Delta-13 rack inserts

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buttnkdwonder

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Looking for some inserts for my Delta-13 elite rack but I’m balking a bit at the prices I see on the Delta website and to a lesser extent Seyberts. $40 for three pieces of leather seems to be a little extreme to me but if that ends up being the best I can do, so be it.

Wanted to check with AZB first to see if anyone has experience or advice for a cheaper option that works just as well. I’ve heard of people buying leather or rubber and fashioning them down to fit in the insert grooves, just not sure about the particulars of that process and how simple it would be for someone who has no experience fashioning well-fitting materials.
 
buttnkdwonder said:
Looking for some inserts for my Delta-13 elite rack but I’m balking a bit at the prices I see on the Delta website and to a lesser extent Seyberts. $40 for three pieces of leather seems to be a little extreme to me but if that ends up being the best I can do, so be it.

Wanted to check with AZB first to see if anyone has experience or advice for a cheaper option that works just as well. I’ve heard of people buying leather or rubber and fashioning them down to fit in the insert grooves, just not sure about the particulars of that process and how simple it would be for someone who has no experience fashioning well-fitting materials.
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just cut some scrap leather to fit and glue in place. 40bux is insane for 3pc's of leather.;
 
I just purchased the inserts when I purchased the rack after reading on AzB that it was extremely noisy without them. Tried it a day without them and then inserted them. Never took them out. The rack is very noisy without them.

I did do a search here before ordering and found a very old post where someone had made inserts for the rack using regular and exotic leathers. Seems like by the end of the thread the items were sold out. Can't really remember. You may want to try an AzB search or a Google search.
 
If you feel you are skilled with a sharp razor blade or a knife enough so not to injure yourself while cutting a thick piece of leather, than no prob. Just get the material and sharp blade.
You don't even have to glue the pieces, if you cut them so precise that they just fit snug and hold.

Other than that, try to find a leather craftsman in your area. Give them the dimensions you need, and here you go. (Not aware how much they could charge, but I guess less than 40)
 
All the pics I see show the “inserts” mounted on the outside surfaces of the Delta rack. Is that right? Does that dampen the sound of balls hitting the inside surfaces while racking?

pj <- also, the racks are $165! 😳
chgo
 
Patrick Johnson said:
All the pics I see show the “inserts” mounted on the outside surfaces of the Delta rack. Is that right? Does that dampen the sound of balls hitting the inside surfaces while racking?

pj <- also, the racks are $165! 😳
chgo
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Yeah. Without it every contact of balls to the rack is a cacophony of very loud and discordant clangs. With the inserts it isn’t silent but very much muted to more tolerable thunks.
 
I would bet that a piece of densish foam would do just as well for this. Leather was probably used to make it look nice. All you need is something to dampen the vibrations of the metal. https://www.amazon.com/soundproof-1...+noise+cancelling+foam&qid=1657220174&sr=8-18 or something from a foam mat.

Or a thick piece of felt https://www.amazon.com/X-PROTECTOR-Premium-Colors-Furniture-Various/dp/B01D93Z9ZA/ref=sr_1_20?crid=22P6XQ81L5JIT&keywords=felt+block&qid=1657220305&sprefix=felt+block,aps,78&sr=8-20

I don't have one to try, but if someone wants to experiment, just start sticking different things to the rack and see how it works, stuffed animals, computer mice mats, diapers...
 
I thought the exact same thing. Then I realized what my time is worth. Sourcing insert material, precision cutting, correct glue etc etc. You easily could spend a couple hours in actual time and labor, plus materials.

My time is worth WAY more than $40 an hour.

Knowing these factors, I feel these ARE PRICED correctly, and I am quite sure the DELTA marketing people agree, that is why they are this price...

And I also agree, these are MANDATORY. Drive you insane without them...

However, I would never stop a man from a learning exercise, so have at it if you feel you need to make your own.:cool:
 
This is the thread I found from 2009. Even back then, they were more expensive than $40.

Delta Elite 13 Rack and Leather Inserts

FS - Delta Elite 13 Rack and Leather Inserts It's a NEW beautiful thing from Byron Design Studio: NIB Delta Elite 13 Racks + Sound Absorbing Leather Inlay Inserts. Transform the look while eliminating the tink-tink noisy sound of the Delta Elite rack. The tinking sound of this aluminum rack...
forums.azbilliards.com
 
Dognit said:
I thought the exact same thing. Then I realized what my time is worth. Sourcing insert material, precision cutting, correct glue etc etc. You easily could spend a couple hours in actual time and labor, plus materials.

My time is worth WAY more than $40 an hour.

Knowing these factors, I feel these ARE PRICED correctly, and I am quite sure the DELTA marketing people agree, that is why they are this price...

And I also agree, these are MANDATORY. Drive you insane without them...

However, I would never stop a man from a learning exercise, so have at it if you feel you need to make your own.:cool:
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This was my exact consideration. Yes, it could be interesting to learn how to do this as I’ve never even cut leather before, much less fashioned three inserts to exact specifications. I am unlikely to get them exactly right and then I would be gluing them to a $180 rack. I’m all for investing a few hours in a project for the sake of learning but I typically don’t like to learn on projects where I’m applying an adhesive to my finished project on an expensive piece of high quality equipment like this rack. May just opt for the $40 inserts after all.
 
buttnkdwonder said:
This was my exact consideration. Yes, it could be interesting to learn how to do this as I’ve never even cut leather before, much less fashioned three inserts to exact specifications. I am unlikely to get them exactly right and then I would be gluing them to a $180 rack. I’m all for investing a few hours in a project for the sake of learning but I typically don’t like to learn on projects where I’m applying an adhesive to my finished project on an expensive piece of high quality equipment like this rack. May just opt for the $40 inserts after all.
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who spends that much on a rack and then complains about $40 for leather inserts? is it worth it
 
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sos911 said:
who spends that much on a rack and then complains about $40 for leather inserts? is it worth it
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It's a bit like Apple removing the charger from the box and headphone jacks from the phones then happily taking extra money from you to basically fix what they broke. The products should be designed properly in the first place not to have a secondary market to spend extra money to fix the flaws. There is a reason the main rack now is a $5-10 piece of cloth or plastic that just works. I used to see some people carry a Delta rack around to use, not in a long time though.
 
Embarrassing to admit that I own one of these super spendy racks, but the redeeming factor is that a friend got it for me as a gift. They do rack the balls great for 1p, but the clinky sound is indeed annoying.

Didn’t know about these insert insert panel things until now. Agreed, its a hokey marketing design, but will order some to try, plus they will cover some dorky engraving that my buddy put on the rack.

Cheers! ✌️
 
hang-the-9 said:
It's a bit like Apple removing the charger from the box and headphone jacks from the phones then happily taking extra money from you to basically fix what they broke. The products should be designed properly in the first place not to have a secondary market to spend extra money to fix the flaws. There is a reason the main rack now is a $5-10 piece of cloth or plastic that just works. I used to see some people carry a Delta rack around to use, not in a long time though.
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yeah but does it really need those leather pieces or is it just nit picking. looks like it is designed for either or
 
sos911 said:
yeah but does it really need those leather pieces or is it just nit picking. looks like it is designed for either or
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It works fine without, its just nitpicking. Its a good rack, a bit dorky but way better than most normal wood ones.
 
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