Attaching top sheet to sponge
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Topic: Attaching top sheet to sponge
Posted By: JohnnyChop
Subject: Attaching top sheet to sponge
Date Posted: 02/05/2015 at 10:47am
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Hey guys
Just wondering, those of you who attach your own top sheet to sponge, what glue do you use? I am asking because i have been using rubber cement but i kind want a stronger bond! Does anyone know what glue does the factories use? ------------- 729 Battle 2 Yasaka Goibao 5 Nittaku Fastarc G1 Nittaku Fastarc G1 Butterfly Cypress Max |
Replies:
Posted By: BH-Man
Date Posted: 02/05/2015 at 11:26am
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Factories got their own VOC stuff and special industrial equipment, so you're never gunna do it just like the factory in your home.
As for forumer who has done it the most, I would say that would be Cole.
He has some nice stuff on his site and this is the vid from it.
http://www.colestt.com/combining-topsheet-and-sponge.php" rel="nofollow - http://www.colestt.com/combining-topsheet-and-sponge.php
I cannot tell you how many 999 on sponge specials I have ordered from Cole to custom glue for me over the years. Never had a problem with any of his glue jobs. And it isn't a small sample size either.
If you follow his tips, and go steady with it, you should get a good result. ------------- Korea Foreign Table Tennis Club Search for us on Facebook: koreaforeignttc |
Posted By: GeneralSpecific
Date Posted: 02/05/2015 at 2:27pm
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If you're gluing on pips out it's easy. Personally I just treat it like I'm gluing on 2 sheets of rubber to the same side. I glue on the sponge on the blade first with water based glue, then I glue the topsheet on top of the sponge also with water based glue. If you are trying to glue inverted onto sponge then it's a bit more complicated and I would recommend using the link that BH posted and following Cole's instructions. ------------- Blade - Xiom 36.5 ALX FL Forehand - Xiom Omega V Asia 2.0mm Backhand - Victas Curl P5V with Der Materialspezialist Firestorm Soft/Outkill 1.8mm sponge |
Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 02/05/2015 at 3:10pm
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I used to use best test, but it seems like they intentionally made the formula less sticky. Now I just use elmers rubber cement for everything ($10 per liter at office depot). ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: JohnnyChop
Date Posted: 02/05/2015 at 3:13pm
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thanks guys was just wondering if there is a better glue then rubber cement! ------------- 729 Battle 2 Yasaka Goibao 5 Nittaku Fastarc G1 Nittaku Fastarc G1 Butterfly Cypress Max |
Posted By: berndt_mann
Date Posted: 02/05/2015 at 8:15pm
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If you really want a firm bond between topsheet and sponge, you might try a glue along the lines of Gorilla Glue or maybe Crazy Glue. This question has got the devious side of me to thinking. Would it be legal to attach a tacky Chinese topsheet to a relatively soft Japanese sponge or a hi-tension Japanese topsheet to a fairly hard Chinese sponge? ------------- bmann1942 Setup: Mark Bellamy Master Craftsman blade, British Leyland hard rubber |
Posted By: GeneralSpecific
Date Posted: 02/05/2015 at 8:36pm
Are you sure? Those glues leave behind a really hard residue. Couldn't that residue impact playing characteristics? ------------- Blade - Xiom 36.5 ALX FL Forehand - Xiom Omega V Asia 2.0mm Backhand - Victas Curl P5V with Der Materialspezialist Firestorm Soft/Outkill 1.8mm sponge |
berndt_mann wrote:Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 02/05/2015 at 8:40pm
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I don't think gorilla glue is flexible enough. ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 02/05/2015 at 8:44pm
They tried that a lot in the early to mid 2000's, mostly for gluers. For example, h3 nittaku and stiga china extreme. I got the impression that the general consensus (and I agree) was that the rubber became mushy and just too reactive to spin and too slow with the tacky top on even mid hardness Japanese sponge. Conversely, I think a Japanese topsheet would be hard to spin with on a traditional Chinese sponge. Plus it's very difficult to cleanly remove a Japanese topsheet. ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: Baal
Date Posted: 02/06/2015 at 1:27am
| For people new to this forum it is unlikely that anybody knows more about this particular subject than Cole Ely. |
Posted By: Wfalicoff
Date Posted: 06/29/2015 at 8:49pm
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I can tell you what we used in the ASTI factory in the 1990s. We used a water-based urethane adhesive used in the shoe industry. The main problem with this approach is we had to use a liquid primer on the sponge and pips. If we put too much of this on it would hurt the performance of the rubber. We laid the rubber sheet down with the pips facing up (rolling it onto a smooth surface) and use a fine brush for the primer on its (and one side of the sponge). Then we would put the liquid urethane adhesive on the pips and the sponge using a sponge applicator used to do stains. We would then place the sponge on top of the pips. We added a weight over the sandwich. The adhesive would cure in 24 hours or less. Most of the industry had automated gluing equipment that used high VOC rubber cements. But the last time I saw this equipment was in 2002. The reason I was interested in home methods of attaching the sheet is that I found around 50 top sheets of experimental rubber (I did the formulation on in 2002), which never was released. The sheets appear in surprisingly good condition. So I was interested in bonding these to some of the modern sponges to see how they perform with the 40+ ball. I was familiar with the Best Test product but was sorry to see Cole no longer uses it. My guess would be to go to an automotive product or bike store and ask what is being sold for rubberpatch kits. This used to be a common product and I see several products on a search. Typically these products have extra ingredient which post cures the solids, making it have higher elastic properties compared to ordinary rubber cement. This is very important for high level players and those who tune the sheet. I see that there is a product that is still available that might work "Rema Tip Top 203 Cold Vulcanizing Fluid". I hope this info is helpful. ------------- Former President of ASTI |