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What Is Paintball Sweating? Normal Surface Bloom vs Real Leakage

A comparison guide distinguishing paintball surface bloom (normal, harmless plasticizer migration of glycerin and sorbitol to the shell surface) from real fill leakage (shell damage requiring investigation), organized as a side-by-side comparison across eight indicators (appearance — light clear uniform moisture vs concentrated colored wet spots, residue on touch — clear dampness vs colored fill, location — even across shells vs individual cracked balls, case interior condition — dry vs pooled fill/stained cardboard, wipe test — clear residue vs colored fill, shell integrity — intact vs cracked/broken, performance effect — none vs barrel breaks/unreliable break, root cause — natural migration vs physical damage/defect/heat), causes of bloom (temperature changes during warm-up, age-related migration, humidity changes), causes of leakage (damaged shells from impact, heat damage above 85F softening shells, factory defects with improperly sealed fill holes), a four-step field test protocol (touch test, wipe test with paper towel, case interior inspection, individual ball squeeze inspection), and action guidance (bloom = harmless, wipe optional; leakage = isolate damaged balls, investigate if over 1% of case affected).