CTE experience and problem

Hi,

So after reading a lot about CTE, I ordered CTE and Clean fix extra.
I applied 2 layers of CTE on my sriver EL and Hammond and let it dry for 48 hrs ( priming ) I used the Clean fix extra to glue it to blade and started playing. Result was pretty good and I could drive and loop almost anything and even the spiniest serves from high rated players. My blocks were not as good though and I was missing a few of my regular shorts. I thought I needed the  rubber to be just a little softer so after reading forums again I peeled everything off and applied 2-3 really HEAVY coats of CTE and let it dry for 48 hrs again.

Now the problem is rubber is TOO damn soft for anything. Is this how it is supposed to behave? My usual flip shots and drives have no spin at all and I'm missing those like 70% or maybe 80% of times..though power loops have power but I miss them a lot due to softness which isnt my game and trust me it is really really soft as if it is soaked wet. ( Though it is completely dry).

Any hints or ideas for what I should do?
I need to wait 3 weeks for the effect to wear off I guess. Sigh!

But any ideas and pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the long post.
Thanks in advance.

Ps. my rating is around 1900 right now. Any 2000 level players around ohio here ? :-)

Animator wrote: Hi, Now the problem is rubber is TOO damn soft for anything. Is this how it is supposed to behave? My usual flip shots and drives have no spin at all and I'm missing those like 70% or maybe 80% of times..though power loops have power but I miss them a lot due to softness which isnt my game and trust me it is really really soft as if it is soaked wet. ( Though it is completely dry).

Animator wrote: Hi, So after reading a lot about CTE, I ordered CTE and Clean fix extra. I applied 2 layers of CTE on my sriver EL and Hammond and let it dry for 48 hrs ( priming ) I used the Clean fix extra to glue it to blade and started playing. Result was pretty good and I could drive and loop almost anything and even the spiniest serves from high rated players. My blocks were not as good though and I was missing a few of my regular shorts. I thought I needed the  rubber to be just a little softer so after reading forums again I peeled everything off and applied 2-3 really HEAVY coats of CTE and let it dry for 48 hrs again. Now the problem is rubber is TOO damn soft for anything. Is this how it is supposed to behave? My usual flip shots and drives have no spin at all and I'm missing those like 70% or maybe 80% of times..though power loops have power but I miss them a lot due to softness which isnt my game and trust me it is really really soft as if it is soaked wet. ( Though it is completely dry). Any hints or ideas for what I should do? I need to wait 3 weeks for the effect to wear off I guess. Sigh! But any ideas and pointers would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance. Ps. my rating is around 1900 right now. Any 2000 level players around ohio here ? :-)

Just a quick Q, were you a gluer with the VOC stuff? If you ever tried gluing 5-6 thick layers of Pro-life on say, a solcion, it becomes so soft that it plays really bad.

Basically, it's the same with CTE, don't over do it and it'll work fine.

I really think I applied more than I should have. It makes really awesome sound when I do smashes or big loops but everything else is gone. I cant even set up the ball for kill. Yes it is that bad. :D

JimT wrote: gene wrote: 1900, so you know what you are doing with your shots.  looks like 2 layers of cte works best for you. so stick with it.  sriver el and Hammond aren't very hard rubbers to start with.    ps, IMHO, the softer the rubber, the harder to block the ball back.  so... Unless you are going for the hit-thru and want the rubber to bottom out... I didn't really have that problem with CTE. It's recommended that the first time you applied 6-7-8 thin layers; each one should be dry in less than an hour. Also - give it some time, it should get better. With me, I applied it to Srivers FX (which are the softest Srivers to begin with) and I was disappointed at first but then they settled down, and I adjusted my shots a bit. After the second reglue, things got even better. I am in my 3rd month of using Srivers with CTE and I am quite happy.

gekogark1212 wrote: Just a quick Q, were you a gluer with the VOC stuff? If you ever tried gluing 5-6 thick layers of Pro-life on say, a solcion, it becomes so soft that it plays really bad. Basically, it's the same with CTE, don't over do it and it'll work fine.

Did you apply the CTE on the topsheet or it happened to get on the topsheet somehow during the process? 

Animator:  I read the entire thread but may have missed the answer about what speedglue routine you were using before switching to the CTE (how many layers of speedglue). 

The way you described your racket in the OP sounds like what one would expect from multiple layers of the tuner.  (Just how I like my setups!)  I have had unexpected results from tuning rubbers (like Solcion) that I thought would respond well.  If the sponge is soft to begin with and you use too much tuner (or speedglue), then it will act as a sponge softener and cause a huge loss of control.  This is why harder-sponged rubbers do have more control.  Of course, for every player, there will always be a balance between control extracted from harder sponges and dwell time needed for spin control received from softer sponges.  When the sponge is too soft, you lose control, so either apply few layers of CTE or switch to a harder version of the same rubber and go back to many layers of CTE.  The control, speed, and spin that you like should come back.  You'll need to experiment to find your favorite recipe.

I was not using speed glue as of right now but I used to use stiga carbon like an year ago ..not really sure how many layers though :(

seasterl wrote: Animator:  I read the entire thread but may have missed the answer about what speedglue routine you were using before switching to the CTE (how many layers of speedglue).  The way you described your racket in the OP sounds like what one would expect from multiple layers of the tuner.  (Just how I like my setups!)  I have had unexpected results from tuning rubbers (like Solcion) that I thought would respond well.  If the sponge is soft to begin with and you use too much tuner (or speedglue), then it will act as a sponge softener and cause a huge loss of control.  This is why harder-sponged rubbers do have more control.  Of course, for every player, there will always be a balance between control extracted from harder sponges and dwell time needed for spin control received from softer sponges.  When the sponge is too soft, you lose control, so either apply few layers of CTE or switch to a harder version of the same rubber and go back to many layers of CTE.  The control, speed, and spin that you like should come back.  You'll need to experiment to find your favorite recipe.

@animator: I think the current method seems to be 7-8 layers of CTE, but make sure you're using thin layers.

@Flicker: Pro-life is the first long-lasting speed glue that came out when the ban was still in the discussion stages.

@seasterl: I think you've got the right idea! Your post(s) is(are) truely useful.

Now my question is what glue should I use to glue the 2 rubbers that I have already treated with CTE? Would speed glue work and allow me to peel off the rubbers later without ruining it? Any suggestions? Thx.

VictorK wrote: I've been using regular glue - Stiga Victory and it's been working fine.  However, when you re-tune (3-4 weeks from now) I'd recommend you apply one layer of CTE, wait for a few minutes and then remove the old glue - it should peel off very easily (CTE it the best glue remover I've ever tried).  Then apply another layer or two of CTE, depending on your preference, let it dry and you should be ready to glue it again.

Instead of wasting CTE (also Flicker doesn't have CTE anymore - he just wants to glue the CTE-treated rubbers) use pure Paraffin Oil or Goo Gone - find them in your local hardware store (cheap, too!). They are 95% same stuff as CTE so they will work just fine in removing the glue - and then you can use them for boosting  the sponge as well (see Paraffin Tuning thread)