A lot of this info is just not correct and it may result in people ordering the wrong one.
the Brunswick centennial may be an original or a newer version as seen here:
Buy the Centennial 9' Pool Table for sale online from Brunswick Billiards. Find your local Brunswick Billiards dealer today!
www.brunswickbilliards.com
my little 7'brunswick made in 1961 used a discontinued rubber profile that was very small, I had to cut the rails down to compensate and used the Brunswick centennial / Contender cushion and that one is depicted here: this is not the K55 mentioned above.
Centennial/Contender cushion rubber is made of the same formula as SuperSpeed but has a smaller, triangular shaped profile. 40” set of six. Used on most Brunswick tables that didn’t come with SuperSpeed.
www.classicbilliards.net
The differences between the K55 and K66 profile are described here :
source:
https://www.classicbilliards.net/cushions-supplies/determine-rail-profile.html
* K55 cushions measure 1 ¼” across the top and 1 5/16” high at the back (glue) side. Keep in mind if you have an older Brunswick (prior to 1975), be sure to measure the back side of the cushion at the glue side and confirm 1 5/16” before ordering. Older K55 cushions had a 1 5/16” back side dimension but a 1 1/8” top side measurement (same as K66).
the main difference seems to be that the K55 is 1 1/4" across the top but the K66 was 1 1/8" across the top. ( i found the wording above explained it but it was a bit confusing to read through..
you can check but I think the angle that the rail is cut may differ.. perhaps the rails can be recut to make that change. Cobra probably can provide more detail on that since he's evidently a fully trained and very experineced professional pool table mechanic.
the diamond cushions are made offshore, in Taiwan.
classic Billiards seems to carry some different brands..
I have no ties or stake in what manufacturer you choose, I'd look around, they are not all the same I agree with Gazman above that you are best to spend a bit more and get good quality cushions, I dont think there is enough info here to say that there is too much recycled product in the cushions..
Tere is a good video here on Brunswick's equipment, yes the video may be quite dated but it gives you a good idea of the equipment needed to manufacture rubber cushions.. in the video they mention that the offcuts are added back to the production so was being re-added , even by brunswick at the time the video was made.
there is also a fast and cheap way, by using synthetic rubber instead of rubber compounds from the rubber tree it is possible to make them by a molding process. this synthetic rubber has different properties, for one it is non porous.
I suggest being careful that if you replace the cushions you are ordering real rubber, because you may find that you ordered rubber cusions yes, but are they natural rubber or a cheper sythetic material?
there are a bunch of proprietary formulations nitrile rubber is an example, this is is a synthetic rubber compound, whereas natural rubber or latex rubber is derived from plants.
if you like you can look into the vulcanization process but basically sulfur is added, it is combined with the rubber at a molecular level, not simply added or mixed in, this is a way of improving the properties of rubber.
Ive worked in the industry of printing and have made rubber rollers from synthetic rubber which is pumped into molds heated in an oven and hardens by way of heat. The durometer is specified on the drum which is a liquid.
Natural rubber is a different animal..
In that Brunswich video it gives you a scope into what sort of machinery is needed to manufacture real rubber, its way more than just pouring stuff into a mold and heating it... the expensive machinery may not be so comonplace.
so if you order I'd make sure they actually do claim the rubber is made using the more natural rubbers and not by way of a synthetic, this is because the bounce of the natural rubber is different. Ive noticed that online I will often see products made of "rubbber" but what is often left out is wheather or not that refers to synthetic rubber, It's easy to get caught in that and order the wrong thing.
an O ring is usually nitrile rubber, a rubber band or a balloon is latex rubber, one is derived from a plant, the other is derived from a chemical process. the synthetic has much better oil resistance. the natural rubber has a better stretch factor. If you were to stretch an O ring and then a rubber band, you'd see the difference.. now you can compare the bounce..
if you look into it you will find many manufacturers, many processes which are patented and info on chemicals.. Its a really big subject.
mainly your concern should be where is it made? can you show me your factory so I can look at the plant on google or are you just a reseller? I do this with machinery, show me your factory so I can zoom in, if you cannot then where is it coming from? if the retailer is unable to answer that they are probably just a reseller, sure ok, So you are reselling ok, where is the actual factory?
often they can't answer. why ? because their production is based upon separate contractors providing all the parts which are made in disassociated shops. every component is made by the contractor that offered the lowest price, the race to the bottom it's called. this is common today with offshore manufacturers, Brunswick had big US plants. I dont doubt a lot has moved offshore that existed some years back.. You can only choose from what's available.
for a pool table manufacturer I wouldnt be so worried about getting parts, they dont use many, but if Im buying machinery then Id like to see that factory, why? because in 10 years that parts source is likely to disappear and now Im sitting wiht a obsolete machine needing an unobtainable part. I see this situation a lot. Buyer beware. If it a big name brand manufacturer it can still happen but i feel more secure if I can actually see assembly plant on google maps.. so many are here one day, gone the next.
rubber has a durometer so you can check with the manufacturer about their own durometer specs, the durometer is the hardness of the rubber as measured with a shore durometer. the tooliis described here:
en.wikipedia.org
as rubber ages, its durometer increases, it gets harder. If you were to own a shore durometer tool you could monitor what you are installing and take periodic measurements to track numerically how the rubber is aging, the local conditions will play a role,.. covering the table may help it age a little longer so its a good habit if you care about the table.
