Beeswax or Bondo?

F

Fast996

Registered
I had to have my 1911 Brunswick jumbo frame 10x5 table moved because of water in my basement.:mad:

So the the guys that I have doing the job,told me that the 3 1.5" slate + 1/2" backer board had beeswax used for the joints.

But this installer said he uses bondo:confused:He said he scores the bondo so if the table is ever torn down again, the bondo will break along the score and not damage the rock.

I need some good advice here. I have started reading all these hack stories and I don't want any part of it....this has already been a education. Thanks
 
Texas Carom Club

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
Looks like bondo, I've been told also rock hard putty is also acceptable


Wax is fine where temp is regulated it seems
 
F

Fast996

Registered
beneath_the_sur said:
Looks like bondo, I've been told also rock hard putty is also acceptable


Wax is fine where temp is regulated it seems
Click to expand...

Well looking at the slate originally the table had beeswax, then water putty.

I talked to a gentleman that restores these tables and he told me that he would never recommend using bondo on a 3 piece pinned slate table,nor ever sand the slate, as the present person I contacted to do the job...said he would do. He also proffered that getting the beeswax off is a problem as the bondo will not adhere to the beeswax. Any comments? Sorry for all the questions but I don't want to screw this table up for me or somebody else in the future.

p.s what is the best way to remove the old putty?
 
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J

Jerros

New member
From what I've read & understand is that beeswax will work as long as the table doesn't get direct sunlight for an extended period of time. Otherwise you want bondo or similar to fill in any chips/cracks. At the end of the day the cost of the repair is going to boil down to time and materials... beeswax is slightly cheaper than bondo... but everything else you pay for is time.
 
F

Fast996

Registered
Jerros said:
From what I've read & understand is that beeswax will work as long as the table doesn't get direct sunlight for an extended period of time. Otherwise you want bondo or similar to fill in any chips/cracks. At the end of the day the cost of the repair is going to boil down to time and materials... beeswax is slightly cheaper than bondo... but everything else you pay for is time.
Click to expand...

The table is down in my basement which never get's above 70 year round. After all my research Beeswax is the best way to go for this antique table. Others might disagree, but so far nobody has convinced to use Bondo.

It would seem that whoever did the last job was a hack as there was spackel as well as beeswax all between the slates . How could you get a good seam with all that white spackel in between the seams ? The clearance between the slates must have been hard to get close.
That's why these forums are good for the unknowing .You have knowledge so you can tell if the installer is good or not.

p.s. I removed all the spackle off of the seam...came off easy after soaking with wet rags for about an hour.

Here are some images of the slates ....comments welcome

IMG_0412a_zps921celno.jpg


IMG_0408a_zpsytrvhguj.jpg


IMG_0403a_zpskme0926t.jpg
 
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D

d_day

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Here's my two cents.

I learned to work on tables from my father, well over 20 years ago. He used Durham's water putty because that's what he was taught to use. He was taught to work on tables by the owner of the pool room he worked in as a kid. That guy used water putty, because when the pool room opened in 1924, that's what everyone used.

In the early 90s, I worked for Golden West Billiards. We used beeswax because it was fast. I always preferred water putty over wax. Wax is soft even at 70 degrees. Balls rolling over it will knock it down over time. That being said, water putty degrades over time and starts to pop out. Chunks will come loose and move around under the cloth. Neither option really seems like a good choice to me.

I was always against the use of Bondo. I saw my share of broken slates because of it. Then I found out about scoring it before pulling the slates apart. It gives a nice clean break without breaking chunks of slate off. I'm now convinced it is the superior choice.
 
F

Fast996

Registered
d_day said:
Here's my two cents.

I learned to work on tables from my father, well over 20 years ago. He used Durham's water putty because that's what he was taught to use. He was taught to work on tables by the owner of the pool room he worked in as a kid. That guy used water putty, because when the pool room opened in 1924, that's what everyone used.

In the early 90s, I worked for Golden West Billiards. We used beeswax because it was fast. I always preferred water putty over wax. Wax is soft even at 70 degrees. Balls rolling over it will knock it down over time. That being said, water putty degrades over time and starts to pop out. Chunks will come loose and move around under the cloth. Neither option really seems like a good choice to me.

I was always against the use of Bondo. I saw my share of broken slates because of it. Then I found out about scoring it before pulling the slates apart. It gives a nice clean break without breaking chunks of slate off. I'm now convinced it is the superior choice.
Click to expand...

It's going to be Beeswax no bondo no Durham's no spackel too many say beeswax . I am convinced that's the best for this application.Never gets above 70 degrees always a constant 62-65 degrees.

Thanks for the reply.

Here is the table in it's original space before moving been there since 1991.

IMG_0182a_zpsajsvgdpq.jpg
 
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realkingcobra

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
One thing you may want to consider' it's a common practice to iron the snooker cloth to speed it up....and the second you iron it' that will cause the wax to suckered up into the cloth. I don't use anything but bondo' and I DO know what I'm doing...professionally.
 
ROB.M

ROB.M

:)
Silver Member
Table

Never use water putty unless you like crums under the cloth....

Years ago here, I learned the quick trick to using bondo on a slate that had wax at the seams...



Don't take average joes advice on pool table service and repair....it could cost you.......






Rob.M
 
F

Fast996

Registered
realkingcobra said:
One thing you may want to consider' it's a common practice to iron the snooker cloth to speed it up....and the second you iron it' that will cause the wax to suckered up into the cloth. I don't use anything but bondo' and I DO know what I'm doing...professionally.
Click to expand...

Using 760 cloth table is fast enough no need to iron the cloth.Pinned slate tables i would think your surfaces would need to be as clean as possible.The mating surfaces from the factory would be a close tolerance fit for the slates.
Very good, I have no doubt your work is professional.There are many that aren't.
 
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