Need help taking off Simmonis to redo the seams on the table

T

The Kiss

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So I installed Simmonis 860 HR on my table the mechanic who did it told me he uses plaster instead of bees wax. Swore to me this is the way to go. Well about a year later the plaster has cracked in the seams of the slate and balls skip or roll funny when they hit the seams.

What I want to do is take off the cloth carefully which is pretty new, and refill the seams of the slate with Bees Wax.

My question is will I run into problems reusing the cloth. It was one of those cut to fit at the factory Simmonis 9 footer so i don't think there is much left to stretch. i would like to reuse it if possible

Any ideas how to go about the process or helpfull hints would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
I'm sure you'll get some good advice in this forum, but I just wanted to mention that my Anniversary's seams were well-sealed with beeswax, but the same thing happened to my table. Pop. Same kind of lump and jump on ball rolls. One theory was that my 220lb father sat on a rail which caused it, but I don't really know if that's what caused it. I mean, a person has to be able to put some weight on a rail for some shots. A forum contributor suggested the zone that popped may have had some direct sunlight on it (maybe followed by a rapid cool down??? the ol' freeze-thaw kinda thing.)

I think you'll be able to re-use the cloth without much concern.
 
Same problem here. The guy used some kind of spackle like product that only lasted a week or two and didn't fill in the holes by the rails either.
 
joey900rr said:
Same problem here. The guy used some kind of spackle like product that only lasted a week or two and didn't fill in the holes by the rails either.
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Without knowing about your exact situation...

In my experience, the slate screws under the cushions don need to be filled, ball never touches the bed that deep. They can be felt in certain bridging situations, but I believe the unexpected feel is more notable than actual affect on play.
 
Seams

You should be able to reuse the cloth. Just make sure you take each staple out carefully, and be careful to not rip the cloth, especially around the pocket areas. Slates that are properly set AND SUPERGLUED should never pop under normal conditions. You should be able to find that process somewhere on here, or youtube. Slate screw holes under the rails don't need to be filled, but I always ask because some customers prefer them filled.
 
The Kiss said:
So I installed Simmonis 860 HR on my table the mechanic who did it told me he uses plaster instead of bees wax. Swore to me this is the way to go. Well about a year later the plaster has cracked in the seams of the slate and balls skip or roll funny when they hit the seams.

What I want to do is take off the cloth carefully which is pretty new, and refill the seams of the slate with Bees Wax.

My question is will I run into problems reusing the cloth. It was one of those cut to fit at the factory Simmonis 9 footer so i don't think there is much left to stretch. i would like to reuse it if possible

Any ideas how to go about the process or helpfull hints would be appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I wouldn't fill the holes ...it makes it a pain when you have to take the table apart ....

if you had slate pop as the cause of this you may have to re-level the slates......


in any case I recommend bondo over beeswax or plaster.... I would also call your mechanic to let him know what happened ....he may do the fix for free ....

if the cloth is stapled you should be fine to re-use ....if glued ....you have a problem, but if he was using plaster I doubt he would be gluing ....

you will need to know the stretch pattern to properly install simonis ... someone around here could probably give you that.
 
The Kiss said:
...
What I want to do is take off the cloth carefully which is pretty new, and refill the seams of the slate with Bees Wax.
My question is will I run into problems reusing the cloth. It was one of those cut to fit at the factory Simmonis 9 footer so i don't think there is much left to stretch. i would like to reuse it if possible

Any ideas how to go about the process or helpfull hints would be appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...

No such thing as cut to fit unless you bought a table that was shipped to you with the cloth already installed and trimmed.

You can try to reuse the cloth but if it was trimmed flush with the bottom of the slate or slate liner you won't have much to grab onto by hand. A canvas stretching tool would be useful here to retretch the cloth but have to be careful around the pocket cuts. Gluing would be preferred in this case and only glue to the slate and don't worry about the liner.
.
 
3RAILKICK said:
Once superglued-how do you get them apart later, if you have to move the table?
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Curious as well. Solvent? Or the mass of the slate may make it easier to break the seal during disassembly than thought, but super strong during normal playing conditions.
 
Superglue

A standard screwdriver or chisel in the seam along the edge of the slate will usually pop them apart with a few taps if they were done correctly.
 
If you insert some paper, like a business card size in the seams then use the super glue,the paper will "wick" the super glue. When it's time to separate the slates, prying the seams will rip the paper without damaging the edges of the slate.

Jay
 
Well I had a mechanic take the cloth off and redo the seams of the slate with bees wax it came out great. We re used the cloth and actually stretched and tightened the cloth in the process.

Thanks for the feedback
 
Superglue

3RAILKICK said:
Once superglued-how do you get them apart later, if you have to move the table?

thanks
Click to expand...

Score the seam with a razor knife and the gently lift the end of the slate not to high because of the pins, couple of times lifting and pulling part they will come apart.
 
filling seam

i used bondo about two years ago. it was red. was easy to mix, apply and sand smooth. however it wont hold up for years and years, but neither does bees wax as ive had that to. but either one is fine. i prefer the bondo as its easy to get and work with. it's only drawback is that it sets up fairly fast so mix a little at a time and be ready to use it where you need it. im no expert in this matter, its just what i saw used and then what i used twice myself.
 
Poolhalljunkie said:
Score the seam with a razor knife and the gently lift the end of the slate not to high because of the pins, couple of times lifting and pulling part they will come apart.
Click to expand...


Ok. That makes sense.

My Dad used to have an hispanic automobile mechanic that worked for him that used to call that the 'wigglay-jigglay' method to break loose a stubborn stuck part. But it usually involved WD-40 or Liquid Wrench too.
 
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