How to keep your newly covered table like new

S

stevesdl

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I have just had my 8' Olhausen table recovered with Simonis 860. Though hesitant at first, I now have absolutely no regrets on the extra cost. Wow does this cloth make the table so perfect.

The burn marks from the balls racked in the break are starting to show, even though I keep it barely noticeable with regular brushing and a light rub with an extra piece of simonis 860 cloth. (I break with a small 2"x2" piece of simonis under the cue ball and remove quickly before the balls come to the headstring)

The balls are Belgium Arimuth and are kept pretty clean as well.

Any tricks on how to minimize these burn marks or keep them down to a very dull roar over the next year.

Thanks
Steve
 
Next time buy the "HR" version of the 860. It really cuts down on the burn marks. You'll still get some but not nearly as bad as with standard 860. I recently had the HR installed on my table in the tournament blue...I'm amazed how much better it holds up. Looks new much longer without all the burn spots plus the HR does not fade like regular 860 either. Big thanks to Glen for the advice. :thumbup:
 
stevesdl said:
I have just had my 8' Olhausen table recovered with Simonis 860. Though hesitant at first, I now have absolutely no regrets on the extra cost. Wow does this cloth make the table so perfect.

The burn marks from the balls racked in the break are starting to show, even though I keep it barely noticeable with regular brushing and a light rub with an extra piece of simonis 860 cloth. (I break with a small 2"x2" piece of simonis under the cue ball and remove quickly before the balls come to the headstring)

The balls are Belgium Arimuth and are kept pretty clean as well.

Any tricks on how to minimize these burn marks or keep them down to a very dull roar over the next year.

Thanks
Steve
Click to expand...

Getting HR next time doesn't do you much good right now, LOL :rolleyes:

Skip the brush and vacuum the cloth once a week followed by a wipedown with a damp micro-fiber cloth.
The official details here - http://www.simoniscloth.com/Simonis_cloth_care.htm
 
I just got the HR and it is nice. I use the process outlined by Rick above.... always have... plus I might use some Kwick Klean.
 
I agree with Dartman. Brushing is not the best thing due to the fact that you are pushing a lot of that chalk right thru the cloth. Working on tables everyday, we see a lot of chalk under the cloths.Sometimes enough to make a entire cube or two. This definitely does not help the roll of the table or the ability to get a good rack as a lot of the chalk will come off the balls in the racking area.
 
Excellent Answers Appreciated

I play about 35-40 games of 8 ball a day so it is getting pretty good moderate use.

I will test and try the small plastic brush attachment to my Hoover standup using the extension hose and hopefully not too much suction. Then try a damp cloth method.

I got the Simonis green and very happy with that but after ordering that color I "kinda" have liked getting the electric blue. :) Next time maybe.

Also I had only barely heard of the HR but I thought I had read it was a slightly faster cover. I was attempting to get what the Pros used in tournaments so not sure if I accomplished that.

Anyway, great answers by all. Thank you so much. I am very happy with this simonis cover. :) :thumbup:

Steve
 
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My Granito is years old and very few burn marks. Vacuum and damp cloth is key. I cheat a little because I want to maintain, like new slide, so I also apply silicone. Seems pool players don't like slide so don't use it. But the reason for burn marks is friction. Chalk dust is abrasive and contributes to friction. Also even surface scratches on the balls contribute to the problem and larger surface defects add more.

You say the balls are "fairly clean" That aint good enough IMO to accomplish your goal.
If you don't have a ball cleaner take yours to a pool hall that has one and have them polished to like new condition then be religious about keeping the table clean and wiping the balls off each session.
 
Ball Cleaner ?

Hi 3kushn,
ummmm, no I do not have a ball cleaner and have doing it by hand with Arimuth's cleaner solution and a cloth. Is such a ball cleaner a mechanized cleaner? Please suggest a ball cleaner. I will go out and get one now. It takes so long doing it by hand.

Thanks again
Steve
 
Not possible to keep it as new if you bought the table to play on it.Just like homes/houses are f bought for living. Homes/houses are not museums and usually the things are thrown around in the house that is in use.Your table will show the wear and tear if u play on it.
 
stevesdl said:
Hi 3kushn,
ummmm, no I do not have a ball cleaner and have doing it by hand with Arimuth's cleaner solution and a cloth. Is such a ball cleaner a mechanized cleaner? Please suggest a ball cleaner. I will go out and get one now. It takes so long doing it by hand.

Thanks again
Steve
Click to expand...
The Aramith cleaner is a good one but it dosen't address the surface scratches.

There's several discussions on how to make one for yourself. Here's one link which has the basic design that several have adopted. http://www.nittanyleather.com/side_projects.htm

The one pictured I have a slight issue in that I appears that the balls will spin on a single axis and I believe the device should force the balls to randomly spin. If you think about it if the balls spin on an axis then the poles see very little action. I'd like to seperate the balls rather than them bouncing against each other which make them bounce around a little more. Also I'd line the side of the bucket with a soft carpet or similar fabric.

Anyway a commercially made machine is several hundred dollars and this is a great starter design that can be tweeked if needed. Ball Star is a common commercial machine. Do a search. There's a cuemaker that's mentioned here that makes one that people seem to like.

The other solution is get a 6" bench grinder, stack 4 or 5 cotton wheels, and some rouge for polishing plastic. If you hold the ball right it will spin in your hand. About a minute or 2 for each ball.

Sure glad I only need to clean 3 balls.
 
stevesdl,

My canister vac has an adjustable slot (an air-bleed) right at the end of the flexible hose that lets me adjust the amount of vacuum. I try and set it so that I have good vacuum without it trying to lift the cloth away from the table...
 
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HR Simonis

LOL..... Forget putting that 2x2 cloth under your cue ball when breaking. Your cloth is going to wear out. Everyone's comments are right on. Vacuum, wipe the cloth down & keep the balls clean once a week but the cloth will still wear out but not as fast if you do the listed steps. The new HR Simonis is the way to go next time you recover. The life span is much longer with the HR.
 
vagabond said:
Not possible to keep it as new if you bought the table to play on it.Just like homes/houses are f bought for living. Homes/houses are not museums and usually the things are thrown around in the house that is in use.Your table will show the wear and tear if u play on it.
Click to expand...

What he said. Use it like you own it and plan on replacing every 3-4 yrs...or 2!
 
are you getting vertical tracks in the triangle area?

One bad habit people have is sliding the whole rack forward and back in an effort to rotate the balls and get a better rack. It's completely unnecessary and it actually makes it harder to rack. If your table has a sweet spot where the balls want to settle, often an adjustment of only a quarter inch or so will get you to that sweet spot. So it doesn't make sense to move the whole rack forward and back 2 or 3 times and then try to hunt down that sweet spot again.

Put the triangle in the rack area, place the balls there, and then try to freeze 'em. If they don't freeze, go forward a smidge and try again (or if the head ball has settled somewhere, go forward enough to get the other balls to meet the head ball without moving it).
 
stevesdl said:
I have just had my 8' Olhausen table recovered with Simonis 860. Though hesitant at first, I now have absolutely no regrets on the extra cost. Wow does this cloth make the table so perfect.

The burn marks from the balls racked in the break are starting to show, even though I keep it barely noticeable with regular brushing and a light rub with an extra piece of simonis 860 cloth. (I break with a small 2"x2" piece of simonis under the cue ball and remove quickly before the balls come to the headstring)

The balls are Belgium Arimuth and are kept pretty clean as well.

Any tricks on how to minimize these burn marks or keep them down to a very dull roar over the next year.

Thanks
Steve
Click to expand...

Steve:

I wouldn't even put another thought into it. Don't sweat it. It's like buying a shiny hammer and then not wanting to pound a nail because it looks pretty. Or, it's like a new driver.... who cares that it's new. Only the beat-up looking driver means the owner has some practice under his belt :)

Dave
(proud of my beat-up 760)
 
14-1StraightMan said:
LOL..... Forget putting that 2x2 cloth under your cue ball when breaking. Your cloth is going to wear out. Everyone's comments are right on. Vacuum, wipe the cloth down & keep the balls clean once a week but the cloth will still wear out but not as fast if you do the listed steps. The new HR Simonis is the way to go next time you recover. The life span is much longer with the HR.
Click to expand...


Wrong!! The cloth under the cue ball is a great idea especially if you always break from the same spot.
 
14-1StraightMan said:
... The new HR Simonis is the way to go next time you recover.
The life span is much longer with the HR.
Click to expand...

HR hasn't been out a year yet so commenting on durability is somewhat premature.
Stating that the life span is much longer is a feature that remains to be seen.
 
stevesdl said:
The burn marks from the balls racked in the break are starting to show, even though I keep it barely noticeable with regular brushing and a light rub with an extra piece of simonis 860 cloth.
Click to expand...

Alternate which end of the table is used for breaks every week.
With 860 (or 760) you don't have to mash the break to pot a ball.

Place the rack on correct spot and drop the balls into the wrack by hand. Then a gently push will align the balls with minimal rolling.

Brush as infrequently as possible
Vacuum with a bristle brush attachment to pick up the chalk and talc.
 
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