Table Maintenance Advice

K

KissedOut

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I tried posting this in the table mechanics forum figuring that they probably know best about tables but got no response, so I am hoping someone here might have some knowledge and advice they would share:
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We have a really nice Gabriels carom table at our local senior center and I've kind of taken it upon myself to help maintain it as well as possible, since otherwise it doesn't get much maintenance and I regard a carom table of this quality as akin to a national treasure.

So my question is, beyond vacuuming and wiping down with a damp micro-fiber cloth, is there anything else I could be doing to enhance and extend its playing qualities? I know there are chalk removal sprays and I know about that Simonis X-1 device, but on the former I do not want to risk any damage from chemicals (are my concerns misplaced on this?), and on the latter I would prefer not to spend $99.

One crazy thought I had was maybe use one of those Swiffer cleaning pads that is supposed to hold onto dirt (chalkdust?) due to electro-static action.

I figure that table mechanics would be the best source of advice, so I hope someone can give me some.

Thanks.
 
calling mr yura to the carom section

he told me dont use chemical spray vacuum only,
other than that I dont know what else id do other than have a dust cover
and keep the balls clean
im vacuuming and cleaning the balls every other day for now, I play 1hr a day during the week and up to 3 to 5 hrs on weekend days
 
I've been maintaining tables for 30 years, currently have 8 Gabriels. Vacuuming is fine, no spinning brush please. When using a cloth it should barely(!!!) be damp and lightly brush the table with it, do not rub. The nose of the cushions is very important (I never understood why people attack the top of the cushion with the cloth -- balls don't hit there!).
 
Maintaining the table

I am not a scientist nor engineer, I can only say something from my experience.
The tables cleaned only by vacuuming with "Rainbow" every after the game have longer life than maintained any other way. Explaining why? Tough question. Like I mentioned this comes from my experience and statistics. Also the balls have to be cleaned like no chemicals left before to be put on the table. That means balls and cloth have to be free from any chemicals. Enjoy.
 
Is a cover on a heated table going to be a issue or no problem?
This is my first heated table and finding a 10ft cover isnt as easy
 
yesyura said:
I am not a scientist nor engineer, I can only say something from my experience.
The tables cleaned only by vacuuming with "Rainbow" every after the game have longer life than maintained any other way. Explaining why? Tough question. Like I mentioned this comes from my experience and statistics. Also the balls have to be cleaned like no chemicals left before to be put on the table. That means balls and cloth have to be free from any chemicals. Enjoy.
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what is "rainbow " vacuum, Mr Yura ?
thank you
 
Ok so how much should I need to obses about particles on the cloth
Seems like once a month mycover will leave tons of fabric fibers that the vac wont clean up, apart from getting a better more expensive vacuum which I cant atm

Would a microfiber cloth help get that crap off? Or do i just need to get over it because it's not that big a deal, I got the cover because my garage is always filled with floating particles, but I never noticed much on the cloth until I got the cover

I havI no idea how ive become so obsessive over this
 
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Your laying your cover onto the dust and dirt. Stop doing that.

Go to Walmart and invest $5 on a pack of the small cloths and try it out. Sams has like a 20 or 30 pack for not much $$.
 
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I noticed so much yesterday morning with the sunlight showing on the cloth, then at night while playing with only the table light, looked fine, ill see about those cheap cloths,

I really really don't want to vacuum it every day, im on a 2 or 3day schedule, 2hrs max play per day on weekdays 4 plus on weekend days
 
beneath_the_sur said:
I noticed so much yesterday morning with the sunlight showing on the cloth, then at night while playing with only the table light, looked fine, ill see about those cheap cloths,

I really really don't want to vacuum it every day, im on a 2 or 3day schedule, 2hrs max play per day on weekdays 4 plus on weekend days
Click to expand...

The longer you wait the harder it is to get the chalk out. The table will play quite different after playing 4 hours than after cleaning. In all cue sports consistency with everything is paramount. Without a consistent table (controlling what's controllable) how do you propose to take what you're table is and adjust to a room table if yours isn't controlled?

A classic example where conditions change quickly is using car wax on the balls to create slide. You'll get about 10 innings before the slide starts to change.

Other than that a dirty table sands down and scratches the balls making them harder to recondition and they in turn wear down the cloth faster since the balls are actually abrasive with their surface roughened with scratches, not to mention the abrasive chalk dust clinging to them.
 
beneath_the_sur said:
whats best for cleaning the balls, or a good recommendation on what to clean the balls with
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BBB is correct. I use Aramith Restorer and Cleaner. If you don't clean regularly the Restorer is a must. Then come back with the cleaner for slightly better finish.

3M Finesse-it is very good too.

Yura has ball cleaning machines from Korea. Very nice machines.
 
3kushn said:
The longer you wait the harder it is to get the chalk out. The table will play quite different after playing 4 hours than after cleaning. In all cue sports consistency with everything is paramount. Without a consistent table (controlling what's controllable) how do you propose to take what you're table is and adjust to a room table if yours isn't controlled?

.
Click to expand...

I believe I may finally be beginning to see this, I vacuumed Saturday, since then I put about 8 hrs on it up to last night, I knew it was due by my 2 day rule I have and I really couldn't get very much to go, missing alot, having much more difficult time tham usually even while taking my time and pointing out my path
 
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