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A technical guide to paintball fill separation covering what fill separation is (PEG-water separation into layers or pigment settling, creating inconsistent marking from watery faint marks to concentrated bright marks within the same case), four causes (poor formulation lacking stabilizers and emulsifiers, temperature cycling that breaks down emulsion structure, age beyond 8-12 months even with stable fill, and freezing where ice crystals permanently break the emulsion), six detection signs organized in a symptom grid (shake test for loose internal layer, cut-open test for uniform color, fire test on white paper for mark consistency, plus three good signs for stable fill), performance effects (inconsistent marks, reduced visibility, and clogged markers in severe cases), five prevention strategies (choose quality manufacturers with stability testing protocols, check manufacture dates with FIFO rotation under 6-8 months, store at stable 60-75F, inspect on arrival with 30-second cut test, rotate inventory strictly), and a fill stability test for evaluating new suppliers using 3-4 month old samples stored for 2 weeks.