Raybestos Master Fast Cushions

Baxter

Out To Win
Silver Member
I have an opportunity to purchase a 9' Acme table with the original Master Fast cushions made by Raybestos. My question is, do these cushions contain asbestos? Given the time period they were produced and the Raybestos brand, I'm thinking it's a really strong possibility. Also, is $900 a good deal for this table?

00808_6YA6S8vIIWN_600x450.jpg
 

Dave

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi,
I've owned a table with MasterFast cushions.They were 30 years old, at least, and were plenty lively. They're very high quality rubber.
I doubt if there's any asbestos in the rubber compound. You'll be OK unless you visit their former manufacturing facility in Connecticut... it's a super fund site. The company had a diverse product line... :-] They made an innovative brake shoe for quite a while. Not sure how the rubber fit in their product line.
The name still exists.

I still have the set I took off my table when I tightened the pockets.
 

JSS

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Masterfast rubber

Raybestos had a rubber division, no asbestos, best rubber on the planet, do not change it!!! JSS
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
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The famous Manhattan cushions?
THe one who used to make SuperSpeed for Brunswick?
Dumb Brunswick for losing them.
 

Baxter

Out To Win
Silver Member
Yes Joey, those are the ones. Thanks everyone. I am very familiar with Raybestos as a brake company (having worked in the wholesale auto parts industry for several years), but never heard of them making making rubber products. I know their brake parts used to contain asbestos, as did most others because asbestos has such high heat resistant properties. I also know that damn near everything in the 50's-60's contained asbestos, including rubber products (wire insulation for example). I wasn't sure if this was the case with these cushions as well, for all I know they could be impregnated with asbestos and that's what makes them perform so well. Even if they did, being installed on a table under cloth, I don't think there would be any asbestos dust to worry about.

On a side note, does anyone know how these Acme tables played?
 

classicjay17

Registered
That picture JoeyinCali posted is actually one of my cushions, on my 1960's AMF Grand Prix. They play fantastic, do not change them. Old manhattan Raybestos cushions are extremely high quality rubber, you can't go wrong with them.
 
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trentfromtoledo

8onthebreaktoledo
Silver Member
I have an early 1960's Amf Grand Prix with the original Raybestos Manhattan cushions on it, and they still play fantastic and lively. Do not change them!

I have ran across a couple of tables with these on them, Are you getting 4-4.5 back and forth from end to end???
 

classicjay17

Registered
I have ran across a couple of tables with these on them, Are you getting 4-4.5 back and forth from end to end???

Trent, yes, I'm getting 4.5 table lengths on a firm hit without the cue ball hopping off the first rail. If I hit it harder and get a little cue ball hop off the first cushion I can get 5 lengths. That's on Simonis 860 that I installed.

Edited my first post when I took a second look at the photo Joey posted and realized that was a pick of one of my rails, LOL.
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
Makes one wonder why they don't make cushions anymore.
Diamond should have gone to them.

Olhausen should have just bought their mold.
 

trentfromtoledo

8onthebreaktoledo
Silver Member
Trent, yes, I'm getting 4.5 table lengths on a firm hit without the cue ball hopping off the first rail. If I hit it harder and get a little cue ball hop off the first cushion I can get 5 lengths. That's on Simonis 860 that I installed.

Edited my first post when I took a second look at the photo Joey posted and realized that was a pick of one of my rails, LOL.


NICE!!! If it aint broke don't fix it!:)
 
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