Was my GC3 installed correctly?

[dogthenine]

Hi all,
I hired a mechanic who came highly recommended in these forums to move and recover a gold crown 3 as well as re-cushion the rails with super speed cushions.

When the job was done, there was a 1/4 in gap between the aprons and top rails (see the pictures below), which I asked the mechanic about and he said that it has to be like that. I do not recall the gap being there before the table was moved, and I do not see such a pronounced gap when I look at other gold crown 3s on the internet. Additionally, the job done on the rails seems subpar, but I not an expert so I did not question him on this. Considering that I paid a lot of money to have this done I wanted to get your opinion if I should call the mechanic and ask him to redo the work, or if this job is done properly, and I should just chill out. I am happy to share more pictures or better quality pictures.

Thanks so much!

 

[gazman100]

Hi There,
I definitely would not be happy with the cloth on the rails.
It disappoints me that some installers don't know any better. There is no way I could present that rail cloth install to someone.
Regarding the huge skirt gap to the rails. Get underneath and make sure the bolt are tight.
Let us know how you get on.
Cheers

 

[bignick31985]

I wouldn't be satisfied with the results in the pictures for any amount of $$$ spent.

 

[Dartman]

The rail work is pretty bad.
Those pics you have should be posted in the Hackwork thread

 

[rexus31]

No bueno. Where are you located?

I would certainly call him out on the cloth install on the rails. Do you know if he indexed the bed cloth before he stretched it?

 

[MesdupBoogie]

I wouldn’t be satisfied paying for that. I just did my first ever attempt at installing & covering my GC1 using CPBA cloth. This was a learning project using the Simonis DVDs and IMO gave a little better job than your installer. I know there are some bed stretch shadows by the side pocket, but this is “good enough” for now.
The green cloth is a pro install Simonis 860 on my GC5, for comparison.

If a complete newbie can get decent results, it’s reasonable to expect good work from a pro.

 

[fastone371]

Hi all,
I hired a mechanic who came highly recommended in these forums to move and recover a gold crown 3 as well as re-cushion the rails with super speed cushions.

When the job was done, there was a 1/4 in gap between the aprons and top rails (see the pictures below), which I asked the mechanic about and he said that it has to be like that. I do not recall the gap being there before the table was moved, and I do not see such a pronounced gap when I look at other gold crown 3s on the internet. Additionally, the job done on the rails seems subpar, but I not an expert so I did not question him on this. Considering that I paid a lot of money to have this done I wanted to get your opinion if I should call the mechanic and ask him to redo the work, or if this job is done properly, and I should just chill out. I am happy to share more pictures or better quality pictures.

Thanks so much!

Had I completed the work on your Gold Crown I would be downright embarrassed for anyone to see that. As far as I am concerned your installer needs to come out and fix this, it should be no extra charge to you. I also agree that the gap between the rail blinds and the rails should not be there. Since the blinds attach to the rails (I think a GC3 is the same as a GC1 in this regard) it seems like maybe your brackets are incorrectly installed/adjusted although you normally would not need to unscrew the rail blind hangers during a recover, maybe the table was poorly assembled before you bought it??

 

[rexus31]

Had I completed the work on your Gold Crown I would be downright embarrassed for anyone to see that. As far as I am concerned your installer needs to come out and fix this, it should be no extra charge to you. I also agree that the gap between the rail blinds and the rails should not be there. Since the blinds attach to the rails (I think a GC3 is the same as a GC1 in this regard) it seems like maybe your brackets are incorrectly installed/adjusted although you normally would not need to unscrew the rail blind hangers during a recover, maybe the table was poorly assembled before you bought it??

Gold Crown III aprons are screwed into the rail; different than a Gold Crown I.

 

[dogthenine]

Hi There,
I definitely would not be happy with the cloth on the rails.
It disappoints me that some installers don't know any better. There is no way I could present that rail cloth install to someone.
Regarding the huge skirt gap to the rails. Get underneath and make sure the bolt are tight.
Let us know how you get on.
Cheers

Thanks for the advice. The bolts are all tight.

 

[ThinSlice]

Terrible Job!


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums

 

[dogthenine]

Had I completed the work on your Gold Crown I would be downright embarrassed for anyone to see that. As far as I am concerned your installer needs to come out and fix this, it should be no extra charge to you. I also agree that the gap between the rail blinds and the rails should not be there. Since the blinds attach to the rails (I think a GC3 is the same as a GC1 in this regard) it seems like maybe your brackets are incorrectly installed/adjusted although you normally would not need to unscrew the rail blind hangers during a recover, maybe the table was poorly assembled before you bought it??

I could be confused about what a rail blind hanger is, but the table was completely disassembled as I refinished the wood and powder coated all of the accent pieces. The mechanic took the rails to his shop to put new cushions on and recover. I am super disappointed as realkingcobra gave me the name & contact information of this mechanic over the phone and said that while he has never seen his work in person, the mechanic has sent pictures and corresponded with Glen about proper installation.

It is possible that the table was poorly installed when I bought it, but it was actually only installed once when it came from the factory and never previously moved. Additionally, when I bought it the pockets were shimmed so the pocket was exactly 4.5". The mechanic I hired removed the shims, and while I would have preferred he left them, I did not explicitly ask him to do so.

 

[dogthenine]

Thanks so much

No bueno. Where are you located?

I would certainly call him out on the cloth install on the rails. Do you know if he indexed the bed cloth before he stretched it?

Sorry I don't know what indexing is. Feel free to DM me and we can talk, but I am not going to reveal where I am located publicly as I do not want this bad job to jeopardize the mechanics reputation. Perhaps he just had a bad day. . . So long as he makes is right eventually.

 

[rexus31]

Thanks so much

Sorry I don't know what indexing is. Feel free to DM me and we can talk, but I am not going to reveal where I am located publicly as I do not want this bad job to jeopardize the mechanics reputation. Perhaps he just had a bad day. . . So long as he makes is right eventually.

Indexing means a measurement was taken and marked from the end of the cloth to where it should be stretched to (the slate edge).

 

[rexus31]

Thanks so much

Sorry I don't know what indexing is. Feel free to DM me and we can talk, but I am not going to reveal where I am located publicly as I do not want this bad job to jeopardize the mechanics reputation. Perhaps he just had a bad day. . . So long as he makes is right eventually.

Are you sure he was a mechanic and not an installer? World of difference. I'm not sure I'd want him back to fix it. He screwed up some pretty basic stuff and to leave the job with it looking like that speaks volumes. I was asking where you were located so we could recommend a competent mechanic to resolve the issues.

 

[MesdupBoogie]

Indexing is the process of finding the proper amount of stretch for the cloth. The Simonis DVDs explain it very well. Briefly, the installer should measure the maximum amount that the cloth will stretch side to side across the bed. That distance gets marked.

If I’m giving out too much info that is proprietary, please let me know & I’ll edit.

My max in this case was 1.75.”

Back off from that maximum by a certain amount, and that reduced number is the stretch index. That value gets marked along the cloth to get a consistent amount of cloth stretched to the edge of the slate.

Look along the left side of the image, and you’ll see my chalk lines pulled to the edge of the slate.

 

[dogthenine]

Are you sure he was a mechanic and not an installer? World of difference. I'm not sure I'd want him back to fix it. He screwed up some pretty basic stuff and to leave the job with it looking like that speaks volumes. I was asking where you were located so we could recommend a competent mechanic to resolve the issues.

I appreciate your help, and I am happy to privately share where I am located. This "mechanic" (could be installer) was recommended to me over the phone by @realkingcobra. Glen told me that while he has never met this individual or seen his work in person, that this individual has sent him picture of tables he has done, and corresponded with Glen on the proper techniques.

 

[dogthenine]

Indexing is the process of finding the proper amount of stretch for the cloth. The Simonis DVDs explain it very well. Briefly, the installer should measure the maximum amount that the cloth will stretch side to side across the bed. That distance gets marked.

If I’m giving out too much info that is proprietary, please let me know & I’ll edit.

My max in this case was 1.75.”

Back off from that maximum by a certain amount, and that reduced number is the stretch index. That value gets marked along the cloth to get a consistent amount of cloth stretched to the edge of the slate.

Look along the left side of the image, and you’ll see my chalk lines pulled to the edge of the slate.

Thanks! I am pretty sure I saw him do this. I vaguely recall him marking the cloth with chalk. This is off topic, but I asked him why he was not doing the pockets with the nice looking fold, and he said that it takes too long, and that since the GC3 has the black inserts it would never be noticed. I think he is probably correct, but this should have been a red flag for me.

 

[rexus31]

Thanks! I am pretty sure I saw him do this. I vaguely recall him marking the cloth with chalk. This is off topic, but I asked him why he was not doing the pockets with the nice looking fold, and he said that it takes too long, and that since the GC3 has the black inserts it would never be noticed. I think he is probably correct, but this should have been a red flag for me.

Black inserts? What are you referring to?

 

[MesdupBoogie]

Thanks! I am pretty sure I saw him do this. I vaguely recall him marking the cloth with chalk. This is off topic, but I asked him why he was not doing the pockets with the nice looking fold, and he said that it takes too long, and that since the GC3 has the black inserts it would never be noticed. I think he is probably correct, but this should have been a red flag for me.

I did the folded trim because my pockets were giving me fits, and my relief cuts alone looked awful. They needed something to cover my mistakes.

 

[dogthenine]

Are you sure he was a mechanic and not an installer? World of difference. I'm not sure I'd want him back to fix it. He screwed up some pretty basic stuff and to leave the job with it looking like that speaks volumes. I was asking where you were located so we could recommend a competent mechanic to resolve the issues.

I appreciate your help, and I am happy to privately share where I am located. This "mechanic" (could be installer) was recommended to me over the phone by @realkingcobra. Glen told me that while he has never met this individual or seen his work in person, that this individual has sent him picture of tables he has done, and corresponded with Glen on the proper techniques.

Black inserts? What are you referring to?

The black pocket inserts, that direct the balls in the ball return rails. Sorry I am definitely not using the proper terms!