Drying racket

[SFF_lib]

My drink bottle leaked and flooded 💦 my bag last week. My entire 968 and rubbers were soaked 😣

Even after a week, my blade still feels humid and heavy. Has anyone tried any effective way of drying a racket?

Speaking of drying, does drying a blade improve its feedback and feel?

Thank you

 

[lodro]

I assume you had the racket in the hot-cuboard for that week..................NO ??? My next question then would be : "When new, has the blade been sealed with some kind of varnish ?? If after a week the blade still feels damp and heavy and if it never had been sealed the water will have soaked nicely into the wood and is probably in the process of coming apart. Still, First I would take the rubbers off. Then I would check with a straight edge if the blade has warped, bent and/or twisted Then check the edges for signs of delaminations.. If it all still looks good you have 2 choices, hang the blade ( not lay it on a side) in a hot-cupboard or stick the blade into a press. The rubbers will probably just dry out for themselves. Well, you asked 🤣

 

[DukeGaGa]

A way many people have used to save their electronics after dropping in water is to stuff it in side a bucket of rice, raw of course. The rice will help pull out the moisture.

Or you should take it as a sign that it's time for you to upgrade to a number edition w968.

 

[SFF_lib]

No damage to the wood. It was only in a small puddle of water for a very short time (~30min). Luckily the blade was sealed.

The handle feels damp and heavy. I don’t have a hot water cupboard.

 

[ricospin]

Sounds like it’s time for golden hl5 or maybe w968 no.1 😆

 

[brokenball]

I woud try air oven at a low temperature with the rubbers off IF you think it is worth the hassle. Wood typically gets dried in kilns.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

hang the blade ( not lay it on a side) in a hot-cupboard or stick the blade into a press.

I don’t have a hot water cupboard.

Hot Water Cupboard? Did you just add an extra word without realizing it? Or....did you think he said that?

I like Lodro's idea about putting the blade face in a press....just in case.

And you checked with a straight edge whether it was still straight and there is no concave/convex side? And none of the plies are delaminating?

Soaking in water for 30 min is actually a decently long time for wood.

Hopefully most of the water is in the handle.

 

[ejprinz]

If the blade has been varnished and only the handle got wet, the rubbers and edge tape should protect the blade. Just let it dry or use a hair dryer (only on the handle). Or let it dry in the (Texas) sun but if you do that cover the rubbers with aluminum foil, the sun would kill the rubbers. Also I am varnishing the handle too because otherwise it sucks in my sweat.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

If the blade has been varnished and only the handle got wet, the rubbers and edge tape should protect the blade. Just let it dry or use a hair dryer (only on the handle). Or let it dry in the (Texas) sun but if you do that cover the rubbers with aluminum foil, the sun would kill the rubbers. Also I am varnishing the handle too because otherwise it sucks in my sweat.

Sponge absorbs water just like it absorbs oils, not that different from a kitchen sponge.

 

[SFF_lib]

Tried putting my 968 in an oven, temp 40-50 Celsius.


Before oven treatment



After one hour




After two hours

 

[longle]

Tried putting my 968 in an oven, temp 40-50 Celsius.


Before oven treatment



After one hour




After two hours

are there any damages to the wood ? I'm going to try this with my King 3

 

[Egon]

are there any damages to the wood ? I'm going to try this with my King 3

I also have experience drying the blade (without the handles) in a preheated and turned-off oven. However, I always clamp the blade in a press to prevent warping.

 

[SFF_lib]

are there any damages to the wood ? I'm going to try this with my King 3

No damage. Pretty good.

 

[PoppaChubby]

It's the same old thing I always tell to musicians: moisture will do less damage than dryness. It's cold here at nights, and my weather station says the humlidity level is at... 32%, because everyone in the housing building is putting the heaters at insane levels. Lots of elders you know...

I've got a custom made bass built by a luthier in Ibiza, he did the fret job when it was humid, at a 70% humidity level in spring, I received it in August, fall season was humid, so no problem, then winter arrived, heaters at max... the humidity level dropped to less than 40%, and a few weeks later I had bad sensations with the neck, the fret edges were nearly cutting my fingers. The neck shrinked, simple as that, so I had to file the fret edges, then spring came back, humidity too, and it was way better, the fret edges were now inside the neck by half a millimeter. Perfect.

So it dries everything and as Egon said, it can lead to warping, or shrinkage, I've seen guitar necks in pretty bad conditions being warped because of dryness, never because of moisture. Wood is still a living organism, there are moisture cells that catch but also release humidity. if your home is at a 50% level of relative humidity, don't panic, just dry the blade with a simple fan like you would with your clothes after the washing machine when you put them out so the wind can dry them.

 

[PoppaChubby]

I forgot to tell I've got carbon reinforcement rods in the neck of my custom bass, so no warping will ever happen.

So I think your W968 is pretty safe with it's arylate carbon layers.

 

[longle]

I tried putting my blade in Airfryer and it worked: https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...ending-on-humidity-how-much.38387/post-551857