Delta-13 rack inserts

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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Since you mentioned gluing them to your precious thing, I assume you missed my earlier post where I wrote one does not need to use any glue. Just get the width right so they don't fall back when sticked in. Delta rack is a pretty accurate instrument so I think yours should be precise enough in terms of slot widths.

The task is really easy (unless one is completely helpless in terms of DIY stuff, which is understandable), print a template like advised above, get a long straight block of wood (a ruler) or a carpenters level, get the piece of leather and go ahead cut the strips. Step two: cut the angles round. You are done.
Or else, visit a shoe repair shop.

When we needed to make our Delta silent for a streamed event (which was Moscow challenge btw) I first tried to use plastic foam inserts that I made myself, but the effect was not enough (yet better). Then we asked a local craftsman to make us those strips of leather (I could have asked him for a leatherpiece only and cut them myself again, but why bother as long as I'm in his workshop already? :) )
 
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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I don’t think it was intentional like the case for Apple.

They are noisy and the solution was the insert.

I have a couple of the racks, I think I paid for 1 of them. Don’t have the inserts. I’m ok with the noise.
 
Fatboy said:
I don’t think it was intentional like the case for Apple.

They are noisy and the solution was the insert.

I have a couple of the racks, I think I paid for 1 of them. Don’t have the inserts. I’m ok with the noise.
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Eric, I'd bet (and pretty high) that the idea was exactly this, to make extra dough on those inserts. Just because without those the rack is a bit painful to use (or at least uncomfortable, see my example with the streaming above).
Good the leather inserts were not more expensive than the rack itself (like the way it is with any printer; then you need to buy a new cartridge, and that is really where the manufacturers earn, so that they can afford to sell you the device for mere $60)
 
Vahmurka said:
Eric, I'd bet (and pretty high) that the idea was exactly this, to make extra dough on those inserts. Just because without those the rack is a bit painful to use.
Good the leather inserts were not more expensive than the rack itself (like the way it is with any printer; then you need to buy a new cartridge, and that is really where the manufacturers earn, so that they can afford to sell you the device for mere $60)
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It’s possible, for sure.

As I recall the inserts came on to the market about 6 months after the rack was released.

That noise isn’t bad the first few days, I used mine for a couple months, then went back to a wood rack I bought in the late 80’s that racks absolutely perfectly. Which was hard to find back then. I still have my wood rack, and next table I set up it will be there. I like it much more.

Wood is good!
 
Yeah, I love my wooden rack as well. Racks which are made with the use of computers and are damn accurate are great. But back then when you didn't have such luxury (or even nowadays, if on a budget) it was still possible to find a pretty good wooden rack. The main drawback of wood is it moves with time, so I think the best ones were those where pieces are not only glued together (even through a special lock shape) but screwed together also.
I recall when I was buying mine I tried several triangles on the full rack of balls, picked the one which worked best, and even than I marked two of three corners which provided perfect tight racking. I mostly cared about first three rows (ten balls)
 
Am I wrong, or wouldn’t gluing leather inserts into the recesses reduce the ability to grip/lift without disturbing the racked balls? Aside from the triangle’s precision, that feature (Diamond rack also) is what makes it so great.
 
DynoDan said:
Am I wrong, or wouldn’t gluing leather inserts into the recesses reduce the ability to grip/lift without disturbing the racked balls? Aside from the triangle’s precision, that feature (Diamond rack also) is what makes it so great.
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They go on the outside of the rack. It's not to make the interior ball hits quieter it prevents extra vibration through the rack.
 
I got one of the cast models a long time ago, still using it. Never bothered with inserts for it, but the 2 at the room I play in a lot both have the leather inserts and they are noticeably quieter.
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DynoDan said:
Am I wrong, or wouldn’t gluing leather inserts into the recesses reduce the ability to grip/lift without disturbing the racked balls? Aside from the triangle’s precision, that feature (Diamond rack also) is what makes it so great.
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The leather inserts are not as thick as the depth of the recesses, are they? If I'm right about that, the inserts would not ruin the feature you like.
 
Ok, so culminating this embarrassing nerdy journey, the leather inserts arrived from D-13 today. They do dampen the clankyness sound and still leave enough recessed area to still grab the rack easily.
 
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I also have one of those original cast models and the leather inserts being sold will not fit.
I love the rack so in the meantime I put some cardboard in there. Works OK but looking for some double wall to make it better.
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