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Letting booster wear out before ever using rubber?

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GeneralSpecific View Drop Down
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    Posted: 06/05/2019 at 12:03am
So let's say I have a brand new sheet of the latest and greatest rubber from either Japan or Germany. This rubber has been heavily pretuned with the factory's booster.

My question is if there is a good way of letting that booster wear out before I even take my first swing with it at the table?

Before anyone tells me to just use an unboosted rubber, the reason I ask this question is because I might like a rubber a lot but that initial booster effect diminishes after some time until the sponge plateaus to a certain level and stays there. Is it possible to reach that plateau without wearing out the topsheet?

The only way I can think of is by covering the topsheet with a plastic or paper sheet, putting it face down with the sponge exposed to the air and letting it air out for a period of time, I don't know how long but the longer the better?

Has anyone had any experience doing this? How long should the sponge air out? Is there a better method?

Thanks
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
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YoAss View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote YoAss Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 4:21am
Yes.  You can air it.  Put it face down to protect the top sheet from UV etc. in a friendly environment.  Ventilated, not too hot, not too cold, not too humid.   Then, as you say, let the sponge breathe for a while.

How long is the key question.  I'd guess a couple of weeks should be enough.

Why is a different question.  Unboosted rubbers exist; if you don't like Gold Arc 8, you can try Gold Arc 5.  If you don't like Tenergy, there's always Sriver L.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GeneralSpecific Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 11:14am
Goldarc 5 is not an unboosted Goldarc 8. None of the Srivers are unboosted Tenergys.

As I stated, once the initial booster effect wears off, it plateaus to a certain level. Yet it still retains a permanent effect at that level. I can glue on a 5 year old sheet of rubber I have laying around and the sponge will still have a feel and effect that a classic/non-speed glue effect rubber doesn't have. Unfortunately, the topsheet on that 5 year old rubber might as well be antispin.

I try to use my rubbers for at least 6 months before replacing them. I would simply prefer to have the sponge maintain as consistent a performance as possible during that time frame.
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
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Slowhand Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 11:52am
Originally posted by GeneralSpecific GeneralSpecific wrote:

...initial booster effect diminishes after some time until the sponge plateaus to a certain level and stays there. Is it possible to reach that plateau without wearing out the topsheet
Interesting question. I don't know but I'd guess repetitive compression/expansion of the sponge from hitting the ball is also necessary (in addition to passive evaporation of the booster) for reaching the plateau. I'd surprised if you couldn't shorten the required playing time by letting the rubber air out for a few days before gluing it to the blade. Easy enough to test.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sedis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 4:41pm
Originally posted by Slowhand Slowhand wrote:

Originally posted by GeneralSpecific GeneralSpecific wrote:

...initial booster effect diminishes after some time until the sponge plateaus to a certain level and stays there. Is it possible to reach that plateau without wearing out the topsheet
Interesting question. I don't know but I'd guess repetitive compression/expansion of the sponge from hitting the ball is also necessary (in addition to passive evaporation of the booster) for reaching the plateau. I'd surprised if you couldn't shorten the required playing time by letting the rubber air out for a few days before gluing it to the blade. Easy enough to test.

I think there is something in this.
Since the majority of ESN rubbers packaging has air holes in it, it makes me think that either the factory boosting effect diminishes much more when the rubber is used or possibly doesn't get reduced as much as people think.
I personally have never noticed the rapid drop off in performance that other people have mentioned in the Tibhar Evolution series for example, but they do eventually go 'dead' but the top sheet is normally very worn by this point and I would have changed the rubber by then anyway.
Maybe the drop in performance that some people see, is because they got particularly fresh sheets.
Like you say, it should be easy enough to test.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GeneralSpecific Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/06/2019 at 10:36am
While I'm sure letting it air out will have it diminish its booster effect at least somewhat, I feared that it might be necessary to actually play with the rubber and compress the sponge. If that's the case, there isn't anything I can do that isn't laughably cost prohibitive. Perhaps I can hire an engineer to create a machine that can punch the sponge into submission.
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
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mykonos96 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/08/2019 at 12:39am


If the booster wears off the rubber will shrink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GeneralSpecific Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/08/2019 at 12:58am
Originally posted by mykonos96 mykonos96 wrote:



If the booster wears off the rubber will shrink


Good. Let it shrink before it I cut it to my blade. That way it won't shrink again.
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
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chop4ever Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/08/2019 at 1:03am
Originally posted by GeneralSpecific GeneralSpecific wrote:

Originally posted by mykonos96 mykonos96 wrote:



If the booster wears off the rubber will shrink


Good. Let it shrink before it I cut it to my blade. That way it won't shrink again.

as long as you play, it will be shrunk more.
There is no real "pro", "prov" or "NT" H3 in the market.
Falco is not a booster
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GeneralSpecific Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/08/2019 at 5:12pm
Originally posted by chop4ever chop4ever wrote:

Originally posted by GeneralSpecific GeneralSpecific wrote:

Originally posted by mykonos96 mykonos96 wrote:



If the booster wears off the rubber will shrink


Good. Let it shrink before it I cut it to my blade. That way it won't shrink again.

as long as you play, it will be shrunk more.

That might be the case but there is only so much it can shrink. Even if it does shrink more after play, it will be less than if I glued it right away.
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
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mykonos96 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/09/2019 at 3:28am

Do you want the rubber to play less bouncy?
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