There are different recommendations for how to maintain equipment. Comments on the following would help determine what is best. The ideas presented below are made as statements so people can agree or disagree. I have read them in different places. If you have a better idea please indicate why the idea is better.
1. Tables should be cleaned with a table brush only.
2. Use a Dirt Devil and vacuum from the head to the foot gets the table cleaner.
3. Use only a shop vac with no brush roller.
4. Use a clean damp cloth about once a week to get the chalk out of the cloth.
5. Iron the table from head to foot with no steam to make it faster. This cannot be used if there is wax in the cracks between slate pieces.
6. “Chalk Off” and similar products are used in tournaments between matches and this is the best way to clean a table.
7. Balls should be cleaned with water only.
8. Balls should have “Pledge” or a similar wax placed on them.
9. Wax the cue ball only and bake in an oven for a few hours to get a fast cue ball.
10. “Aramith Ball Cleaner” is all that should be used.
I did iron my GC III which has Simonis 860 installed and found that if a ball is placed on the table rail in the crack between the rail and the table and then allowed to tip and drop to the table, the table rolls differently depending on the rail location. If dropped off the head rail the ball rolls 3 diamonds. If dropped off the foot rail it rolls two diamonds. This was repeated many times from all of the diamonds. Apparently, slow rolling a cue from the head of the table is different than from the bottom of the table and can significantly affect touch shots.
I did not run this test before ironing so I do not know if the iron is responsible. However, I have "washed" the cloth, which tend to fluff it up again and suspect there would be a similar result.
1. Tables should be cleaned with a table brush only.
2. Use a Dirt Devil and vacuum from the head to the foot gets the table cleaner.
3. Use only a shop vac with no brush roller.
4. Use a clean damp cloth about once a week to get the chalk out of the cloth.
5. Iron the table from head to foot with no steam to make it faster. This cannot be used if there is wax in the cracks between slate pieces.
6. “Chalk Off” and similar products are used in tournaments between matches and this is the best way to clean a table.
7. Balls should be cleaned with water only.
8. Balls should have “Pledge” or a similar wax placed on them.
9. Wax the cue ball only and bake in an oven for a few hours to get a fast cue ball.
10. “Aramith Ball Cleaner” is all that should be used.
I did iron my GC III which has Simonis 860 installed and found that if a ball is placed on the table rail in the crack between the rail and the table and then allowed to tip and drop to the table, the table rolls differently depending on the rail location. If dropped off the head rail the ball rolls 3 diamonds. If dropped off the foot rail it rolls two diamonds. This was repeated many times from all of the diamonds. Apparently, slow rolling a cue from the head of the table is different than from the bottom of the table and can significantly affect touch shots.
I did not run this test before ironing so I do not know if the iron is responsible. However, I have "washed" the cloth, which tend to fluff it up again and suspect there would be a similar result.
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