Why do pockets go bad and what's the fix

[Saturated Fats]

I play on a number of Gandy Big G tables. They are getting pretty old and there's a developing problem where pockets that used to play normally now rattle. What is it that is breaking down over time and what is a solution that is affordable for a room owner to tackle?

 

[Lawnboy77]

From my experience with old tables it’s a combination of issues, first off, as cloth gets older it makes the pockets less forgiving. Another issue is pocket facing angles change over time if a good mechanic doesn’t stay on top of it. The subrail portion of the facing gets hammered with balls hit with force and some of that energy is not fully absorbed by the facing rubber. Over time the wood behind the facing becomes mushroomed, or distorted. Once distorted it loses its original correct reference angle, and the overall decline snowballs when an inexperienced mechanic changes the cushions without correcting the subrail angle first. So keep the bangers off the table, or if you can’t do that then hire a good mechanic who will keep those facing angles at the proper angles.

 

[Lawnboy77]

This was a big part of what I used to see in the good rooms where the bangers never got to play on the action tables. Those were meticulously maintained and they were off limits to those dudes who would shoot break speed on almost every shot. They would destroy the pockets.

 

[garczar]

I play on a number of Gandy Big G tables. They are getting pretty old and there's a developing problem where pockets that used to play normally now rattle. What is it that is breaking down over time and what is a solution that is affordable for a room owner to tackle?

Could just be the cushions and facings are shot. A lot of the 'Olhausen rattle' is because of bad facings. I used to play on BigG's occasionally and thought they played ok. Giant pockets but hell i was trying to bust some sap so i loved that aspect. Never noticed a 'rattle' issue. I bet the facings are done.