Slate seal has broken

[sherlock]

Hello,

I got a new Olhausen slate table installed less than a year ago. A month or so ago I noticed a slight ridge had formed where two pieces of slate come together (I was told by someone that this means the slate seal has broken or "popped"). You can now see a line on the Simonis860 cloth where the ridge has formed. The ridge has gotten worse and now affects play on a slow roll with the CB or OB. I watched them install the table and they used wax to seal the slate and wood shims underneath the slate to balance the table. Can you tell me what will be involved to get the table repaired? Will I be able to get the line mark out of the cloth or should I expect new cloth? My Olhausen dealer has said he'll send the installers back out to fix things, but I just want to get a better idea of what needs to be done. Tx.

 

[nyneball]

slate bump

this is very unusual. slates are usually dowelled at the joints. maybe on economy tables they are not, but this never happens on tournament tables such as diamond or gold crowns. this should be a warranty issue with the installer or the manufacturer. good luck

 

[sherlock]

slate seal has broken

Tx for the quick reply--is there a way I can see if the slates have been dowelled at the joints? This is a high-end hardwood Olhausen home table ($3K+), and the dealer did say the installation (including balancing) was lifetime and he would do whatever was needed. My concern is that the dealership mgr. is not a table mechanic and the installers who did the work may not know what's needed! Tx.

this is very unusual. slates are usually dowelled at the joints. maybe on economy tables they are not, but this never happens on tournament tables such as diamond or gold crowns. this should be a warranty issue with the installer or the manufacturer. good luck

 

[metal5d]

No offense nyneball but slates aren't usually dowelled.

Sherlock the installers should have no problem fixing the table. They should remove the rails and the cloth. Relevel the table. Seal the joint with wax. They will either try to use the old cloth or recover with new cloth.

 

[sherlock]

Tx for reply--I feel relieved that this will not be a major undertaking to repair the slate. Regarding the cloth, I am not trying to get new cloth out of this--I just don't want the line there--I assume they'll just try to brush it out?

No offense nyneball but slates aren't usually dowelled.

Sherlock the installers should have no problem fixing the table. They should remove the rails and the cloth. Relevel the table. Seal the joint with wax. They will either try to use the old cloth or recover with new cloth.

 

[metal5d]

If they reuse the old cloth, the line will probably come out when they restretch the cloth.

 

[nyneball]

No offense nyneball but slates aren't usually dowelled.

Sherlock the installers should have no problem fixing the table. They should remove the rails and the cloth. Relevel the table. Seal the joint with wax. They will either try to use the old cloth or recover with new cloth.

all Gold Crowns have dowelled slates, at least the ones I have worked on. But Im not a table mechanic, but I did sleep at the Holiday Inn express last nite.

 

[SlateHumper]

pinned

all Gold Crowns have dowelled slates, at least the ones I have worked on. But Im not a table mechanic, but I did sleep at the Holiday Inn express last nite.

LMAO @ Holiday Inn. Almost no manufacturers use pinned slate anymore. For the most part the table industry has gone to crap with a few exceptions.
And yes it should be an easy fix. Tables are made from wood(or a form of) and slate both of which can react to temp, humidity and floors shifting.

 

[bbaist]

I am an Olhausen dealer. If the slate has chipped, I would say it's a defective slate and have Olhausen send another new slate. Why should you "settle" for a repaired slate on a table less than a yr old? If the mechanic knows what they are doing, they should be able to reuse the same cloth.

 

[SlateHumper]

huh?

I am an Olhausen dealer. If the slate has chipped, I would say it's a defective slate and have Olhausen send another new slate. Why should you "settle" for a repaired slate on a table less than a yr old? If the mechanic knows what they are doing, they should be able to reuse the same cloth.

As dealer are you going to replace slate every time someone has a "popped seam"?

 

[bbaist]

excuse me - I read it too fast. I thought he had said there was an problem with the actual slate. Oops.

 

[cornerhooked]

Is the table located in a temperature controlled environment? It's not in a garage or something is it? Slate seams that pop is usually attributed to support beams of the frame ( on most models ) not torqued during assembly, therefore when the slate settles, the wax seam pops. Ive seen this many times with installers who are quick with installations rather than spending time double checking themselves and the quality of their work.
But it IS a quick fix. It should be under warranty from whoever installed it.

 

[sherlock]

Tx for your comment. Yes, the table is located in a pretty dry, finished, basement. It was amazing how quickly they set the table up (under 2 hours for sure), so they may not have checked the support beams as you note. I love the table and am delighted that it's a straight forward fix. Tx to everyone for the comments.

Is the table located in a temperature controlled environment? It's not in a garage or something is it? Slate seams that pop is usually attributed to support beams of the frame ( on most models ) not torqued during assembly, therefore when the slate settles, the wax seam pops. Ive seen this many times with installers who are quick with installations rather than spending time double checking themselves and the quality of their work.
But it IS a quick fix. It should be under warranty from whoever installed it.