Continuation on splintering problem

Since my current playing blade Barda (SDC 486) slightly splintered and I don’t want it to get worse I am forced to switch blade. I decided to upgrade my other favorite Mjolnir (SDC 372) from Yasaka Mark V HPS. I opted to jump ahead and go with regular Tenergy 05 on FH. This is a little bit earlier than expected but here goes, will use it in tonight’s session.

Cheers
L-zr
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: latej
Ok, just came back from training. Mjolnir is slightly faster and also harder. The feeling is different but the speed was just a little bit faster. Now I have Tenergy 05 and 05 FX on the same blade and can compare them back to back. The difference is much smaller than I expected. The main things I noticed was that I think it was easier to play with (on FH) except for the brush loops. I seem to miss a lot of those but when I have a hard contact I seem to hit more. I didn’t get to try a lot of open ups on backspin but I suspect it will be a bit harder. All in all so far it’s working for me.

Cheers
L-zr
 
Had another session tonight. The brush went much much better tonight. The top speed is higher than FX, I wonder why Butterfly list it as the same. Have not managed to hit through the rubber yet like I did withFX.
This is definitely work for me but I need to be more agressive for sure. If not the hits gonna be meeeh. This is kind of why I liked soft rubbers that you didn’t need to hit so hard with but it’s time to change now I think…
One more thing, it was also much more difficult to receive serves than with FX. This will take some time to get used to.


Cheers
L-zr
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: PingBirdPong
says Table tennis clown
says Table tennis clown
Well-Known Member
Apr 2020
3,315
1,763
7,133
Had another session tonight. The brush went much much better tonight. The top speed is higher than FX, I wonder why Butterfly list it as the same. Have not managed to hit through the rubber yet like I did withFX.
This is definitely work for me but I need to be more agressive for sure. If not the hits gonna be meeeh. This is kind of why I liked soft rubbers that you didn’t need to hit so hard with but it’s time to change now I think…
One more thing, it was also much more difficult to receive serves than with FX. This will take some time to get used to.


Cheers
L-zr

my advise to you is ""two-fold""

1 Never take any advise, because you know better anyway 😁

2 if you refuse to accept option 1, my advise is to quickly repair the other blade and stick with it 😁😁😁

 
  • Like
Reactions: Lazer

20C5DFBF%20F9CA%204F7D%20B17B%2076AB62624CCB%20jpeg.jpeg



Problem temporary fixed, usable again.

Cheers
L-zr


 
Last edited:
Not difficult at all. The interesting part will be the stripping of rubber later on.

I used old fashioned carpenters wood glue and used two pieces of wood and a screw clamp to fix is it for a couple of hours.

Cheers
L-zr
 
Last edited:
Had another training session last night, I really start to like Mjolnir now. Serve returns are straightened out, attack is a breeze the only weak point now compared to before is the short push game. Strangely my accuracy seems better with Tenergy 05 than Tenergy 05 FX, maybe be due to the higher arch and more curved trajectory. I was expecting a slightly worse accuracy. Oh well...


Cheers
L-zr
 
  • Like
Reactions: Haraold
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Nov 2022
1,000
1,244
3,589
@disaster3 I'd just remove the splinter, sand it down and then apply layers of polyurethane to level it out. Apply polyurethane to the blade edge too so that no more delamination occurs. Should be as good as new after. I did something similar to a blade with similar damage and now I can't even remember which one it happened to.

Then I'd apply a couple thin coats of polyurethane to the entire face so splintering doesn't happen again.
 
This user has no status.
there are still a very high percentage of players who insist that sealing a blade is changing its qualities. Where would these players go to purchase their blades ????
In addition to which, sealing a blade can come with it's own problems if not done carefully or properly.

All blades have wood in them, which means by extension that all blades 'move' (ie: wood in the blade is constantly exchanging moisture with its surroundings due to changes in humidity --. the wood swells up when absorbing moisture, and shrinks when releasing it. Movement can occasionally cause wood to bow or warp if the expansion isn't equal and even throughout the wood, or if the blade is made of different wood species that have different expansion rates.

It's impossible to stop wood moving all together, unless you encase it completely in a thick layer of impervious plastic/epoxy/PU etc. Many wood finishes therefore aim to preserve the wood (and slow down movement) by minimizing water absorbsion, but not by trying to eliminate it completely (because that can also lead to problems).

As sealing a blade radically slows water movement between wood and air, you need to ensure that it is sealed with the 'right' amount of moisture in it to begin with.

Once sealant is applied to the whole blade, it's much harder for that wood to equalise. You therefore want it used in a playing environment with a narrower range of relative humidities (one that is closer to the residual moisture level of the wood).

The best way to ensure THAT, is to have the blade sealed by the user, once it has reached its final destination (and hopefully once it is fully acclimated to local humidity levels).

Seal the blade at the factory during manufacture however, and you risk the blade potentially cupping or warping if it then ends up being sold in a place with lower/higher relative humidity.

If you read any carpentry blog / magazine article about minimising or managing movement, you will see them recommend that timber be rested / fully acclimatised at its final destination, for at least a month before sealing it. Table tennis blades are typically not sealed at the factory for much the same reason.

Nowadays with my own custom blades, I only seal them "at the factory" when I'm sure it's going to a location with a similar humidity range to my workshop. Otherwise I either store the blade at home at a different humidity for a while, and then seal it (and even then, I only ever seal the playing surfaces and handle scales). Otherwise I recommend the owner seal it themselves once acclimatized to its new destination.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: turbozed
I find it surprising and disappointing that many blades do not come sealed from the manufacturer. Some blades really need it, and without it would almost certainly splinter after the first removal.
I know I like spruce and Hinoki for a top layer, the softer the wood the more important it becomes…

But it takes time and money, and I can do it myself…

Cheers
L-zr
 

Similar threads

Top