8 Foot Diamond Rail Problem

DJKeys

DJKeys

Sound Design
Gold Member
Silver Member
Thought I would run this by the experts. Balls have begun hopping off the table on the short foot rail between the two diamonds. This happens even at lower speeds, whatever ball hits the cushion in that area jumps up and bounces after hitting the cushion. No other areas of the table have this problem, all rail bolts are torqued at 15 fp. Table is 4 years old and this issue just started about two weeks ago. Any feedback appreciated!

Thanks-

-dj
 

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I agree with rexus31 on cleaning the cloth at the nose of the cushion. A bit of Woolite in the water solution will help breakdown the crud that gets into the cloth at those contact points. Thanks for reminding me that I need to clean my cloth today. I'm getting a bit of hop on the short rail as well. From my experience that ball hop is inevitable if you have the same practice routine everyday and are slow at cleaning the table and balls.
 
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DJKeys said:
Awesome, guys, thanks! Will do that today.

-dj
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Ideally, you want to avoid the water weeping through the cloth and getting the rubber wet so don't soak it! Again, very, very damp microfiber cloth and let it dry thoroughly prior to playing.
 
rexus31 said:
Ideally, you want to avoid the water weeping through the cloth and getting the rubber wet so don't soak it! Again, very, very damp microfiber cloth and let it dry thoroughly prior to playing.
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I was very careful and used the very damp microfiber cloth. Drying now. Just curious, how does dirt cause the bouncing of the rail? I would have never thought that possible.

Thanks again-

-dj
 
DJKeys said:
I was very careful and used the very damp microfiber cloth. Drying now. Just curious, how does dirt cause the bouncing of the rail? I would have never thought that possible.

Thanks again-

-dj
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Following. What cleaning solution are you using for balls. Does it happen with a
different set or solution. Just curious.
 
GoldCrown said:
Following. What cleaning solution are you using for balls. Does it happen with a
different set or solution. Just curious.
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I use the Aramith ball cleaner. It only happened on a small area of the foot rail. Balls are Aramith Tournament.
 
DJKeys said:
I was very careful and used the very damp microfiber cloth. Drying now. Just curious, how does dirt cause the bouncing of the rail? I would have never thought that possible.

Thanks again-

-dj
Click to expand...
That dirt/grime is sticky by nature, and when the ball rolls against it, the excess friction grabs the balls and pushes upwards and away from the cushion. It’s the same if you have ever rolled a ball on a table where the cloth is removed from a rail. It hops and is extremely lively.
 
DJKeys said:
I use the Aramith ball cleaner. It only happened on a small area of the foot rail. Balls are Aramith Tournament.
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How much cleaning solution do you use and what are you using to clean the balls? That section of the cushion gets a lot of action from break shots. More so than other areas of the table. It's not so much dirt that accumulates there, but residual cleaner deposits on the rails from the balls. I assume the areas in question have a yellowish wear/staining to them? I switched to 2-4 tablespoons of Aramith Ball Cleaner to 8 ounces of 91% Isopropyl Alcohol in a spray bottle, then run them in my machine.

 
DJKeys said:
Wow, that took care of the problem!! Now I have to figure out how that section of cushion got dirty.

Thanks to all once again!

-dj
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It probably got dirty there because of practice drills. When you practice the same drills daily the same spots are contacted and the ball cleaner residue is wiped off at those spots only.
 
Lawnboy77 said:
It probably got dirty there because of practice drills. When you practice the same drills daily the same spots are contacted and the ball cleaner residue is wiped off at those spots only.
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I figured it out. Every time I rack, I unconsciously put my palm on the rail 3 or 4 times each time I rack. Even with clean hands, It was the oils from my hand collecting at the same spot over the last 4 years. Now, I have to consciously not touch the rail cloth there.

-dj
 
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