Vortex Questions

Suppressive Fire · Mon Jun 04, 2007 6:15 pm

I'm considering building a vortex for air soft but I've got a couple questions before I start. What is best to use for a barrel? How does changing the size of the hole in the vortex block affect performance? With whatever barrel you are using what is the accuracy you are recieving? Can a vortex block be made large enough to be effective with paintballs?(ie 2-300 fps)
Any help is great!

spudthug · Mon Jun 04, 2007 6:56 pm

my advice is to talk to no name...pm him he is the expert of bbmgs on this website..

turbohacker · Mon Jun 04, 2007 7:08 pm

Ive heard of people using 1/4 inch brake line but ive never built a vortex, its is next on my list if i ever get any money

noname · Mon Jun 04, 2007 9:32 pm

About 2/3 of a 3/4" or 7/8" hole seems to work the best for me. I always use 9/32" brakeline, because it has .1 mm of space between the BB and the ID of the brakeline. I get about a 2" spread with a 3 foot barrel at 25 feet. A paintball vortex block would be huge, I'd just make a Vogt pattern fully auto paintball gun.

jimmy101 · Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:33 pm

I don't think you'll be able to build a 0.68 cal (or even 0.4 cal) paintball vortex gun. You would need a compressor the size of a house to keep up with the amount of air you would be dumping out of the 0.68" diameter barrel.

Suppressive Fire · Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:46 pm

I also read something about a certain size pipe that works well as an insert to convert it to a .177 is this true? What do you mean when you say 2/3 of a hole? Does the size of the hole affect velocity or rof or is it just what is most efficient?

Mac/pistol man · Tue Jun 05, 2007 8:12 pm

I just made mind (Soon to be posted in showroom) and I used a 6.03 tightbore airsoft barrel... (got it for free from a friend). I use a 3/4" hole in the vortex for the bbs to spin... And I made a shroud (I know, many people don't like 'em, but I tried it with it, and without it many times, and well, the shroud helps... for me at least.) I achieve a very accurate spread depending on the bbs... If I use precision .20g bbs, I achieve a spread of like 1' from about 3 yards away. With cheapy .12g bbs, I achieve a 2 - 2 1/2' spread at the same distance...

noname · Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:03 pm

1/4" brakeline speeves perfectly into 9/32" brakeline, so yes to that.
For the two other questions, look around. The answers aren't hard to find.

Mac/pistol man, you probably used the "original" vortex design, which jams without shrouds.

Suppressive Fire · Wed Jun 06, 2007 7:23 pm

so the .25in brakeline is about .177 and the 9/32 is about 6mm? As for the vortex block noname could you post a picture of what works for you? I looked for half an hour and couldn't find anything about what the size of the vortex hole effects. What size drill bit is used for the 9/32 brakeline? What is the best way to secure the barrel to the vortex block? What is best to use for an air source?

noname · Wed Jun 06, 2007 10:17 pm

1st question: Yes.
2nd question: Look in the cannon competition section, I have my newest block design in my post.
3rd question: The size of the vortex hole affects feed rate and velocity.
4th question: I use a 5/16" hole, because 9/32" is unavailable for some people.
5th question: I either sleeve it into the hole I drill for the barrel or I sleeve it in and hot glue it, because hot glue is removable.
6th question: Regulated high pressure gas or an air compressor.

turbohacker · Wed Jun 06, 2007 10:41 pm

Yay i just finished my first vortex, iwill post it soon. Im waiting for it to dry. Theirs nothing more exiting than watching pvc glue dry!!!

Matt221985 · Wed Jun 06, 2007 10:50 pm

anywhere on this site i can see a vortex? never seen one

noname · Wed Jun 06, 2007 10:52 pm

My God, that's pathetic! Look up two posts.

Suppressive Fire · Thu Jun 07, 2007 3:43 pm

Do you just cut the rectangular section out after you drill the hole or before? I'm assuming that you remove the flaring at the ends of the brakeline, right? Just another assumption but the larger the vortex hole (to a point) the higher velocity and rof? I'm looking for a high velocity (rof doesn't matter) with the lowest possible input pressure. Would a 7/8in hole be too big? The barrel is going to be 3ft long. I have .5in lexan for vortex block stock. Is this too thin or should I just epoxy 2 sheets together? Is it a good idea to put a skirt on either side of the block or is it fine as is?

noname · Thu Jun 07, 2007 5:33 pm

I file out the rectangular section, it's the last thing I do when making a block. There isn't flaring on the ends of any brakeline I've seen. Vortex hole sizes don't matter a huge amount; an inch to 3/4" will probably give you the best results. I usually use 1/2" acrylic for vortex blocks. It is very hard to do, especially when drilling output holes, so expect to ruin the first block or two. The way I build vortex blocks (about 2/3 or 3/4 of a full hole), all skirts or shrouds do is jam up the block. There's no need for them if you use a partially cut off hole. If you have a regular, full circle vortex hole, you need shrouds or it will jam.