Simonis 860 Tear

jad

Registered
My table is covered with Simonis 860. The install was about 10 months ago. Around one of the corner pockets it's developing a tear (see pic). Right now it's about a centimeter but I'm afraid it will spread across the pocket.

Is there anything I can do to stop it's progress?

What would be the cause? Cloth stretched too tight? As far as I can see the slate is perfectly smooth with no edges or abnormalities.
 
Here is the pic (I hope)

Oops the pic didn't go through. Needed to resize. Should be attached.
 

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i would trim or melt any loose threads then very carefully put a very small ammount of clear glue with a Q tip, just take your time and be careful
 
i would trim or melt any loose threads then very carefully put a very small ammount of clear glue only in the tear spot with a Q tip, just take your time and be careful
 
I'd recommend getting some matching color thread and sewing it back together - I've seen this done before and it was pretty effective.
 
I would say a ball came back and hit it. Does happen sometimes. I would glue it with a tooth pick all around under the cloth, let it dry then rim the threads and may glue over it again.
Mark
 
Maybe the slate has too sharp an edge there or a blob of glue dried into a sharp edge. I would put it on the mechanics forum...they have seen it all. Johnnyt
 
this happens when the slate is not cut correctly in the factory, if the table is an Asian import then this is very common,

i would suggest taking the rails off and the staples out around pockets, use some sand paper and get rid of the sharp edge where the pockets are cut (slate sands easily) then re-stretch the cloth under the slate and no more tear, the tear shouldn't get bigger...

if you don't do this you will find all the pockets will end up the same as this one...
 
if the cloth is 10 months old it will re-stretch easily...

sometimes the slate looks smooth but worsted cloth like this is thin and that edge is sharp enough trust me, we just had this problem this week with a table installed a few months ago...
 
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I like the idea of sewing it but, as someone suggested, I would post this question on the "Talk to a Mechanic" section of this forum. Keep the glue as a second option. Don't be in a rush. Take your time before you commit to it. Keep getting opinions. Good luck in your quest. Please post your solution and pics when you decide.
 
Oops the pic didn't go through. Needed to resize. Should be attached.

Welcome to the world of cheaper rail designs, check the thickness of you're rails and you're going to find out that they're 1 1/2" thick instead of 1 3/4"....which causes the back of the pocket to be 1/4" lower than it should be...which causes the balls to bounce off the back of the pocket and right back into the slate....right at the lip, which then causes the cloth....any cloth...to stencil cut through to the slate. As one person already mentioned....take the rails off, pull the cloth up at the pockets, and file the lip of the slate to be a little bit more rounded....this must be a corner pocket at the foot of the table....am I right? Maybe even the right hand foot corner pocket?

Glen
 
this happens when the slate is not cut correctly in the factory, if the table is an Asian import then this is very common,

I'm hoping this is not the case. The table is an Olhausen Dona Marie. The slate is tagged as "premium" Brazilian slate (whatever that means). The table is all hardwood and was manufactured in the USA.
 
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Welcome to the world of cheaper rail designs, check the thickness of you're rails and you're going to find out that they're 1 1/2" thick instead of 1 3/4"....which causes the back of the pocket to be 1/4" lower than it should be...which causes the balls to bounce off the back of the pocket and right back into the slate....right at the lip, which then causes the cloth....any cloth...to stencil cut through to the slate. As one person already mentioned....take the rails off, pull the cloth up at the pockets, and file the lip of the slate to be a little bit more rounded....this must be a corner pocket at the foot of the table....am I right? Maybe even the right hand foot corner pocket?

Glen

Good observation. That is the pocket. Would the Olhausen Select tables be subject to that type of cost cutting?
 
Welcome to the world of cheaper rail designs, check the thickness of you're rails and you're going to find out that they're 1 1/2" thick instead of 1 3/4"....which causes the back of the pocket to be 1/4" lower than it should be...which causes the balls to bounce off the back of the pocket and right back into the slate....right at the lip, which then causes the cloth....any cloth...to stencil cut through to the slate. As one person already mentioned....take the rails off, pull the cloth up at the pockets, and file the lip of the slate to be a little bit more rounded....this must be a corner pocket at the foot of the table....am I right? Maybe even the right hand foot corner pocket?

Glen

Thanks Glen. Great advice. This is the table in question.....Olhausen Dona Marie manufactured in January 2010. I will be disappointed if it has the more poorly designed lower rails, as I assumed I was paying for better quality. Where would I be measuring? Just the thickness of the top rail?
 

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My Olhausen has the same thing in the same pocket. Must be something with their tables. My cloth is 2+ years old, but it's still in good shape other than the tear.
 
had a pair of Brunswicks in an employee lounge at work & every pocket looked the exact same way but much worse... basically "the boys" would hammer balls so hard that they came off the back of the pockets & hit the slate

any cloth trapped between a slate & ball is going to get cut

you may have had a similar event
 
A buddy of mine has a Diamond that was used in a tournament and then sold thru Diamond. It has the same tear and occurred shortly after he got it.

When standing at head of the table it is in the right corner pocket at the foot of the table (break area).l
 
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Go to a sewing store and get a #2 barding needle. This needle is in the shape of a long 'C'. You want the one about 3/4 of an inch in diameter.

Then pick up a bobbin of sewing thread the same color as the cloth--JoAnn has about 150+ colors, and you can even match a cloth with some color fade aging.

Start the sewing by tying a knot about 1/2 inch from the cut (in this case on the bed of the table. Try to surround only 2 threads in both directions for the knot on the existing cloth. Then thread the thread under the cloth to the rip and sew it up gathering 3 threads deeper than the cut on both sides and use just enough pressure to close the joint. Stitch the rip at teh same thread space as the original cloth, and when you are done, thread over another 3/4 inch from the rip to ty the other end own as you did with the starting point.

Using a billiard ball and ROLL (do not skid the ball over the threads) over the threads in the sewing direction to lay the threads down to the cloth fibers. This procedure works well on the flat of the bed also, and done correctly, OBs will roll over the repair as if it were the original cloth.

Then try to avoid brushing this section of cloth in a direction other than WITH the sewing grain.

You can fix this situation in about 20 minutes of work.

The next time you change the cloth, use some sand paper on a curved flat surface and round over the edge on the slate to minimize this happening again.
 
Welcome to the world of cheaper rail designs, check the thickness of you're rails and you're going to find out that they're 1 1/2" thick instead of 1 3/4"....which causes the back of the pocket to be 1/4" lower than it should be...which causes the balls to bounce off the back of the pocket and right back into the slate....right at the lip, which then causes the cloth....any cloth...to stencil cut through to the slate. As one person already mentioned....take the rails off, pull the cloth up at the pockets, and file the lip of the slate to be a little bit more rounded....this must be a corner pocket at the foot of the table....am I right? Maybe even the right hand foot corner pocket?

Glen

Nice call.....
 
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