Changing Rubbers

So I use a racket that was pre-made, it is a Grubba Carbon FL with Tackifire Drive rubber on both sides. Although I've been using this for a LONG time, about a year or 2. So now I want to change the rubbers on my racket. I'm thinking of DHS Memo 2 on the forehand and Butterfly Sriver on the backhand. I'm not to concerned with changing the type of rubbers I use, but I should note I'm an allround looping attacking player. I'm worried that whilst peeling the rubbers off since It was premade I'm afraid that the glue quality might be too strong and that it will make the wood peel and damage my paddle. I'm also concerned about gluing on the new rubbers and the edge tape. Help
 
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says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
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This is likely NOT a CRAPPY pre-made, but one of those BTY assembled "PRO" series, which essentially are decent blades and decent rubbers pre-assembled.

The rubbers should peel off OK, but be careful. Peel a little at a time and go from bottom of one side, up a little, and attempt to peel the rubber sideways (Perpendicular) to blade. If you peel all the way from bottom to top to go with the direction of the grain, you will greatly increase the chance of peeling off some of the blade. Slower blades are usually more prone to this and you have a slow blade, so be careful. Once you get your rubbers off, use the old rubber of a bit of old rubber and rub the blade free of glue residue. Use a blade sealant, whether it is some thin coat of polyurethane, or a little of the TT blade sealer you buy from a TT place where you get rubbers.

use it thin and let that stuff dry and you are good to go to resume adding the new rubber.

You wont tear up the blade taking off the edge tape and if you are worried about it, you can brush the side of the blade thick with lamp oil to dissolve the adhesive of the side tape to assist it to come off easier if you need to.

Put on some new edge tape after you are done with rubber and you have a new setup.

if you are dealing with a crappy pre-made, you will need some rubber cut-off to handle the tough job of getting rid of the crappy thick, sticky/gooey sponge and glue crap. TT manufactuers use that cheap crap to discourage you from changing rubbers and make you addicted to buying new gear form them.

Don't they realize if they made it easy to change rubbers, you would be motivated to buy and try every rubber in their lineup like an addicted EJ ??? !!!
 
This is likely NOT a CRAPPY pre-made, but one of those BTY assembled "PRO" series, which essentially are decent blades and decent rubbers pre-assembled.

The rubbers should peel off OK, but be careful. Peel a little at a time and go from bottom of one side, up a little, and attempt to peel the rubber sideways (Perpendicular) to blade. If you peel all the way from bottom to top to go with the direction of the grain, you will greatly increase the chance of peeling off some of the blade. Slower blades are usually more prone to this and you have a slow blade, so be careful. Once you get your rubbers off, use the old rubber of a bit of old rubber and rub the blade free of glue residue. Use a blade sealant, whether it is some thin coat of polyurethane, or a little of the TT blade sealer you buy from a TT place where you get rubbers.

use it thin and let that stuff dry and you are good to go to resume adding the new rubber.

You wont tear up the blade taking off the edge tape and if you are worried about it, you can brush the side of the blade thick with lamp oil to dissolve the adhesive of the side tape to assist it to come off easier if you need to.

Put on some new edge tape after you are done with rubber and you have a new setup.

if you are dealing with a crappy pre-made, you will need some rubber cut-off to handle the tough job of getting rid of the crappy thick, sticky/gooey sponge and glue crap. TT manufactuers use that cheap crap to discourage you from changing rubbers and make you addicted to buying new gear form them.

Don't they realize if they made it easy to change rubbers, you would be motivated to buy and try every rubber in their lineup like an addicted EJ ??? !!!
So when you say pull off the rubbers perpendicular to the blade do you mean that if you're looking at the racket with the bottom of the handle at the bottom and the tip of the racket on top, I should peel the rubbers from left to right or right to left? And I'm also concerned that whilst changing the rubber, the new rubbers won't be able to stick on very well. I've heard that once you apply the glue on, you're supposed to air dry the glue for 20 min or so but I don't understand that.
 
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says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
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Left to right is OK if th blade tip is up, just peel across the grains.

Depends on the glue you use. if you use Elmers rubbr cement, you only leave the glue on for a minute or two on both the blade and the sponge.

Water based TT glue will take a little longer to dry.

Either way, if you do the glue job riht, you can glue rubber after rubber on your blade no problems. You will become a pro at this in no time.
 
This is likely NOT a CRAPPY pre-made, but one of those BTY assembled "PRO" series, which essentially are decent blades and decent rubbers pre-assembled.

The rubbers should peel off OK, but be careful. Peel a little at a time and go from bottom of one side, up a little, and attempt to peel the rubber sideways (Perpendicular) to blade. If you peel all the way from bottom to top to go with the direction of the grain, you will greatly increase the chance of peeling off some of the blade. Slower blades are usually more prone to this and you have a slow blade, so be careful. Once you get your rubbers off, use the old rubber of a bit of old rubber and rub the blade free of glue residue. Use a blade sealant, whether it is some thin coat of polyurethane, or a little of the TT blade sealer you buy from a TT place where you get rubbers.

use it thin and let that stuff dry and you are good to go to resume adding the new rubber.

You wont tear up the blade taking off the edge tape and if you are worried about it, you can brush the side of the blade thick with lamp oil to dissolve the adhesive of the side tape to assist it to come off easier if you need to.

Put on some new edge tape after you are done with rubber and you have a new setup.

if you are dealing with a crappy pre-made, you will need some rubber cut-off to handle the tough job of getting rid of the crappy thick, sticky/gooey sponge and glue crap. TT manufactuers use that cheap crap to discourage you from changing rubbers and make you addicted to buying new gear form them.

Don't they realize if they made it easy to change rubbers, you would be motivated to buy and try every rubber in their lineup like an addicted EJ ??? !!!
When you say to use the blade sealer would I apply that before or after applying glue? And does the glue have to be some special kind of glue for table tennis or can it be any kind of water adhessive
 
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says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
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Sep 2011
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A blade "Sealer" is a substance that will penetrate the fibers of your blade and after it is dried, will help prevent your blade from splintering when you take off rubbers.

You apply the sealer in a very thin coats AFTER you removed the rubbers and scrubbed off any remaining glue residue.

You use the sealer only once for the life of the blade.

One must use glue specifically designed for Table Tennis rubber or you will neer get your rubbers off in one piece ever again.

There are two basic types of glues for TT.

Elmers Rubber Cement and similar TT glues. These are the OLD glues.

Water based TT glue. You get some special mini sponges with this and rub on evenly the water based glue. It looks a lot like white school glue, but do NOT use that kind of glue to adhere your rubbers to the blade, you'll regret it.
 
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