got myself a 93" valley table that needs work

R

R3DS!X

professional failure
So I came across a free valley table that has seen better days. Ive got new felt and am ordering new cushions. Im going to remove the slate soon to clean out the insides from the years of felt dust and cigarette butts. I would also like to cover the return system with a thin matting to make it nice and quiet. Like the gooved thin door mat material. I also need to clean off the glue residue from the slate.

My questions are what would be the best way to store the slate temporarily? On a moving blanket on the floor?
What would be the best way to remove the old glue? I was gonna use acetone and green scrub brush.
Any suggestions for quieting down the table?
 
Storage ... I'd lean it against the wall as vertical as possible. Hell, its a Valley and probably already warped.

The picture shows the best way to clean glue off as recommended by Glen. Use box cutter blades ... cheaper and the tappered edge helps cut the adhesive in tough spots that a aquare edge won't. I just cleaned 12 slates using this ...

picture.php
 
The table was in storage for a few years on it side. Would it matter which side of the slate I lay vertical?

How can I check to see if its warped and how can one fix that?

Thanks for your reply
 
R3DS!X said:
The table was in storage for a few years on it side. Would it matter which side of the slate I lay vertical?

How can I check to see if its warped and how can one fix that?

Thanks for your reply
Click to expand...

Put a straight edge across the slate. If you have some light smiling through under it in the middle you have a sagging slate. You can also do this with levels. If you go all around the table, and it is reading low to the middle and high outside, once again you have a sag in the slate.

For what you are thinking of doing, It does not matter how you store the slate. Lean it up on the wall anyway you want, you could even lift up one end of the slate, put it on some 4x4s or bigger, then lift the other end up and keep it elevated over the body of the table. Or you could just spin the slate 90* on top of the table and then you can get at the inside easier. I always work by myself, so i try to do everything I can to keep the slate on top of the table so I can just move it around instead of getting it all the way off then have to get it back on there again.
 
I should point out I'm not a mechanic however I feel safe to say that with a Valley its not a warped slate but a sagging frame that will be your problem.
 
realkingcobra said:
Correct, slate lays to the frame of the table in those Valleys:D
Click to expand...

thanks for your replies.

any advice as to what i could apply to the return rails to make them quieter?

For the box I'm thinking of putting foam on the inside of the walls to reduce echo.

also what can i do about a sagging frame?
 
I put Ridgebacks on my Valleys for consistency between tables. People have pointed out that the "Thunk" has gone away.

And Kerry is good to work with. I've bought 14 sets of Ridgebacks and a table mechanics tool. Delivered on schedule at the quoted price.

http://www.ridgebackrails.com/
 
Im gonna order the penguin rails since I can order them covered for the same price. It's just a valley table. Once I get a nicer table I'll drop more coin into it.

Still looking for suggestions as to what I can cover the return rails with to reduce noise while not creating enough resistance to stop the ball from returning.
 
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