How to clean Chinese rubber

TTLOVE · Jan 8, 2020

Hi everyone.
Right now I'm using a chinese rubber on the forehand side.
I've noticed that the rubber lose pretty quickly its tackiness.
How can I prevent that? How should I clean the rubber to regenerate the tackiness?
Please let me know you experience with this.

Hysteresis · Jan 8, 2020

I find a wet rubber sponge does the job pretty well(as in a sponge made from rubber foam, not some sort of sponge just for cleaning rubbers) as it doesn't leave behind any cloth fibres.

The key is to remove all the random dust/fibres stuck to the surface. This is very hard to remove with a dry or damp cloth/sponge, so I find a genuinely wet sponge helps. Be careful you are only cleaning the topsheet and not getting water into the sponge.

You will need to dry the topsheet thoroughly after removing all the dust/fibre, squeeze out the water from the sponge REALLY hard so the sponge is very dry and absorbent. I find using warm water helps too, as the last bits of water will evaporate off (don't use very hot water, you might damage the rubber, only has to be warm).

Then chuck a non-adhesive protective sheet on top, and you are done.

ccc999666 · Jan 8, 2020

Easiest way, using your sweat will make it tacky quick

UpSideDownCarl · Jan 9, 2020

Probably all you need is a little water on a sponge to get the dust that will accumulate on the tacky surface of the topsheet to come off. These days I actually just pour a few drops of water on my hand to clean the topsheet. You can feel with your hand pretty well if there is still dust on the topsheet as you wipe.

But another thing is how you store the blade when you are not using it. A plastic sheet on your topsheet will protect it from dust. But when there is a plastic sheet on a tacky topsheet, it actually causes the rubber to get slightly tackier. They sell plastic sheets specifically for this. But I don't think you need those. Any plastic sheet will be fine. I use ones I got off of report covers.

The finished side of the cardboard from the packaging most rubbers come in will work as well. Just cut it to the shape of the rubber.

I use these:

In the first picture there is a stack of them. In the second, I am holding one up.

Those work really well.

If your topsheet really loses its tackiness, then you leave one of those on it for a month and it will be quite grippy again. Spreading a very thin layer of baby oil on the topsheet before you leave the plastic sheet on the topsheet for a month would make it even more tacky.

Der_Echte · Jan 9, 2020

Once rubber is clean, breath on your rubber and quickly put on the plastic protective sheet. The next day, that rubber, if it was a tacky rubber, will be tacky again.

darucla · Jan 9, 2020

Just to add: if you are playing a tournament or in any other sort of multi-match environment, you will find that tacky rubber gets dusty as the time goes on. This why you see the pros breathing on the rubber and wiping it with their hands during the games. In between matches, have a towel handy and do the following: wet your hand with water. Then wipe the hand across the rubber. Then dry your hand on the towel. Then wipe the hand across the rubber again. Repeat with the dry hand until all the water has gone from the rubber (might take a few moments). Then use the plastic cover until the beginning of the next match. (The only problem with this is if you are allergic to latex. I have a slight allergy, and it causes not only an irritation in my hand, but also sometimes a nasal reaction. So I need to have anti-histamines before a match.) The great advantage is that the process is quick and can be performed anywhere, and the hand is very sensitive to dust particles, which are the cause of the tackiness loss.

yogi_bear · Jan 9, 2020

You should cover the rubber after cleaning and drying. Once you do not clean it even with just water it will dry up and lose tackiness.

Tango K · Jan 10, 2020

The first couple of days regardless of how you clean the rubber, it will get less tacky a little bit, especially if it’s commercial version. But then it’ll stay in that condition for a while. I use filtered water with a spray and a normal rubber cleaner sponge. Don’t use the Brand water cleaning liquid too regularly (if you do), it’ll make the rubber look glossy and less grippy over time.

puyol · Jan 11, 2020

Yes, I've found that to be the case, too. I'm wondering though, what is the mechanism behind it...?

>>You should cover the rubber after cleaning and drying. Once you do not clean it even with just water it will dry up and lose tackiness.

man_iii · Jan 11, 2020

Wiping with clean dry hands after sprinkling a few drops of water on the rubber lifts dirt and dust and other particles. Placing a plastic sheet on the almost dry rubber creates a vacuum with a fine layer of moisture that evaporates leaving behind a very high grade vacuum seal. At this stage the topsheet and sponge has some trace oils that make the rubber tacky. Vacuum pulls these oils to the surface restoring the tackiness. This will wear off eventually but can take up to several years if done carefully and properly.

Btw this is just my conjecture at this point. I am not a chemical or materials engineer or scientist.

The Pong Professor · Jan 11, 2020

Somewhat by coincidence I shot a video the other evening related to this topic. I have had mixed results covering my H3 with plastic sheets, and actually prefer to place it in my airtight blade box without plastic cover sheets. I like to think that very little oxygen reaches the topsheet, leading to minimal oxidation (obviously, the blade shown in the video has not seen a box in a LONG time

):

UpSideDownCarl · Jan 11, 2020

Patrick Hrdlicka said:
Somewhat by coincidence I shot a video the other evening related to this topic. I have had mixed results covering my H3 with plastic sheets, and actually prefer to place it in my airtight blade box without plastic cover sheets. I like to think that very little oxygen reaches the topsheet, leading to minimal oxidation (obviously, the blade shown in the video has not seen a box in a LONG time ):

Not sure why people think olive oil is a good idea. Baby oil or mineral oil would work better. Also think you might have seen better results from the WD40 if it was not so close to the handle. But it still would not give the results that you got from the R3 bio cleaner.

From the standpoint of the TT rule you referred to, applying any of those including the bio cleaner would be against the rules. But I am not so sure those rules matter if you are not entering an ITTF Pro Tour tournament. It is also worth noting that, almost all pros seem to break those rules by boosting. So, probably that rule should be changed. Not much harm in putting any of those things onto the topsheet of a rubber.

I left this out, but if you put one of those things on and then put a plastic sheet over the rubber, by the next day, it will be, a little more tacky than the results you got. And if you left it with the sheet for a week, it would be more tacky still.

darucla · Jan 11, 2020

I must admit to being very surprised by the results with RevNo3. This is way more tacky than would be obtained using just water, so there must be something else causing it. I'd like to try it, but it is not easily available in the UK, AFAICS. Unless someone knows?

The Pong Professor · Jan 11, 2020

UpSideDownCarl said:
Not sure why people think olive oil is a good idea. Baby oil or mineral oil would work better. Also think you might have seen better results from the WD40 if it was not so close to the handle. But it still would not give the results that you got from the R3 bio cleaner.

From the standpoint of the TT rule you referred to, applying any of those including the bio cleaner would be against the rules. But I am not so sure those rules matter if you are not entering an ITTF Pro Tour tournament. It is also worth noting that, almost all pros seem to break those rules by boosting. So, probably that rule should be changed. Not much harm in putting any of those things onto the topsheet of a rubber.

I left this out, but if you put one of those things on and then put a plastic sheet over the rubber, by the next day, it will be, a little more tacky than the results you got. And if you left it with the sheet for a week, it would be more tacky still.

We have had a protracted discussion on MyTT (http://mytabletennis.net/forum/topic87474_page5.html#1088864) what constitutes boosting, and more specifically violation of (ITTF Rule 2.4.7 The racket covering shall be used without any physical, chemical or other treatment). This included a discussion of whether or not cleaners represent "Chemical treatment of a racket covering". As a chemist and someone who has been an expert witness in patent lawsuits (and thus has seen how such language would be argued and construed), reading ITTF rule to the letter would suggest that all cleaners are illegal, much to the dismay of some MyTT forum members (although the spirit of rule might allow water-based cleaners). I don't want to rehash or restart the discussion here, but simply state the the ITTF rule is unclear (e.g., are any type of water-based cleaners allowed), illogical (factories are allowed sell boosted users but users are not allowed to boost - or treat topsheets with oil or oil-based products since this may constitute "treatment"), and largely unenforceable (no test exists to detect boosters, except for the VOC-sniffer and measurements of rubber thickness/evenness).

The Pong Professor · Jan 11, 2020

darucla said:
I must admit to being very surprised by the results with RevNo3. This is way more tacky than would be obtained using just water, so there must be something else causing it. I'd like to try it, but it is not easily available in the UK, AFAICS. Unless someone knows?

TT11 sells and ships worldwide

darucla · Jan 11, 2020

Patrick Hrdlicka said:
TT11 sells and ships worldwide

Yes, I realised this after posting, it just didn't show in a general search. I have ordered some, although felt obliged (as usual) to bump up the order to get free shipping.

UpSideDownCarl · Jan 12, 2020

Patrick Hrdlicka said:
We have had a protracted discussion on MyTT (http://mytabletennis.net/forum/topic87474_page5.html#1088864) what constitutes boosting, and more specifically violation of (ITTF Rule 2.4.7 The racket covering shall be used without any physical, chemical or other treatment). This included a discussion of whether or not cleaners represent "Chemical treatment of a racket covering". As a chemist and someone who has been an expert witness in patent lawsuits (and thus has seen how such language would be argued and construed), reading ITTF rule to the letter would suggest that all cleaners are illegal, much to the dismay of some MyTT forum members (although the spirit of rule might allow water-based cleaners). I don't want to rehash or restart the discussion here, but simply state the the ITTF rule is unclear (e.g., are any type of water-based cleaners allowed), illogical (factories are allowed sell boosted users but users are not allowed to boost - or treat topsheets with oil or oil-based products since this may constitute "treatment"), and largely unenforceable (no test exists to detect boosters, except for the VOC-sniffer and measurements of rubber thickness/evenness).

I agree with you on this. I also don't think that rule is something that matters if you play for your own recreation.

How to clean Chinese rubber

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