are a wear item,they are going to wear out, but they are cheap so buy a few extra just in case
-super glueing the bumper down greatly increases the life span.

I have over 20,000 shots in the one that I am using right now and it is showing no signs of wear

[Raven4000SX]

the bumper issue has already been discussed in great detail...
-a few key pionts:
-the clear retro bumpers are clear/soft plastic to reduce the return impact of the bolt, the blue ones are harder and are not recommended
-rt bumpers are a wear item,they are going to wear out, but they are cheap so buy a few extra just in case
-super glueing the bumper down greatly increases the life span.

I have over 20,000 shots in the one that I am using right now and it is showing no signs of wear


I understand that they can wear out, but after 5 days?

[AGDlover]

wheres TK when ya need him

[Evil1]

The blue bumper will wear out the sear if used with a retro valve. It won't happen fast, but it will happen eventually. Like said before, the clear retro bumper is better at absorbing shock and dampens the shock of the bolt on its return. The blue bumper lets the bolt bounce around more and hit the sear harder on the reset and will eventually wear it out faster than if using a clear retro bumper.

[SpecialBlend2786]

The blue bumper will wear out the sear if used with a retro valve. It won't happen fast, but it will happen eventually. Like said before, the clear retro bumper is better at absorbing shock and dampens the shock of the bolt on its return. The blue bumper lets the bolt bounce around more and hit the sear harder on the reset and will eventually wear it out faster than if using a clear retro bumper.

......i'm scared now.
I'm gonna go glue my bumper down :(

[fuentes925]

Will AGD sell you clear Xvalve bumpers? I went on there site to look for some and couldn't find any in there parts section. Do I need to contact them via email and special order or something? They only seem to stock blue bumpers in there parts selection, could be because there xvalves are still pertty new and had not had the time to add clear bumpers to there list I guess.

[Raven4000SX]

I think that AGD should cover this under the warranty. I only had this valve for less than a week. I only shot about two cases of paint with it.

[GoatBoy]

To my knowledge, AGD proper has never even given us the courtesy of a response to the matter. I did a search myself before jumping into the fray a long time ago. TK's supposedly said something in person to some of the cultists, but that's about it.

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?t=101637

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?t=106676


Another member kept pointing me at the AGD store after experiencing his bumper wear:

http://store.airgun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.prodInfo&productID=105&categoryID=23



To summarize:

Most people deny the existence of the problem, roll their eyes at you, tell you it's a 'wear item', tell you to stop whining, and/or try to play it off in some way or another. And they're pretty rude about it, even if all you want to do is just discuss some technical details or maybe some alternative fixes.




I hate to say it, but nobody's going to listen to you on the subject. At best, you'll get flamed by the "regulars". Your options are to glue the bumper down or keep buying them. Or make your own fix for it (just be sure not to try to discuss the fix).

[Raven4000SX]

Straight from the AGD Store

ReTro Bumper $2.00

"When the bolt returns, it hits this to decelerate.ﾠ This bumper is a little softer than the standard blue bumper for the higher firing rate of the Retro Valve.ﾠShould be replaced about once a year."

Notice how it says replace about ONCE A YEAR and doesn't mention to use any type of glue. This implies that all you need to do is slide it down around base of the powertube and it's good for one year. Mine only lasted 5 days??? Come on, what's up with this?

[GoatBoy]

Straight from the AGD Store

ReTro Bumper $2.00

"When the bolt returns, it hits this to decelerate.ﾠ This bumper is a little softer than the standard blue bumper for the higher firing rate of the Retro Valve.ﾠShould be replaced about once a year."

Notice how it says replace about ONCE A YEAR and doesn't mention to use any type of glue. This implies that all you need to do is slide it down around base of the powertube and it's good for one year. Mine only lasted 5 days??? Come on, what's up with this?


Did you read the two threads that I pointed to?

[BlackVCG]

TK will most likely not respond to this thread, so since I am an AGD Master Tech and can speak on behalf of AGD, here is a reply.

If you want AGD warranty service, you're not going to get it off of these forums. The factory techs do not browse the tech forum looking for people that are having problems and need warranty work. If you want it replaced under warranty your option is to call them or e-mail them.

The RT bumper issue can be fixed by PROPERLY gluing the bumper down to the powertube. I say this with confidence because I've done it to enough valves now and the bumpers are not wearing out on any of them. This is a modification that I came up with and I stand behind. If you call AGD, they're probably going to tell you to do it at your own risk, but I can guarantee that if it is done properly it will not wear out again.

I've made it as professional looking as possible by RIT dying the bumpers black so you don't see the glue under them and then applying a small uniform bead of glue around the PT and then pressing on the bumper with the bolt so it uniformly distributes itself under the bumper and around the circumference.

As for the real reason why the bumpers wear out. It simply has to do with the material the bumper is made out of and the lack of radius on the inner diameter of the bolt. If you have access to a lathe, you can put a radius on the I.D. of the bolt if you wish, but it's going to take you a lot longer to do that than to glue it down.

The blue bumper is NOT recommended for the RT valve, especially in E-Mags because of the extra bolt rebound it causes. It will over time wear out the sear more rapidly than with the clear bumper. It will work on the RT valve and you won't notice a difference other than more recoil, but I'll tell you now that an $8 bottle of glue is a lot cheaper than a $55 sear.

-Steve T.

[Tunaman]

I can warranty that bumper for you no problem. Shoot me an email with your address. ;)

[Raven4000SX]

So even though it supposed to last one year according to AGD without glueing it's not covered under warranty? May I use Zap a Gap glue? It's like super glue, it bonds instantly in 5 seconds.

[OysterBoy]

Heres a question;

would an RT/X-Valve bumper have any benefits on a minimag/classic valve?
OH, THERES a question..

lol..

[jewie27]

What other types of glue will work. I don't really want to buy one huge bottle of IC-2000 glue for only a few drops. That's a waste of money. Can someone send me a few drops?

[Chronobreak]

if your just gonna glue it down then just use superglue thetl work fine

[Dayspring]

Dry firing will cause the bumper to wear in an excellerated fashion.

And it IS a wear item. That's why people get spares.

[Load SM5]

I used permatex gasket sealant. It's cheap, found at most hardware stores, and is made to bond rubber materials to other materials like metal. Mine has shown no sign of wear in almost a year. I also use it to glue the foamies back in my bolts. It does take a few days to properly dry and set. Super glue is faster but becomes brittle when it dries. It will eventually crack and fail due to the shock of the bolt hitting, where the permatex stays flexible and rubbery.

[GA Devil]

lol the DevilMAG melted mine.....lol had to scrape it off.