[VanDiesel]

I am wondering if it would be possible to make a paint grenade for paintball games using the same basic materials, only use a baking soda and vinegar to make the grenade explosive.  My only theory is to mix the paint with the vinegar and use the baking soda as a charge.  Somehow have a method using the right amount of baking soda, getting it to cause the chemical reaction to make the gas bi-product burst a traditional rubber tube style paint grenade.  Will the vinegar be strong enough when mixed with the paint?  Or will it need to stay separate?  Any ideas?

[P-man]

You'd need the baking soda in some sort of glass container so it doesn't touch the vinegar/paint mix until you wnat it to, because then it would explode when the baking soda touched the vinegar.

[lemonoman]

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there used to be a reply here, in which I recommmended both glass and high concentrated acid - both suggestions are stupid and dangerous.  In hindsight, I have no idea what I was thinking.  My apologies.

                          Regards,

                                    lemonoman
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[constant thinker]

This doesn't work with Grocery Store bought acetic acid and Baking Soda. My recommendation has been changed. The MSDS shows it to cause severe burns. I'm not sure if it was the most reliable MSDS but it was a randomly googled one I pulled up on acetic acid.

[mike]

My recommendation high concentration of actetic acid or just skip acetic acid and go for a stronger acid.

What sort of recommendation is this??

Have you read the MSDS for acetic acid?

Are you suggesting that a high concentration acid grenade is some sort of good idea?!?!?

[billnotgatez]

I also take issue with shards of glass flying about and laying about no matter how thin.
I thought that paintball was a safety first sport.
Maybe I am just easily scared.

[constant thinker]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetic_acid

The little diamond under hazards is what I usually go by for quick looks at compounds. I looked up the MSDS for acetic acid. Ok I'm changing my reccomendation. It is now find something else safer or buy paintball granades. Glass is a bad idea to keep the two things seperate also. Flying glass = not fun. Billnotgatez is right about the glass.

 I came back and changed things because I looked up the MSDS for acetic acid for unrelated reasons to this post. Chemical burns suck just to let all of you know.

[mike]

I looked up the MSDS for acetic acid. Ok I'm changing my reccomendation.

Thankyou. constant thinker it is always good to check msds before giving advice, especially to non-chemists. THanks for looking it up though, well done.

[VanDiesel]

I greatly appreciate all the suggestions so far, but yeah, paintball is supposed to be a safe sport... i'm designing these with safety in mind... paintball grenades normally just "spray" paint, but i'm looking for a "pop"... something that will disperse paint and have that "pop" sound, adding realism, but still be safe for use... like if some accidently held on the the grenade, it wouldn't injure the person... so i'm wondering if there would be a safe way to release the baking soda into the vinegar/paint mix... thanks for all the help...

[him]

maybe you could make it like a squadbuster with two seperate, but connected compartments. have acetic acid on one side and paint and baking soda on the other. or paint with baking soda on one side and paint with acetic acid on the other. anyway, straighten it so they mix, shake and throw. just an idea.

[P-man]

What's an MSDS?

[constant thinker]

Material Safety Data Sheet

Ever since I found about them a long time ago I've used them when I was in serious doubt about something. They're very helpful. Wikipidia usually has links to a lot of the MSDSs. I don't always check them though.

Remember folks safety first. Chemical burns hurt. Especially on your foot. Screwing up your favorite shirt sucks also.

[Grumples]

something that will disperse paint and have that "pop" sound, adding realism, but still be safe for use... like if some accidently held on the the grenade, it wouldn't injure the person...

I don't see how you could get both enough force to spray paint everywhere and not enough force to *ever* hurt someone.  In my mind, baking soda+vinegar couldn't get enough force for a decent pop; You'd have to go with some sort of improvised explosive  Which you probably shouldn't do.

However, I think you could get a healthy amount of safety if rather than grenades you made remote mines- take a non flamable base, attach a very small explosive (like a small firecracker) to the center, hook it up to some sort of electric trigger, then put a paint balloon on top.  When someone passes by, you push the trigger, setting of the explosive and spraying paint everywhere.  The base would make sure the ground isn't effected, and the paint on top would probably muffle the explosion to the point it wouldn't hurt anyone.  Even if the explosion was potentially harmful, you can control exactly when and where it goes off, rather than a grenade that could easily go some place you don't want it to go.

Ultimately, I think you should heavily consider how no such item exists.  Presumably, there is a big demand for realistic paint grenades; and yet none exist.  Why do you think no one makes them?  Because no one wants to get the crap sued out of them.

[Borek]

It just occured to me... Ball made of wire mesh. Put a paint filled balloon inside. Pressurise it with a pump or CO₂ patron and throw. It is light and not more dangerous than - say - tennis ball, but if made in such a way that the balloon pops when hitting ground, everything around should be sprayed with the paint. It may require some additional elements, like thumbtacks on springs (old type - these looking like a short nail with large flat head), with tips going inside - so that they will make holes in balloon when hitting target. 6 such triggers can be enough.

Hmm, I wonder if I should not patent it

[P-man]

Patent it. You could make somebig money on that... just be careful every single Paintball safety association is OK with it... you could get sued bad.