Ever look at something and get an out of grasp subliminal image in your head? I had these little rollers laying around and  in the back of my mind, knew I had a use for them but just couldn't grasp at the time exactly what that use was. Kind if like trying to think of the name of a song or that word you're looking for. It's on the tip of your tongue but you just can't spit it out. Ok, enough of my subliminal psyche and on with what these little rollers have to do with this article.

The Discovery

Once I finally did pick this idea out of my brain I realized that these small stainless steel rollers were the perfect tool but wasn't so sure of my ability to use it. I had tried raking the hump on the stock Spyder trigger before and wasn't all that good at it. There was just too much drag on my finger to keep a steady rhythm. I had thought about somehow installing a small roller similar to these in the hump of a stock Spyder trigger before but never pursued it past that thought. I made a few sketches of ideas and that was it. This was the subliminal thought that was in the back of my brain when looking at these rollers but I didn't connect the two.

Anyway, what I did was attach one of the rollers to the flat blade trigger of my Impulse. Blades are OK for walking and twitching but virtually impossible to rake. Once I did attach the roller to the trigger it was totally amazing and listening to it rip with hardly any effort at all made me feel all fuzzy inside. It took a little practice to get a constant rhythm but once I got the hang of it I was pretty impressed with the result. The roller is so small that it didn't interrupt my ability to walk the trigger as well once I got it in the most comfortable position for my liking.

Raking A Trigger

Raking the trigger or known as fanning as well, is using one finger in a bent 90* angle perpendicular to the trigger. Once in this position you can quickly move the end portion of your finger up and down across a hump or high spot on the trigger  contacting it to shoot your marker. To demonstrate what I mean hold a pencil in a horizontal position, now rub your finger up and down across the end of it. For every back and forth contact with the trigger hump you can get two shots and the faster you move your finger back and forth the faster you can rip shots off. This will definitely take some practice but if you can get good at it, you can effortlessly rip tons of paint from your marker. I've found it's best to lay your thumb on the trigger frame somewhere to stabilize your hand when doing this.

Attaching The Raking Roller To Your Trigger

It's quite simple to attach these rollers to your trigger. There are a few possible manners in doing so. I would suggest first temporarily attaching it so you can test different positions on the trigger. Once you've found a spot that feels comfortable, permanently attach it if you should choose to do so. Unless you are fairly proficient at drilling and tapping, I'd suggest sticking with one of the first two suggestions.

• Taping: This is a good method to use for finding a comfortable position on the trigger that best suits you or if you feel that you just don't want to permanently attach the roller to your trigger. There is a thin 1/2" long by .155" wide by .012" thick bracket attached to the .189" round stainless steel roller. I've found that packing tape worked best for attaching the 1/2" long bracket to the trigger. Tape the full length of the bracket tightly and there will be no wobble of the roller. The bracket material is so thin, it's barely noticeable once attached to the trigger. If there is a contour to the trigger, bend the bracket to the contour so it fits as flush as possible to that contour.
• Gluing: I would suggest not using just any glue to attach the roller and bracket assembly. Epoxy would be best suited because of it's high bonding properties. Just the same as using the tape, if there is a contour to the trigger, bend the bracket to the contour so it fits as flush as possible to that contour. Once you feel that it is in the correct position, mark it then put the epoxy on both pieces to be bonded. Follow the instructions on the epoxy box or tube for best results and be sure to wait for it to completely cure before trying it out. Use some sort of tape to hold it in place while curing.
• Screwing: This would give you the best of both worlds but would take the most effort to perform. This would give you the option of being able to remove the roller occasionally and would be the least likely to inadvertently fall off. You would first need to find some very small, short bevel headed screws not any longer than the thickness of your trigger. You would want the top surface of the screw to be as flush as possible to the top surface of the roller bracket for best comfort. Drill 2 holes in the bracket of the roller. Transfer the locations of the holes to the trigger. Drill the marked locations with the proper drill bit for the corresponding tap size for the threads of the screws. The correct drill and tap sizes can be found here. You would need to put a slight chamfer on the hole and roller bracket so the screw fits flush with the top surface of the roller bracket. Tap the hole and you're almost done. Using a little blue Loctite on the threads of the screws, screw the roller bracket to the trigger.

 Raking Rollers sound interesting? Purchase them here

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