Table maintenance

[Geoff Large]

If you where supplied with red or white rubber with a cloth backing it is 100% imported Crap rubber , some imported rubber was made without the cloth backing which is like a hessian backing realy .
there should be a label on them , but some people take this off to hide the fact it is taiwan rubber .

The very best rubber is Northern rubber , and if youre pool table cushions have full sized rubber profile then I am afraid it will be very expensive to buy northern rubber as it is only made in 6 foot - 6 inch lenths , expect to pay £110 to£150 for a set of full sized cushion rubber + vat and delivery , if Hainsworth releases the pool table rubber used by winner supreme , then this may be at much lower costing if sold for 7ft tables as a set , you may think you are saving money fitting the rubber youreself , I think in the long runn either ask a Billiards firm for a second hand set of rubber salvaged from a full sized table with some life still in them , or try and buy the cushions allready made for youre make of table by contacting the manufacturer of the table to enquire to buy a set . they should be priced around £70 as set of cushons ready to cover .
good condition second hand northern rubber will outlast any taiwan imported rubbish , and billiards firms discard it every time they do a rerubber , it may not be good enough for a 12ft table , but in most cases it is is very good for pool tables and will prob last another 10years .

two things to look out for for Genuine northern rubber , the white ink writing with date the rubber was manufactured , and in the lower photo the embossed raised lettering every foot on the face edge just under the overhang of the cushion rubber . the last photo is the latest stamp which has the firm Hainsworth now included as they bought northern rubber out and now own the firm .

[Gapster]

why do the public put up with inferior syntetic rubber

Because generally we wouldn't know the difference between one type of rubber and another.

Is there a recommended supplier of cushion rubber in the UK?

[Geoff Large]

hi Gerard ... yes the winner surpreme cushions on older tables used to be red rubber and went rock hard sometimes in under 2 years , it usualy only starts with one or two cushions getting hard , but you know the other 4 will go hard a few months down the line , they changed the colour to Blue rubber about 2 years ago and this looks like it is a better quality rubber as I have not seen any of these rock hard yet ... then just as you get used to the blue rubber they change again this time they use Black Hainsworth rubber and as we know Hainsworth now owns Northern rubber so I take it they have seen the light and are now useing rubber made by northern rubber on their pool tables ? but they are not branded northern rubber ? they may have a deal with Haisnworth for quantity purchase of rubber etc .

Sam k steel and also bison tables also go rock hard after around 8 years of use , i will have a job soon which requires around 14 9 foot american pool rerubbers and recovers .

as a rule of thumb I just buy replacement cushions for the standard UK pool tables as it saves time , usualy the wood is well past it for a rerubber , but now and again i use second hand full sized rubber I have salvaged from a full sized table which has plenty of life left in it , so it seems a waste to just bin it , so use it for secnd hand tables I refurbish for youth clubs and prisons etc .

I also apply the cushion tape to all new cushions , this is something that the manufacturers should do , and if I was a betting man , I would say you also put cushion cloth or gaffa tape on those pool table cushions ?

Geoff

[ryanah147]

you do not rerubber pool table cushions unless they are not available anymore from the manufacturer , you just buy anew set and you can get these uncovered or covered from the manufacturer , the wood on the cushions after a few recovers in its life will be well worn and brittle around the ends where more staples are put in , so why glue new rubber to wood that is also requireing replacement ?

the bed is simply glued around the edge with contact adiesive to the underside edge of the cloth and to the edge of the slate .

Hi Geoff
Just reading through the above re Pool table re-rubbering. I recover sets of cushions for Pool table operators here in Cork, and over the last year I have found sets of cushions which are handed into us where the rubbers are rock hard. When I recover sets of cushions I usually initial and date them, just for reference for myself.
So far this week I had to re-rubber 3 sets of Supreme cushions. These cushions would have been covered by me in January 2009, and judging by the staple holes it would have been their first covering then. Assuming the cushions were then 1 year old, that would mean the rubbers were useless after 4 years.
I still cover Hazel Grove Superleague cushions which are 30 years old and the rubbers are still playable, needless to mention they would be fitted with Northern Rubber, and I suppose it makes one say why do the public put up with inferior syntetic rubber which dosent last kissing time when at the same time they are paying over the top. Lets face it, whats the difference in price.... £50 or so !
Talk about spoiling the ship for the sake of a bucket of tar !!!!!

[Gapster]

Thanks Geoff - I've already bought some rubbers from ebay, and I'm going to have to give it a go (re-rubbering) as I haven't found a complete wood & cushion set. The cushions have never been replaced as best as I can guess, and if the wood is bad I'll make some new ones.

Is there a 'no glue' area on the slate? ie. should I keep as much of the glue contact to the slate away from the playing area?

[Geoff Large]

you do not rerubber pool table cushions unless they are not available anymore from the manufacturer , you just buy anew set and you can get these uncovered or covered from the manufacturer , the wood on the cushions after a few recovers in its life will be well worn and brittle around the ends where more staples are put in , so why glue new rubber to wood that is also requireing replacement ?

the bed is simply glued around the edge with contact adiesive to the underside edge of the cloth and to the edge of the slate .

[Gapster]

Hi all, I've just brought a second-hand one of these back from the UK to our place in the Auvergne... I'm back in the UK again next week and will pick up various bits to attempt to referbish it.

http://www.simplypoolandsnooker.co.u...ic-barline.htm

It's in need of new cushion rubbers and re-felting which I plan to do myself due to costs, and our location - it's really a 'fun table' to entertain our friends when we get snowed in over the winter.

Having read through all of this thread it looks like I'll need a bit of luck and patience to make a decent job of it - cloth, fixing, leveling, 'room temperature etc. all very precise work for a good job.

I have yet to start dismantling the top and remove the cushion rubbers, bed felt etc, so it will be a challenge top say the least.

Can anyone advise me on the correct method for gluing the cloth (I've ordered some pool felt glue) - the original cloth is being replaced with Hainsworth Elite Pro - maybe not exactly the same thickness so could be an issue with cushion strip battens?

The rubbers I've bought are apparently standard BCE replacements off ebay which I will need to carefully trim - can I use any suitable rubber glue, or should I by cushion cement?

The table will undoubtedly be in extreme temperatures, anything from -15c in the winter to 30c in the summer is this likely to be fatal for the slate bed?

[philip in china]

You have lost me there.

if anyone attempted that on my table i may have to do time in jail as cnsequence of what i may do to them!

[ianjones89]

I have a pub size slate bed table and i have a set of red and yellows and a set of spots and stripes, reason i can play 9 ball and snooker using 6 reds and the correct colored solid balls with the 4 ball as the pink!

saved me 50 squid on a set of snooker balls. plus its pointless trying to play snooker with anymore than 6 reds on a 6ft table!

[ianjones89]

THANK **** FOR THAT! Someone else that knows that blackball is not the standard UK rule set! I am now happy!

[ianjones89]

if anyone attempted that on my table i may have to do time in jail as cnsequence of what i may do to them!

[bricktip]

I used something like that to put them in.

[maryfield]

You can use a blunt chisel with an adjustable spanner tightened on the blade of the chisel to give leverage. The hex bolts would be put in with a ratchet/scocket. Slates would not be in the way. They would if you used a brace.

[bricktip]

It would certainly be good to have some hex bolts for future use, but i would still need a slot head tool to take the old bolts out without it being very hard work. I don't really want to take them out though. It would be hard work taking them out now the slates are in the way; Talking of which, will a brace hit the slates if turning full circle?

[maryfield]

I could do either for 2 GBP each. Both have a hex head. Postage I would have to get a quote and would depend on weight. It would be safe to swap over the bolts. I would advise removing and replacing on at a time!