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Cleaning tacky hybrid rubber to keep tackiness?
- Thread starter FrenchFrog33
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Those foam cleaners are a waste of money. Just use water on a sponge or on your hand.
You would want to cover the rubber with a plastic film protector after the topsheet is dry.
You would want to cover the rubber with a plastic film protector after the topsheet is dry.
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How big a difference does plastic film really make?
I usually find that even if i leave a racket just lying out gathering dust, as soon as i wipe it down with water its as good as new. How the plastic really matter?
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Dont waste your time with foam or liquid rubber cleaners
All you need are the below:
www.tabletennis11.com
www.tabletennis11.com
and a little spray bottle containing water
one spray into the middle of each rubber, being sure to cover the handle of the blade from getting wet
use black side of the sponge to clean and blue side to dry
store in blue sleeve protector
done
All you need are the below:
Nittaku Rubber Protection cover | Tabletennis11.com (TT11)
www.tabletennis11.com
Yasaka Cleaning Sponge Fukuda 2 | Tabletennis11.com (TT11)
www.tabletennis11.com
and a little spray bottle containing water
one spray into the middle of each rubber, being sure to cover the handle of the blade from getting wet
use black side of the sponge to clean and blue side to dry
store in blue sleeve protector
done
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I do a lot of comparison tests, using several blades, that are often lying on the table after cleaning without cover. We know that all experiences are subjective but i found that when I leave my blades on the table WITH the plastic covers they then feel stickier than the blades (rubbers)
that were left without the covers.
To me the difference is quite considerable but I do not have any explanation why this happens.
All my plastic covers are of the non-sticky version.
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It prevents the surface from oxidizing similar to a vacum sealed package.
Cheers
L-zr
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If I have the rubbers in a ziploc bag, do they still need plastic film?
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Suck the air out before You zip it, make sure it’s not humid and You’d be OK. But it’s a lot easier to use protective covers and the oxidation process is rather slow.
Or You can make your own covers with pretty much any thin plastic material…
Cheers
L-zr
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I used to have the same opinion, but I have changed. They leave a thin layer of something and I really makes the top layer last longer. Maybe it all in my mind but I also think I get a little better spin with than without… This is on non stickies…
I will definitely keep using it.
Cheers
L-zr
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Chemicals in the detergent actually cause the rubber molecules to break down and oxidize a tiny bit faster.
I guess it is a choice. Putting oil on the surface of the topsheet will also cause the rubber molecules to break down and oxidize faster. But the short term effect is that they are grippier. So, if you like what the cleaners do, it is fine. They will not cause the rubbers to last less long than how long you would use it anyway. It would be 2-5 years from now where you would see the effects of the molecular chains having broken and the rubber molecules becoming less elastic.
So, for the use of the racket, if you like it and want to spend the money, it is fine. But you don't need to.
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You don’t even need to buy the films, just use the ones that comes with the rubber.Dont waste your time with foam or liquid rubber cleaners
All you need are the below:
Nittaku Rubber Protection cover | Tabletennis11.com (TT11)
Yasaka Cleaning Sponge Fukuda 2 | Tabletennis11.com (TT11)
and a little spray bottle containing water
one spray into the middle of each rubber, being sure to cover the handle of the blade from getting wet
use black side of the sponge to clean and blue side to dry
store in blue sleeve protector
done
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He he, 2-5 years... The sponge lasts about 6-9 moths... No worries about the top sheet. Yes I will definitely continue to use it...
Cheers
L-zr
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If you clean before you play, not too much. As Lazer said, it keeps air out and so, over a longer period of time, less oxidation of the topsheet.
If your rubbers are in a bag, that is fine as well. It can do the same thing. You can even press the plastic of the bag up against each sheet of rubber. With a tacky rubber it will stick. Functionally, there would be no difference between that and a plastic sheet.
I am not sure about Euro Hybrid tacky rubbers. I am not sure how the topsheet would respond. Overnight, it would not make too much difference in any case. But if you had H3 and felt it was starting to lose its tackiness and left it, with the topsheet clean and a plastic sheet covering the topsheet, after 3-6 weeks of just leaving it, the sheet would be a lot more tacky than before. If you put a tiny bit of something like WD40 or baby oil on the topsheet before putting the plastic sheet on top, after a week, the topsheet would be very tacky.
Nothing is needed. Something covering the topsheet that the tackiness will grab onto, can do two things though.
1) Keep oxygen from contacting the topsheet thereby slowing oxidation of the rubber molecules.
2) With certain tacky rubbers, if they are left with something covering the topsheet that the topsheet grabs onto, it can cause the tackiness to get a little stronger....at least with a few of the Chinese tacky rubbers. I am not sure how tacky ESN hybrids are or if even they design the topsheets in a similar way.
In the end, it is equipment. There are many ways to do things. It is not about right and wrong. You just may not need some of the things that the TT companies want you to buy (like cleaners). But, if you like those products, you still can use them.
I have this nice sponge I used to cary around and use. These days I just put water on my hand and wipe the topsheet like that. To me, that seems to work better than anything else because my hand can feel where the stuff on the topsheet is and it seems to get cleaner that way.
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One more thing about cleaners, They dry instantly after cleaning so You can lean Your rubber during training.
Plain water dries much slower.
Cheers
L-zr
Plain water dries much slower.
Cheers
L-zr
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Yep. That is why I said, the amount of molecular degeneration is not worth thinking about. You are done with the rubbers long before it comes into play.
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During play, do you feel you need more than humidity from your breath and a wipe with your hand?
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Yes absolutely, I clean quite often now and it’s much more successful.
Cheers
L-zr
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If you have a new inventory, then just clean water is enough to wash the dust off the surface. If the rubber is not new, then microcracks appear in it, into which dust enters, while the adhesion of the ball to the rubber decreases and you need to clean it more and more often. This is where cleaners come in handy as they dry quickly unlike water, and some cleaners can add some tackiness that stays on until you wipe the surface. Yes, cleaners works with old rubber, but it is already necessary all the time, like a drug.
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