why wait to dry the glue?

[Zwill]

Curiously, wet gluing is Soulspin's recommended gluing method: https://soulspin.de/en/table-tennis-tutorials/wet-gluing-table-tennis-rubbers/

This is a pretty cool idea, I remember from my childhood that the adult top players in the club used to wet glue the speed glue. They used the sponge of the rubber to spread the speedglue on the blade and the sponge itself. Once spread "evenly" they immediately slapped the 2 mofo together and waited. Their chemistry was that the fumes will not go out into the air, but more so in the sponge which was the big idea of speed gluing.

Anyway I would be super cautious about doing this now because there are no fumes to go into the sponge from the glue and the only thing you will achieve with your perfectly smooth glue surface is that the press will press out the air (factory boost) from the sponge. So you accelerate the deflation of your sponge. So if one does this method better to buy their tuning airbox too.

For sure this method works, if someone assembled their own PC before knows you can just put a small blob of thermal gel on the CPU and the cooler will spread it evenly after it is mounted.

after reading this , and watching the tutorial , I have "short-cut" my experiment by 3 hours. So my test was only 21 hours.
I simply added DHS 15 liberally to a piece of rubber and put a second piece on top , placed the lot between 2 pieces of plate glass and placed a rock on top.
Result : the glue has fully dried.
the bond is rubbish and maybe only 40% as strong as when
done the normal way

Maybe it works better with the German glues, those are stronger. But also cannot be sanely removed from the sponge if one wants to swap the rubber out.


The further downside is that you cannot add multiple glue layers in a sane way.

 

[mocker88]

Use a thinner glue like TT Revolution No.3. It makes a huge difference compared to many other thicker glues, and you'll have time to even it out before it dries up.

I've experimented with applying the rubber and blade with wet glue. It works, but you'll risk your blades health as it sucks up the water from the glue and it takes much longer for it to dry up.

I think the tape thing is just in your head

 

[Cadoia]

This is not a matter of "the mind" this is a matter of chemistry 🤣

"since either method ends up dry anyway." is chemistry.

 

[Cadoia]

This is a pretty cool idea, I remember from my childhood that the adult top players in the club used to wet glue the speed glue. They used the sponge of the rubber to spread the speedglue on the blade and the sponge itself. Once spread "evenly" they immediately slapped the 2 mofo together and waited. Their chemistry was that the fumes will not go out into the air, but more so in the sponge which was the big idea of speed gluing.

Anyway I would be super cautious about doing this now because there are no fumes to go into the sponge from the glue and the only thing you will achieve with your perfectly smooth glue surface is that the press will press out the air (factory boost) from the sponge. So you accelerate the deflation of your sponge. So if one does this method better to buy their tuning airbox too.

For sure this method works, if someone assembled their own PC before knows you can just put a small blob of thermal gel on the CPU and the cooler will spread it evenly after it is mounted.


Maybe it works better with the German glues, those are stronger. But also cannot be sanely removed from the sponge if one wants to swap the rubber out.


The further downside is that you cannot add multiple glue layers in a sane way.

but you could add a thick layers one single time.

 

[Cadoia]

Use a thinner glue like TT Revolution No.3. It makes a huge difference compared to many other thicker glues, and you'll have time to even it out before it dries up.

I've experimented with applying the rubber and blade with wet glue. It works, but you'll risk your blades health as it sucks up the water from the glue and it takes much longer for it to dry up.

I think the tape thing is just in your head

I think the glue dries up fast enough to not damage the wooden blade.
the tape thing.... you might be right as logically it doesnt make sense the difference I feel from it. I cant explain it rationally.

 

[Trevize84]

Following threads on Italian forum, some people says glue should dry 8h or more. Reason behind this is the wet glue in the sponge that needs to dry as quickly as possible. When you glue the rubbers and the blade together after short time, there's still wet glue into the sponge. This wet glue dries out very slowly when rubber and blade are in contact. During this time the water in the wet glue may change characteristics of the rubber especially when factory-tuned. Moreover, wood doesn't like water, so you want wet glue and the wood to stay in contact the shortest time possible. For this and other reasons, blade should also be lacquered with a thin layer of sealant.

 

[Lazer]

I think the glue dries up fast enough to not damage the wooden blade.
the tape thing.... you might be right as logically it doesnt make sense the difference I feel from it. I cant explain it rationally.

I used to use the wet method. It works but since you because you need to use more in one go and the glue is “runny” you are probably gonna get glue where you don’t want it…
It’s not worth the hassle. To put a little on in layers is better even though it takes longer…

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Cadoia]

I used to use the wet method. It works but since you because you need to use more in one go and the glue is “runny” you are probably gonna get glue where you don’t want it…
It’s not worth the hassle. To put a little on in layers is better even though it takes longer…

Cheers
L-zr

when you did the wet method did you destroy the blade?
felt any difference in the play?

 

[Lazer]

when you did the wet method did you destroy the blade?
felt any difference in the play?

I always seal my blades so no I didn’t and no I didn’t notice a difference, but a lot of times I ended up with glue on the top sheet.
The glue ends up up on the surface and if you don’t see that it’s a risk you put your rack down right on top of it…

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Jan_]

apparently its not that bad gluing them together when wet according to some germans: https://soulspin.de/en/table-tennis-tutorials/wet-gluing-table-tennis-rubbers/

To say it plainly, that's bull. It doesn't work, it's not designed to work that way.

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

To say it plainly, that's bull. It doesn't work, it's not designed to work that way.

It does work, it's literally shown in the link.

 

[Jan_]

It does work, it's literally shown in the link.

It doesn't work, it's not uhu, it's water based latex glue. It may work for them since they don't care for feeling or consistency.

 

[Arkady]

That is an interesting subject.

On one hand, there is the traditional method of gluing with all its hassles and problems like possible uneven application, streaks and bubbles that might occur etc.
On the other hand, there is the way of wet gluing that Soulspin describes, that is not entirely sure that it works as well as promised.

That made me think if there could be an approach (apart from glue sheets that I use), that avoids the hassle of sponge application and at the same time be as safe as the traditional drying glue method.

Such a way I think would be a spray water based glue, like this one:

AlbaChem Safe-T-Tack Water-Based Spray Adhesive

AlbaChem Safe-T-Tack Water-Based Spray Adhesive

www.anthemprintingsf.com

Spray glue would ensure a very even layer on the rubber and the blade and would be really quick and easy to apply.
I'm wondering how come tt companies haven't produced such a type of glue....

 

[riemsesy]

I cant see why this wouldn't bond as well as the dry method in my mind since either method ends up dry anyway.

I didn’t understand how contact glue works too. But my daughter as chemist said it very simple: see the dried glue as two sides Velcro.
You won’t have that effect when attaching it wet.

 

[riemsesy]

Hmm drying the glue isn’t perfect according to spindlord?

 

[Trevize84]

It would dry out by itself over a short period of time anyway.

True, partially. It's short yet much longer than it would require if you do a dry assembly.

When you expose glue to air, water gets extracted from the glue because environment is "less" dry than the glue. The larger the exposed surface is, the sooner water gets extracted. It happens by chemical bonding between water particles and particles in the air. When wet glue has no surface exposed to air because of the assembly, it finds sponge on one side and wood on the other side. If wood is lacquered a small percentage of water may still be absorbed by the wood and bound with the particles making the wood. If not lacquered absorption is more relevant and on the long run water alter the outter layers of the blade (wood fibers starts to change shape at a microscopic scale). Moreover, glue penetrates more into the wood and the risk is that you have splintering when you remove the rubbers. The rest of the water is absorbed by the sponge. Here it finds gas inside the bubbles of the sponge and may alter composition of such gas. This is the case of a boosted sponge (either by manifacturer or by you). When this happens gas composition changes and sponge partially loses its mechanical properties as if it was unboosted or used.

When you leave the glue drying in a dry enviroment, it gets transparent in 5/10 minutes and fully dry in few hours. If you assembly with wet glue, drying process may last days. Honestly, I can't estimate what happens if you have the ball bouncing on the bat when glue is still wet. I guess you'll end up with some slightly uneven spots, but I'm not sure how relevant this imperfection could be for a player's sensitivity.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I think the tape thing is just in your head

Then it is in my head as well. Edge tape does make the blade face heavier. But, I do think it also dampens vibrations from the blade a little as well. The question there is, does the blade already give enough feedback that a little dampening is useful. Or is the blade already muted enough that adding more from the tape is detrimental.

And that is what personal choice is about.

 

[Lazer]

Then it is in my head as well. Edge tape does make the blade face heavier. But, I do think it also dampens vibrations from the blade a little as well. The question there is, does the blade already give enough feedback that a little dampening is useful. Or is the blade already muted enough that adding more from the tape is detrimental.

And that is what personal choice is about.

I used to be of the same opinion… until one of my precious SDC blades got ripped by the rubber overhang catching the table top…

Cheers
L-zr

 

[_ak]

1) Why not assemble the rubber and racket while the glue is still wet? then put a little pressure on it with a flat board evenly. I imagine the glue would flatten out as its still fluid. this way the glue would be 100% evenly applied.
It would dry out by itself over a short period of time anyway.
?

2) Has anyone tried dropping using sponges for application and use a paint brush instead? Im imagining it would be easier for an even application?

I let it dry but not to the point when glue becomes completely transparent. Never had any problems and without applying excessively thick layers and more than 2 layers. This question is overhyped imho.

I use paint brush for rubber glue, it's drying much faster than WBG.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I used to be of the same opinion… until one of my precious SDC blades got ripped by the rubber overhang catching the table top…

Cheers
L-zr

Yeah. Blades sustain damage. I have never felt that edge tape does much to stop that. Also, I am okay with blades getting damaged. When I can't play with a blade anymore, I get a new one.

But, again, it is really a personal choice. I choose the feeling of the blade without the tape over the protection of the edge that a thin piece of tape might provide. That slight amount of balance shift to the handle, matters more to me than the protection of the edge. The slight amount of extra feeling also means more to me than the protection of the edge. And there are many many blades I can use. And, when a blade is damaged, I have a next blade to use already. That being said, I have been using the same blade since 2015 and it is still fine with no edge tape.

And, someone else has the perfect right to like edge tape. I also know people who put two layers of edge tape. I know someone who puts one layer of regular edge tape and then one layer of this foam edge tape on top of that.

I have a feeling, if I accidentally slammed a blade with that edge tape into the edge of a TT table while serving or something, the racket speed and the impact....that double layer of edge tape and foam edge tape would not do much. But I am still fine with the idea that one person likes edge tape and another does not.

It is just worth noting that the OP's reservations about edge tape may be based on something real and he may be fine without edge tape even if others like it. And his feeling about edge tape changing the feel of the blade, it is not just in his mind.

The OP, if he has the information can decide if the protection of the edge of his blade is more important, or if the unmuted feeling of the blade without the tape is more important. As long as he knows, the tape does mute the vibrations rather than having someone tell him it is just in his head when it actually is not. And, Lazer, I know it was not you who said it was just in his head.

And, I guess, it is worth noting, the amount the tape mutes the feeling of the blade may be tiny. One person may feel it and it might matter to him/her, and another might not feel the difference at all. So, again, that issue is about personal choice.