"Best" glue advice

Dragan Glas · Nov 9, 2015

Greetings,

I was wondering what is the "best" glue recommended?

I'm using the term "best" in the sense of reliability.

I'm not interested in "boosting", etc., just standard gluing for rubbers.

Do different types/manufacturers' blades/rubbers require different glues or is there a one-size-fits-all solution?

Also, I was wondering if anyone knows what the bat-make-up services offered by various TT stores (TeeSport, TT11, etc) use and/or recommend? (I'd imagine that these would be the best people to give advice to the average person on this aspect of making up a bat.)

Kindest regards,

James

Ilia Minkin · Nov 9, 2015

One thing about water-based glue: don't buy it during the time of the year when the temperature is below freezing somewhere on the path of the glue from the shop to your home. I don't think that anything else matters.

UpSideDownCarl · Nov 9, 2015

I don't know about "best" but I know what I like. [emoji2]

Let's see how to do this.

The old glue, which was basically the same as the rubber cement you could get for arts and crafts for children or for artists has a characteristic where the glue remains stick, actually for a few years. So, if you pull your rubbers off and want to just press them back on, without extra glue, or by putting glue only onto the rubber or the wood, for a second gluing, you could do that. I always liked that because I like pulling rubbers off and slapping them on a next blade without much fuss.

With the new Water Based Glues, it seems to me that there are two kinds.

One feels really like a Water Based version of the old glue, where, when it dries, it still feel like sticky rubber and you can pull a rubber off 1 blade and slap it back on or slap it onto another blade without actually even needing to use more glue. The one version of this kind of glue that I know of is Donic Vario Clean.

The other kind of water based glue is different. When it dries it feels smooth and elastic, it feels sort of like silicone. With this kind of glue, the glue can be excellent while your rubbers are on, but when you take them off you have to reglue both the blade face and the rubbers. Also, if you reglue, it is probably worthwhile to take the old glue off.

On the positive side with the silicone type glues, the ones that stick well, work nicely for keeping your rubber on your blade. Another positive. When you take the old glue off it is MUCH easier to take the glue off the rubber. If you are practiced at it, you can even remove the glue in one whole, stretchy piece. So that is useful if you are the person who leaves the rubber on for a long time and only takes it off and reglues if something goes wrong.

If you are like me and like pulling rubbers off willy nilly, the Vario Clean kind of glue is preferable. However, one thing to know about Vario Clean, if you need to pull it off, it is a real pain in the azz. Also, you are much safer with that glue if your blade is sealed. Because the bond is pretty strong.

Last detail: I bet that the glue used by places that will out a racket together for you changed by the place and perhaps, even by which glue they chose to try out last.

But you should be able to ask what glue a specific location is currently using and/or which glue they recommend for you and why.

Hearing different opinions can be pretty useful.

Sent from the Oracle of Delphi by the Pythia

Dragan Glas · Nov 10, 2015

Greetings,

Thanks, Carl, for the informative reply.

If TT11, or any other retailers who are watching this could give us their advice, that would be appreciated.

Kindest regards,

James

Suga D · Nov 10, 2015

Sorry Dragan, but i'm not sure if these stores are allowed to recommend any glue due to their contracts as retailers, but you could pm them privately.

What they could do is maybe tell which are their best sellers, but then again that would only tell you which are the bestsellers, not which is the best glue, though....

Dragan Glas · Nov 10, 2015

Greetings,

Thanks, Suga D, I thought that that might be the case.

Carl, do you have an example of the "silicone" type of glue?

Kindest regards,

James

NextLevel · Nov 10, 2015

I actually disagree with Carl on how strong VarioClean is - the other glues I have tried or seen on other people's blades are much worse. I have never sealed any of my blades and VarioClean is easier to remove if you use an unnecessarily thick layer as many players do.

NextLevel · Nov 10, 2015

Dragan Glas said:
Greetings,

Thanks, Suga D, I thought that that might be the case.

Carl, do you have an example of the "silicone" type of glue?

Kindest regards,

James

Revolution #3 I think is the most popular.

Dragan Glas · Nov 11, 2015

Greetings,

Thank you, NextLevel.

Kindest regards,

James

UpSideDownCarl · Nov 11, 2015

NextLevel said:
I actually disagree with Carl on how strong VarioClean is - the other glues I have tried or seen on other people's blades are much worse. I have never sealed any of my blades and VarioClean is easier to remove if you use an unnecessarily thick layer as many players do.

Good to know. I personally never felt a downside to Vario Clean. I was trying to put out why some people may not like it.

Personally, I am just sad I have something else right now.

Dragan Glas said:
Carl, do you have an example of the "silicone" type of glue?

I will have to look at what the name on the Xiom glue I currently have is. Any of the glues that are like Tear Mender (which some people use for gluing) have that silicon feel.

Sent from the Oracle of Delphi by the Pythia

varik · Nov 11, 2015

i had my first try with water based glues this week, so im not the best guy to advise, but ill tell you my experience.

i got a bottle of 90ml of Vario Clean, the glue seemed to my very liquid and very easy to spread, i put one layer on the blade and two on the rubber, although i used 3 layers on total the red rubber started to unglue on the tips after 1 day. As i said this is my frist attempt with this king of glue so maybe the layers were to thin maybe i let it dry to much before bound, i read also some were that the black spong of Xiom is hard to glue with vario. Well i dont know ill try again this weekend.

UpSideDownCarl · Nov 11, 2015

NextLevel said:
I actually disagree with Carl on how strong VarioClean is - the other glues I have tried or seen on other people's blades are much worse. I have never sealed any of my blades and VarioClean is easier to remove if you use an unnecessarily thick layer as many players do.

I guess I will add that I did have it pull up some of the wood from one of my blades but that may have been that the blade was delicate.

Regardless any other info, the glue I have liked most so far was Donic Vario Clean. That was my personal preference and the reason was the ability to take the rubber off, not add more glue, and press it back on. I never had problems with the rubber coming off.

Sent from the Oracle of Delphi by the Pythia

P1ngP0ng3r · Nov 11, 2015

After trying several WBG like Nittaku Finezip, VarioClean, TSP, Andro, etc, Revolution 3 (medium) is by far my favorite. Easy to apply, rubbers stick well (I never use some kind of press), easy to remove rubbers from the blade and easy to remove glue from the rubber.

For new rubbers I apply 2 layers and 1 on the blade. Used rubbers (I reglue about once a month) need just 1 layer on the rubber and 1 on the blade.

Anders · Nov 11, 2015

I use the Butterfly Free Chack, works perfectly fine.. Only backside might be that if your blade is brand new and not sealed it might be hard to glue.. So I glue one layer and then rub it off again, just to sort of "break it in" the blade in terms of glueing.. But yeah, the Free Chack is good and works perfectly fine on any rubber

Gezim · Nov 13, 2015

I am using Stiga Attach Power Glue. It is a litle bit thick but gluing is perfect and also removal.

Exercised · Nov 13, 2015

If you happily glue often I would recommend Stiga attach power but then you as said need to regalia often to make it consistent. Otherwise I do recommend Butterfly's basic glue!

GiorgosTT · Nov 13, 2015

I am using Revolution 3 and I'm very satisfied with it. The rubbers stick well to the blade, but maybe the biggest advantage for me is that it is relatively easy to remove the glue from the rubber. If the sponge cooperates, and you have somewhat thick layers it may even come out in one piece!

I usually apply 2 thin-ish layers on a new rubber and one on the blade. If I need to reglue, I put one layer on the rubber without removing the old ones, and one on the blade. I might do it for 2 or 3 times before actually remove the glue and start all over again and this works well for me.

Der_Echte · Nov 14, 2015

UpSideDownCarl said:
I don't know about "best" but I know what I like. [emoji2]

Let's see how to do this.

The old glue, which was basically the same as the rubber cement you could get for arts and crafts for children or for artists has a characteristic where the glue remains stick, actually for a few years. So, if you pull your rubbers off and want to just press them back on, without extra glue, or by putting glue only onto the rubber or the wood, for a second gluing, you could do that. I always liked that because I like pulling rubbers off and slapping them on a next blade without much fuss.

With the new Water Based Glues, it seems to me that there are two kinds.

One feels really like a Water Based version of the old glue, where, when it dries, it still feel like sticky rubber and you can pull a rubber off 1 blade and slap it back on or slap it onto another blade without actually even needing to use more glue. The one version of this kind of glue that I know of is Donic Vario Clean.

The other kind of water based glue is different. When it dries it feels smooth and elastic, it feels sort of like silicone. With this kind of glue, the glue can be excellent while your rubbers are on, but when you take them off you have to reglue both the blade face and the rubbers. Also, if you reglue, it is probably worthwhile to take the old glue off.

On the positive side with the silicone type glues, the ones that stick well, work nicely for keeping your rubber on your blade. Another positive. When you take the old glue off it is MUCH easier to take the glue off the rubber. If you are practiced at it, you can even remove the glue in one whole, stretchy piece. So that is useful if you are the person who leaves the rubber on for a long time and only takes it off and reglues if something goes wrong.

If you are like me and like pulling rubbers off willy nilly, the Vario Clean kind of glue is preferable. However, one thing to know about Vario Clean, if you need to pull it off, it is a real pain in the azz. Also, you are much safer with that glue if your blade is sealed. Because the bond is pretty strong.

Last detail: I bet that the glue used by places that will out a racket together for you changed by the place and perhaps, even by which glue they chose to try out last.

But you should be able to ask what glue a specific location is currently using and/or which glue they recommend for you and why.

Hearing different opinions can be pretty useful.

Sent from the Oracle of Delphi by the Pythia

I use rubber cement almost exclusively, unless I glue a sheet of Tenergy... and you know Der_Echte has gotta win the lottery to spare the money to buy THAT rubber.

Sent from the Official KFTTC slouch phone using So-Ju Talk.

"Best" glue advice

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