Rubber shrink

Does anyone know why the well-known Tenergy and ESN rubber (tensor), after being opened and stored for a long time, want to be re-pasted, the size becomes smaller. different from Chinese rubber, which remains with its size
anyone know how to develop it again

This is partly because these rubbers are softer and become more easily stretched when gluing them to the blade. Once removed, they go back to their normal size.

Originally Posted by Hasna Haura Hayfa

Does anyone know why the well-known Tenergy and ESN rubber (tensor), after being opened and stored for a long time, want to be re-pasted, the size becomes smaller. different from Chinese rubber, which remains with its size
anyone know how to develop it again

I have suffered tensor rubber shrinkage several times, sometimes with freshly glued rubbers that even shrink over the racket and come off.
I have tried to recover some with booster, but I have had no luck.

To avoid this, I have been following the following procedure for some time:

• I do not glue the rubbers as soon as I open the package but I leave them at room temperature with the sponge facing up for 2 or 3 days.
• With tensioned-type rubbers I give a normal layer of glue (Revolution 3 in my case) and let it dry without the assistance of a fan for at least an hour, well over what is usually suggested, after seeing that the glue has become totally transparent.
• Then I apply two slightly thinner coats of glue, also being generous with the drying time.
• On the racket I usually use two layers of glue.
• To stick the rubber on the racket without bending the rubber at all, I use a sheet of silicone paper on both sides, with a small semicircular cut of about 25 mm or 1in in the area of ​​the racquet handle.
• I lay the paper on the blade so that it is aligned right in the center and then I lay the rubber on the paper without bending the rubber, adjusting it so that it is well aligned.
• After that, I apply slight pressure to the area of ​​the semicircular cut to fix the rubber to the racquet, carefully remove the silicone paper by slightly lifting the rubber and proceed with the roller without exerting too much pressure.
• After that, I put the racket in a press that I have built with two MDF boards and leave the racket for at least 8 hours.
• Only after that I cut the rubber and proceed with the other rubber.

Extreme? Can be. But since I have followed this procedure I have not had any problems.

Factory Boosting???

Boost/speed glue/hand stretch/roller-pin/combo.

If you choose the latter two, make sure you use strong glue.

I think a pack of ESN rubber needs to be opened like ~3 months before use to let it air out completely. That way maybe it won't shrink any further. It also depends of course if your rubbers are freshly off the production line or have been collecting dust for half a year on a shelf. Most rubbers packaging is not vacuum sealed so eventually they should all "air out" even if they are packed.
I only noticed this "feature" with ESN rubbers though, Japanese/Chinese made ones didn't shrink on me yet. That being said I didn't try all of them and Tenergy is one that I don't use myself.

Originally Posted by zterm

I have suffered tensor rubber shrinkage several times, sometimes with freshly glued rubbers that even shrink over the racket and come off.
I have tried to recover some with booster, but I have had no luck.

To avoid this, I have been following the following procedure for some time:

• I do not glue the rubbers as soon as I open the package but I leave them at room temperature with the sponge facing up for 2 or 3 days.
• With tensioned-type rubbers I give a normal layer of glue (Revolution 3 in my case) and let it dry without the assistance of a fan for at least an hour, well over what is usually suggested, after seeing that the glue has become totally transparent.
• Then I apply two slightly thinner coats of glue, also being generous with the drying time.
• On the racket I usually use two layers of glue.
• To stick the rubber on the racket without bending the rubber at all, I use a sheet of silicone paper on both sides, with a small semicircular cut of about 25 mm or 1in in the area of ​​the racquet handle.
• I lay the paper on the blade so that it is aligned right in the center and then I lay the rubber on the paper without bending the rubber, adjusting it so that it is well aligned.
• After that, I apply slight pressure to the area of ​​the semicircular cut to fix the rubber to the racquet, carefully remove the silicone paper by slightly lifting the rubber and proceed with the roller without exerting too much pressure.
• After that, I put the racket in a press that I have built with two MDF boards and leave the racket for at least 8 hours.
• Only after that I cut the rubber and proceed with the other rubber.

Extreme? Can be. But since I have followed this procedure I have not had any problems.

That is a crazy procedure! I barely have the patience to leave it 20 minutes to dry 😂

What rubbers have you found shrink otherwise?

Aren't tensor rubbers actually pre stretched?

That is a crazy procedure! I barely have the patience to leave it 20 minutes to dry 😂

😂😂😂 Yes, I know the procedure seems to be a bit extreme, but it works. As I have been suffering from an extreme case of bladeophilia nervosa for the last year I've opted to follow the strict aforementioned protocol. 😂😂😂

What rubbers have you found shrink otherwise?

Vega Asia DF, Bluefire M2, FX-P... Even chinese AK47. You name them.

I used 2x tenergy for six years and never had any problems with them shrinking after being glued. ESN pre-boosted maybe. But if that was the problem I would just switch to tenergy rather than do this elaborate procedure.

Just don't too much pressure on your roller when gluing rubber to the blade, that is how the rubber gets stretched out. Just gently lay the rubber on the blade and press as little pressure as you can, if you put on the glue layers correctly the rubber won't come off.

Whilst you can minimise the shrinking, some rubbers just seem to shrink no matter what.



The blue sponged rubber is a Spinlord Wyvern (made in China). The red is an MXP. These were both fitted by TT11, who I am sure don't stretch the rubbers when they fit them.
The green one is and Andro Hexer Powergrip, glued by myself with a method very similar to zterm's
They were all fitted to the same blade, and in the case of the Wyvern and MXP for exactly the same amount of time.

It would be interesting to compare a brand new ESN rubber with an identical one that has been glued to a racquet - but not cut - after taking it off. It would also be interesting to see if the glue stain when peeling it off matches the shape of the blade.

XIOM I-switch rubbers are needing no glue work, owning to its super-tacky backside/

Originally Posted by zterm

Some time ago I read that Nitakku recommends airing the rubbers for at least 72 hours before gluing them on.
I live in Madrid. It is very hot and dry, especially during the summer. Added to the fact that with the glue a lot of water is added suddenly and that previously I curved the rubbers more when gluing them ...

But since I do it like this ... No problem.
Once you have done it once, it's not that elaborate.

I did have a shrinking problem with a few rubbers I tried, namely Victas VJ>07 Regular, Xiom Vega Asia DF and Andro Hexer Powergrip. Maybe I had better luck with other rubbers I have tried, but most of them, fortunately, did not shrink noticeably.
I also did match the >72 hours airing time many times involuntarily, because I was very curious about each new rubber I was going to try, but I could not decide which blade I would put them on for many days.
I think, your glueing process is meticulous, but reasonable at the same time for the best result. I also recently found out, that Odourless Rev no. 3 high viscosity glue works pretty well. Regarding the placement, I try to gently touch the bottom edge of the rubber down, then I use a roller to lay down the rest of the rubber without nearly any pressure, then when the rubber is already laid on the blade, I roll over it a few times with some force, but very slowly, thus I avoid stretching it - eventually, I put the blade with the glued rubber downwards on the table, and keep it under pressure for a few minutes to improve a bit on the glue bonding. Your method is clearly more professional, though.

Do be like that sometimes