Dead Cushions

[Mike P]

I was speaking to a friend that has just refurbished a Burroughes & Watts that I estimate to be from the 1920’s. It has been in storage for approximately 10 years. He is please with it, but finds that the cushions do not play anywhere close to mine (Northern Rubber). I mentioned that the rubber will regain some of its’ elasticity after use. I also recommended that he could walk around his table, hitting the cushions with a rubber mallet. Is there anything else he can do to speed the cushions up?
Am I being too optimistic, or should he just purchase some new rubber?
Mike

[sharkster63]

Good Day, Mike,

I have just ordered some Northern Rubbers for my table. I spent allot of time and money getting my table to a near perfect playing condition only to realize that the rubbers I ordered from an online company in United States were not even as good as the ones I replaced. I tried a heater and waited hoping that the rails would get better did not improve. It is going to cost me another 600 dollars and numerous hours of work to rectify. I sure hope that the Northern Rubber is as good as reviewed. Is there something important that I should know before I install the new rubbers, stretch, heat, beat with a mallet etc. any tips would be appreciated.

Thank You,

Rolly C. sends

[Mike P]

Hi Rolly,
Sorry to hear about your issues with the online company from the States. Perhaps their interpretation of northern rubber, meant they had purchased it from Canada. Due to the States not normally being familiar with snooker, I wonder if the rubber profile is wrong. When I first refurbish my table (10+ yrs ago) I had a famous billiard company in the Toronto area redo my cushions. I asked and paid for the installation of N.R.. What I received was poorest installation imaginable and at the time did not realise economy rubber was used. I had to return them due to the damage they received during shipping. They had sent them to me (500 miles) in a cardboard box with the rails loose on the inside. Due to not having any protection, when the rails arrived not only was the cloth torn on three of the rails but they also had water damage to them. About a year after setting my table up I was in Toronto at a local dealer. A billiard fitter had just set up a table in the show. When trying a cue, I shot the cue ball over the spots. I could not believe the speed at which it returned to me. I stated to the mechanic, how much faster this table was compared to mine. His answer was that the company that had done my rails, had installed economy rubber and charged me for NR. He did not have any compliments towards the company when he spoke of them. Needless to say I never purchased anything from them again. Sorry for getting long winded, it just burns me, every time I think about it.
As to your questions, you will notice a significant difference with the speed of the NR. I am a fly by night and love to tinker. I have had my table apart many times, but I am not foolish enough to think I am qualified at anything. I am hoping that Geoff and others on hear see this thread and contribute. You would be much better taking their advice, than mine. Good Luck.
Mike

[Geoff Large]

Northern rubber has a date and it's name on each rubber in a type of white ink stamp on the top of each rubber , they also from around 10/12 years ago put raised lettering on the L shape face that glued to the block and you should be able to feel it which repeated the total lenth of the rubber around every 12 inch .
this was done to stop chinese made rubber being stamped with the white ink .

The white ink stamp should say a date like July 2010 and Made in england Icon Northern rubber . Retford ( which is in Nottinghamshire)
The raised embosed letering saying Northern rubber is repeated about every 12 inch or so on the under L shape .
I always write and sign the top tape that is applied to the top of the rubber when doing a Rerubber the day I fitted it , now this could be upto a year after the date the rubber was manufactured as you have to allow for storage of the rubber on a retailer or wholesalers stock racks .

So if you have had a rerubber done in the past ten/twelve years the raised embosed type lettering should be there , just unstaple or untack the middle section of any cushion to inspect the raised lettering .





on the last photo you can just make out the raised lettering , you can feel this as well as see it . just rub youre finger along the under part of the cushion that is facing outwards ( bottom of the rubber where it sits on the block )

[Geoff Large]

When you have glued and shaped your rubber and have the table back in use , do not let the room fall below 60%F , as the rubber tends to harden and can shorten it's 30 year life to say just 10 years , also new rubber takes time to Bed in , just like a squash ball has to be warmed up , rubbers may take around 6 month of playing in (buising in to start rebounding to it's max .)

The lower face of the rubber is to be set just above dead centre of a ball allowing for thickness of cloth .

Above this and they will not rebound good , below this and you will get balls jumping .

This sometimes requires remodeling the block shelf that the rubber sits on or even putting new blocks on .
I say block shelf as some USA craftsmen call the rebate that the rubber sits on a Rabbit , ( I watch the New yankee workshop on TV )

Geoff

[sharkster63]

Hi Rolly,
Sorry to hear about your issues with the online company from the States. Perhaps their interpretation of northern rubber, meant they had purchased it from Canada. Due to the States not normally being familiar with snooker, I wonder if the rubber profile is wrong. When I first refurbish my table (10+ yrs ago) I had a famous billiard company in the Toronto area redo my cushions. I asked and paid for the installation of N.R.. What I received was poorest installation imaginable and at the time did not realise economy rubber was used. I had to return them due to the damage they received during shipping. They had sent them to me (500 miles) in a cardboard box with the rails loose on the inside. Due to not having any protection, when the rails arrived not only was the cloth torn on three of the rails but they also had water damage to them. About a year after setting my table up I was in Toronto at a local dealer. A billiard fitter had just set up a table in the show. When trying a cue, I shot the cue ball over the spots. I could not believe the speed at which it returned to me. I stated to the mechanic, how much faster this table was compared to mine. His answer was that the company that had done my rails, had installed economy rubber and charged me for NR. He did not have any compliments towards the company when he spoke of them. Needless to say I never purchased anything from them again. Sorry for getting long winded, it just burns me, every time I think about it.
As to your questions, you will notice a significant difference with the speed of the NR. I am a fly by night and love to tinker. I have had my table apart many times, but I am not foolish enough to think I am qualified at anything. I am hoping that Geoff and others on hear see this thread and contribute. You would be much better taking their advice, than mine. Good Luck.
Mike

Thanks Mike,

I am a bit of a tinkerer myself, I intend to install these rubbers myself when they arrive. I hope they play fast. I was very dissapointed and understand what you mean.! When I invite a mate to play on my table I want nil dissatifaction, I want pride in my table, I set it up and intalled it, I dont want the cloth or rubbers to negate my hard work.
Thanks for the reply,
Rolly C. sends

[sharkster63]

Northern rubber has a date and it's name on each rubber in a type of white ink stamp on the top of each rubber , they also from around 10/12 years ago put raised lettering on the L shape face that glued to the block and you should be able to feel it which repeated the total lenth of the rubber around every 12 inch .
this was done to stop chinese made rubber being stamped with the white ink .

The white ink stamp should say a date like July 2010 and Made in england Icon Northern rubber . Retford ( which is in Nottinghamshire)
The raised embosed letering saying Northern rubber is repeated about every 12 inch or so on the under L shape .
I always write and sign the top tape that is applied to the top of the rubber when doing a Rerubber the day I fitted it , now this could be upto a year after the date the rubber was manufactured as you have to allow for storage of the rubber on a retailer or wholesalers stock racks .

So if you have had a rerubber done in the past ten/twelve years the raised embosed type lettering should be there , just unstaple or untack the middle section of any cushion to inspect the raised lettering .





on the last photo you can just make out the raised lettering , you can feel this as well as see it . just rub youre finger along the under part of the cushion that is facing outwards ( bottom of the rubber where it sits on the block )

Geoff,
Thank You for this information, I am going to receive the rubbers in post within the next few days. This will enable me to confirm that I have the real Mcoy.

Much appreciated info,

One question, when you install the rubbers should you lightly stretch them so they fall in place or push them in without a little stretch. Will this stretching change the bounce. ?

Cheers, Rolly C. sends

[Mike P]

Hi Geoff, is there anything my friend can do about his cushions?

Mike

[Geoff Large]

Heat under the table rising upwards will help soften any rubber and speed a bed up , with what you are saying that the table has been in storage for 10 years , if the stoarge erea was very cold and I take it in canada it can get very cold , this will have finished the rubber off , if the cushions are over 20 to 30 years old they will want replaceing if they where not in constant use and kept warm .
Cushion life is very variable , 10 years if they get cold , 20 to 30 years and maybe alittle beyond if they are in constant use and kept warm .
throw a ball down the lenth of the table hard ( not bouncing ) you should get 4.5 lenths of run , and 5 when they are worn in , steel cushions can be a little more but there is not much in them unless the woodwork is light . it all depends on the type of wood used in the cushion construction , Cuban mahogany being the heavy wood will get a better bounce , phillipino mahogany is not very good and will get less of a bounce .
Make sure the cushion bolts are tight and that they have washers on them . slack bolts of bolts that are without washers will not bounce good on the cushion rubber , they have to be solid against the slate for 100% bounce .
hitting with a rubber mallet may soften them up a bit , but do not recomend it as damage to block and cloth may be the result .
Better to play them into action rather than hit with a mallet .

He may require a Rerubber , and yes Northern rubber is the best , and made localy to me in Retford which is about 35 miles away . you cannot buy Northern rubber direct from the Factory unless you order 100 sets , so Peradon is the best place to buy it , don't forget some good gaffa type tape ( also from Peradon ) to put on top once the cushions are glued in place and shaped , this helps keep cushion rubber on the block when players sit on the cushion .
Remember after a rerubber and recloth of the cushions they require bruising in by play , this may take upto 6 months to do this , the cushion cloth will be tight against the cushion and requires time to slightly slacken off .

Geoff

[Geoff Large]

When you put the rubbers on , right handed , start at the right side of the cushion , slightly pull but do not stretch , slide youre hand down the block useing youre thumb as a guide on top of the block to prevent the rubber being high , support the rubber under with fore finger .

PRACTICE THIS ACTION BEFORE YOU APPY ANY GLUE , GET SOMEONE TO HOLD THE RUBBER AT ONE END , UNTIL YOU FEEL CONFIDENT YOU HAVE CRACKED IT .
ALLOW GLUE TO GO OFF FOR 15 MINS BEFORE CONTACT OF EACH GLUED SURFACE .

do the angles last . get RUBBERS on the block first .
Clean all old glue off the blocks , and sand back of rubber to give Grip for the glue .
Use a good quality contact adesive , Peradon sell it , but I use Evo stick 528 trade .

Geoff

[sharkster63]

Thanks Geoff,

I received my rubber and it is authentic. Waiting for my cloth for rails before I start, will keep all of your advice in mind when I start.
Thank You,

Rolly C. sends