The Rarest of ALL Mags ( I don't even have one)

[p8ntbal4me]

I was thinking of the back of the valve, like right next to the velocity adjuster, placing it flat against a grinding wheel.


I dunno, as long as it's invisible, can't go hurting the stigma that mags are the best looking markers available!

I'm going to examine other means, including going to the local headshop to price out scales

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???

IONs ARE NOT THE BESTEST UBER CANNON EVA!!???

Pssssshhh

[PhoenixWolf]

I've got a valve, CF49336. It is faintly magnetic when tested with rare earth magnet. Unfortunately, titanium is also slightly magnetic, and it's a question of whether stainless steel or titanium is more magnetic. Compared to my titanium Leatherman, it's a lighter color, but the Leatherman is not polished and has a rather unfinished surface. The only way I know to test it is to take it to my local store and compare magnetic attraction. I'll be able to feel the difference if they're made of different material.

[robertsr1811]

Guys!

You don't need to grind the valve flat to find out if it's stainless or not. Just touch it to a wheel. We're talking about a single scuff. I tested all 4 of my classic valves last night, and don't think I've affected the resale of a single one. Sheesh! Just tap the sucker on a grinder for a fraction of a second and be done with it. I have a scuff smaller than a pencil eraser on the bottom of the valve where it won't show...

I'm not really sure what the big deal is.

[Bigcountry]

The glass plate isn't working because you don't use glass for that test. You need unglazed ceramic. Try the bottom of a coffee mug or the underside of an unused floor tile (even better.) Steel and Titanium should leave different color streaks, but without testing I don't know what those colors should be.

~Big

[RavishingEddie]

Resistance of something (usually a metal wire) depends on both the length of the object (this is the distance between the points you contact with your ohmmeter), the cross sectional area of the object, and the resistivity of the material. Resistivity of materials is temperature dependant.

R = (resistivity * length)/area

So ideally to use the ohmmeter to determine if a valve it Ti, we have to measure a SS one at room temperature (20 degrees celsius) from given points (directly across the valve would work. It's a cylinder so the diameter will the be the same no matter the orientation) and then make sure you do the same measurements on every other valve you test to compare.

I'll be at my shop later this week where I have access to a fairly high quality multimeter. I'll try and get some actual numbers from my Mag valve and work out what a Ti one should read.

Using the numbers that back2integrity posted above, if a SS valve weighs 10.6g that yields a volume of (10.6g / 7.750g/cm^3) = 1.368 cm^3
If that volume were made of Titanium, it would have a mass of (1.368 x 4.507 g/cm^3) = 6.164 g

Of course, those numbers assume that the whole mass 10.6g is composed of SS for the measured valve and all its components, and that every component made in SS was made in Ti for these sought after valves. If we knew exactly which parts were made of Ti then a more accurate value could be obtained.

Man, thanks alot I am taking AC electronics right now and I followed everything you said, but where did you get the 4.507 value? is it the mass measurement for TI? One should tell right away then if it is Ti because it would have a noticeable difference it Ohms.

[Phantom Power]

4.507 g/cm^3 is the density of Titanium that I obtained from some chemistry site I got from a google search.

I've also realised that those weights that were posted are totally incorrect. They may be in ounces, but a Mag valve certainly doesn't weigh 10 grams. A paintball weighs 3g, and a Mag valve weighs more than 3 paintballs. I'll weigh my valve when I'm at my shop next.

[Redkey]

Chemistry

Howdy folks... About 100 feet from my desk I have a Scanning Electron Microscope that is equiped with and EDS system we use it on an almost daily basis to determine the chemical compositions of steel and aluminum alloys. It can measure a wide range of elements including Ti. It's completely none destructive since we're just bombarding the target with a stream of electrons and then measuring the Xrays given off as electrons are knocked out of their orbits.

So... if it's necessary to completely verify the composition of a valve I can help... for free.

[going_home]

Um...Are You Sure ?>>>

Howdy folks... About 100 feet from my desk I have a Scanning Electron Microscope that is equiped with and EDS system we use it on an almost daily basis to determine the chemical compositions of steel and aluminum alloys. It can measure a wide range of elements including Ti. It's completely none destructive since we're just bombarding the target with a stream of electrons and then measuring the Xrays given off as electrons are knocked out of their orbits.

So... if it's necessary to completely verify the composition of a valve I can help... for free.

By monday you will have about 3000 valves on your doorstep.
Are you sure about your offer ?

[kiltedpainter]

Whoever had the idea to use an ohm-meter should get a cookie. 304 Stainless Steel and Ti should have fairly different electrical resistances. Pure Titanium has a constant resistance of .420 μΩ or .420 micro-ohms (the prefix micro means 10^-6) The resistance of steel should actually be considerably lower due to its iron composition, somewhere in the ball park of 1000 times lower if my google-fu serves me well.


Feel free to correct me if I am wrong but this seems like the easiest non-marring method of testing one's valve/regulator.


TK, If I happen to have one of these titanium valves, could I trade it for a new X-Valve, Level 10 bolt, Tac-One warp-right body, y frame, and a warp feed instead of cash?

[LoveMyMagMoreThanYou]

Whoever had the idea to use an ohm-meter should get a cookie. 304 Stainless Steel and Ti should have fairly different electrical resistances. Pure Titanium has a constant resistance of .420 μΩ or .420 micro-ohms (the prefix micro means 10^-6) The resistance of steel should actually be considerably lower due to its iron composition, somewhere in the ball park of 1000 times lower if my google-fu serves me well.


Feel free to correct me if I am wrong but this seems like the easiest non-marring method of testing one's valve/regulator.


TK, If I happen to have one of these titanium valves, could I trade it for a new X-Valve, Level 10 bolt, Tac-One warp-right body, y frame, and a warp feed instead of cash?

You stole my idea, except I was going to ask for a Warp-left E-tac.....LOL

[aqua_scummm]

I was going to ask for a new classic valve and two NIB sydarms

[Thanna]

I hate to say this... but didn't TK say that the valve was a Ti alloy ? That means it won't have the properties of pure Ti.

[kiltedpainter]

I hate to say this... but didn't TK say that the valve was a Ti alloy ? That means it won't have the properties of pure Ti.

That may be the case, however because it is mostly Ti (hence why it's referred to as a Ti alloy) it should still have a resistance in the magnitude of several hundred to a thousand times higher, like I previously said. Thus, that test should still work.

[Don Carnage]

[Minnesota111]

Chemical Test

What about some kind of chemical reaction test? Back in college, I used various acids and bases to distinguish different minerals. Could the same thing be done here?