Damp wiping makes cloth slower?

Just a chuckle here.

I found an old bar table to put on the back patio as a beater table. It had cloth in decent shape but not a real high grade. Seems to have had the cushions replaced and pockets tightened a bit too. It was filthy, wouldn't be surprised if it's last home was an open carport. I bought it sight unseen just looking at pictures.

I broke out the leaf blower and made several passes over the table. There had been a lot of dirt on, in, and under the cloth. Ten minutes with the leaf blower and nothing else came out. About once or twice a month I repeat the leaf blower treatment, not as close to the cloth anymore. Two minutes with the leaf blower seems to equal fifteen minutes or more of TLC. Hard on the cloth I am sure but it was loose to begin with. I had planned new cloth and cushions but these cushions play pretty good. When I get through killing this cloth I will see what I want to do with the cushions. All I have done so far is tighten rail bolts.

Two things to note: I am not recommending the leaf blower for most tables. I am highly recommending if anyone gets curious enough to try it they make very sure the wife is not within ten miles!

Hu
 
mikemosconi said:
I think it really depends on how often a table is used and wiped down. any table that I ever used the wipe down method always had very little play between being wiped down, the balls used were always clean, so there was never any real build up to be ground into the cloth- it is just gently lifting off a thin layer- I actually do each table in quarters - folding the cloth into a square that- with both sides utilized- wipes each quarter of the table twice- the second wiping always reveals almost no chalk or dirt residue left on the table.

I would not do this without the X-1 or light vac on a more dirty table- Agreed!
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I always recommend a vacuum on a pool table. Having said that, I think a damp wipe often does not slow down the table. If you're getting chalk and dirt off, it speeds up the table, not slow it down. Also, if you get wool and nylon wet now and then, when it dries, it shrinks a bit, tightens a bit. A damp wipe, along with vacuuming, speeds up a table, rather than slowing it down.

All the best,
WW
 
I’ve never understood that players that know the disadvantage of humid conditions will make a table wet.
...the cloth dries harder, the chalk that embeds into the cloth turns to mud..so the rails are shorter..
...and the bed is slower.
 
pt109 said:
I’ve never understood that players that know the disadvantage of humid conditions will make a table wet.
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Wet is too strong a term for what I do - I'd call it minimally damp, and it dries before I can get the balls onto it.

pj
chgo
 
Patrick Johnson said:
Wet is too strong a term for what I do - I'd call it minimally damp, and it dries before I can get the balls onto it.

pj
chgo
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I feel it strongly...a good player , John, ran a room..it was always spotless...but he cleaned tables with a damp cloth.
..a couple years later, I went to a room 20 miles away...all Brunswicks...so I knew what to expect.
...I played three shots...asked..”Is John working here now?’ I was told “yes, how did you know?”
I didn’t tell them, I liked John...but I don’t even want to buy a table that has been made wet.
And, PJ, a little damp still hurts the table..a little.
 
So straight from my friend pool hall owner and Diamond installer in the area ,, Vac first , hot micro fiber damp cloth after that x 1 for when your playing long matches , he has I think 18 bar boxes and 4 9s
 
How often should you do the vacuum and Damp wipe. We have a home table and play a couple hours every day. Sometimes 4-5. Just me and my Son’s. I had been doing the vacuum and damp wipe once a week should I be doing it more often. I also clean the Aramith balls with their Cleaner once a week also.
 
Patrick Johnson said:
What do you suppose heating it in the microwave does for you?

pj
chgo
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Was recommended to me by a friend, long time table owner.
Perhaps it dries faster when heated up was his reasoning.
He is one of those people that would never steer you wrong.
Could be an old wives tale though.
All I know is that my cleaning routine works well with no table or cloth damage.
 
The warm damp cloth will break down the grime better. Most of the stuff that the damp cleans up is not really chalk. The chalk vacuums up for the most part, but the garden variety dirt and grime from the hands that transfers to the balls and then on to the cloth needs a little warm moisture to remove. Ball cleaner residue to. That grime left on the ball contact point of the cushions will eventually turn to ball hop.
 
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I agree completely with what you have described with damp cloth cleaning.

I play regularly at two pool rooms that have the same tables, same balls and same cloth. They both clean the balls daily and replace the cloth once per year. I play mostly 14.1 where it is noticeable if clusters break easily. In one of these rooms the cloth feels softer - as you'e described - the clusters break apart more easily and the balls slide off the cushions into the pocket more easily too.

The other room cleans their table cloth nightly with a cloth dampened with seltzer water. The tables are always very clean, even just before the annual replacement. It is quite noticeable however that the cloth that is damp cleaned all the time feels rougher to the touch and rolls shorter distances. When you rack the balls and slide the racks forward, the balls on the damp cleaned table don't glide on the cloth like they do at the place that doesn't damp clean.

I think these differences are subtle enough that they are only noticed by those that experience both places frequently. I think you hit the nail right on the head.
 
Saturated Fats said:
I agree completely with what you have described with damp cloth cleaning.

I play regularly at two pool rooms that have the same tables, same balls and same cloth. They both clean the balls daily and replace the cloth once per year. I play mostly 14.1 where it is noticeable if clusters break easily. In one of these rooms the cloth feels softer - as you'e described - the clusters break apart more easily and the balls slide off the cushions into the pocket more easily too.

The other room cleans their table cloth nightly with a cloth dampened with seltzer water. The tables are always very clean, even just before the annual replacement. It is quite noticeable however that the cloth that is damp cleaned all the time feels rougher to the touch and rolls shorter distances. When you rack the balls and slide the racks forward, the balls on the damp cleaned table don't glide on the cloth like they do at the place that doesn't damp clean.

I think these differences are subtle enough that they are only noticed by those that experience both places frequently. I think you hit the nail right on the head.
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Rag too damp, used too often or both.
 
I've been using Chalk Off spray stuff to pull up chalk particles along with the micro-fiber wiper. It seems to work pretty well. It can cause some pilling of the cloth I notice, but it's generally in the worn areas (like where you tend to break from), so it's probably not the cause of the pilling. They recommend using Chalk Off to avoid the need for "harmful" vacuuming. https://fgbradleys.com/pdfDocuments/Chalk Off Instructions.pdf

In my case, I'm too busy (aka lazy) to clean more than once a month, so the table gets a wee bit dirty. So, I generally vacuum, then chalk off, then some pledge on the rails. It looks so good, I almost don't want to play on it and get it dirty. Yet another reason to procrastinate!
 
Saturated Fats said:
In one of these rooms the cloth feels softer - as you'e described - the clusters break apart more easily and the balls slide off the cushions into the pocket more easily too.

...the cloth that is damp cleaned all the time feels rougher to the touch and rolls shorter distances.
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Yep. I first noticed it when I started alternating tables too - one place I'd been damp wiping for almost a year, the other place hardly ever. The hardly ever place felt slicker even when I was wiping it... now, after a couple months of wiping both they're both slower.
garczar said:
Rag too damp, used too often or both.
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Could be. Maybe I can moderate a little and avoid spending $90 on an X-1.

pj
chgo
 
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