I'm with The Renfro an Scaramouche on this one sometimes new Simonis needs to be played in, hopefully this won't become a cue ball debate! Follow UplayLucky's advice for a bit ! A friend who did BCA tables a few years back said they had the same thing happen on their Diamonds took a while for conditions to change.
Why So Many Skids?
- Thread starter DrCue'sProtege
- Start date
I don't know the answer about the red circle's weight offhand, but there are posts here on AzB with careful measurements of that if you search for it. All three that I mentioned (red circle, blue circle and measles) are made by Saluc/Aramith, so you'd think the tolerances would be similar.
One thing that often skews peoples' impressions when comparing CBs is that the CB that's used the most wears down quicker, so it's bound to be lighter than a CB that's used less. For instance, the blue circle CBs at my pool hall are ~1/32" smaller than the OBs, but my measles CB is ~1/32" bigger. The difference in weight and response is noticeable even with that "slight" (1/16") difference in diameter - that difference in weight is about 1/2 ounce (8% loss in weight).
pj
chgo
P.S. About zingyness: my red circle CB is glossier than the blue circle CBs and it's also slightly bigger. So between the extra gloss making the red circle CB zingy and the extra weight making it sluggish, which one wins - or do they cancel each other? My experience is the weight wins - the not-so-glossy blue circles are easier to draw because they're lighter.
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I know exactly what you're saying. I put new 860 HR on a couple years ago.
After playing on it I thought... Holy Sheets Batman, this f..k'n cloth is like ice.
Any side spin at all would deflect the CB clean into the neighbors back yard.
The OB would skid out terribly and miss the pocket but scratching was easy.
It slows down after you play on it for days. Vacuum and rub with a wet towel.
.
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Ron Swanson
Banned
And yet, and yet...the only verifiable difference between the two set ups is, er, the cloth.
Now, anyone for pixie dust?
Ron Swanson
Banned
I take it you're not watching the welsh open at the moment? They're talking 'sweetly' now. The chances you've ever struck a ball sweetly are about the same as chalk being the sole cause of kicks, ie next to none.
I had a bunch of skids tonight. I am going to brush the cloth, then use a damp towel, and then the Simonis X-1 cleaner on it tomorrow night before I play. And I am going to wipe off the balls really good too.
Just seems odd, never ever had this many skids before.
r/DCP
Just seems odd, never ever had this many skids before.
r/DCP
Polish the cue ball with the Aramith polish (not the restorer). Then wash it with water and dry. When you see more than one chalk spot on the cue ball, clean it.
Some chalks are really lousy about leaving spots on the cue ball -- I hope you're not using one of those.
I also use the Aramith polish with great success. I'm merely curious as to why you recommend washing the cue ball with water after using the polish?
Although proven by Dave, I think the probability of chalk induced cling is going to be pretty inconsequential for the average player; certainly not inducing the "supposed" number of "skids" reported by the OP.
I can't thank you and Dave enough for all the empirical data, discussions, and videos you provide to us!!! :thumbup:
I took another damp cloth and wiped down the table tonight. Then after it dried I used the Simonis X-1 cleaner on it. Then I wiped off all the balls. Seemed to help as skids were almost non-existent tonight.
Funny, I did the same thing a couple of nights ago and it really didn't help at all.
r/DCP
Funny, I did the same thing a couple of nights ago and it really didn't help at all.
r/DCP
Sloppy polishing will leave a residue of the polish on the ball. The polish is abrasive and may well cause skids. There is some chance that washing with water and drying will remove the polish. I think that washing with water does not adversely affect the surface of the ball.
The OP is saying that the skids are numerous. I think I read somewhere that a genuine skid (not a bad stroke or other thick hit) occurs maybe 1 in 200 shots. This is about how often I see a pro gasp when he misses due to a skid. The TV table in many tourneys has fresh cloth. They only play on it a couple days and I've never seen anybody wetting the cloth down to help prevent skids. These players seem to make an awful lot of balls (sometimes all of them) on this new cloth, even if they do frequently overrun position.
I just can't see new cloth having any effect at all on skids. I certainly never noticed any such phenomenon when my table was installed with new 860. I really think it has to be the balls.
Of course, I chose the spruce, not the English green.
I just can't see new cloth having any effect at all on skids. I certainly never noticed any such phenomenon when my table was installed with new 860. I really think it has to be the balls.
Of course, I chose the spruce, not the English green.
Bob you may already know that I'm somewhat of a clean freak. Comes from 3C mostly. What I've observed is that the Aramith Cleaner doesn't "easily" remove scuff marks and other minor scratches. There's several products that can handle this well but currently I'm using the "Restorer" first then the "Cleaner" on nearly every cleaning job. If there's any abrasive in the Cleaner its so little that its nearly worthless IMO in removing scratches and abrasions. It is although a good finishing compound after the major work is done. BTW the balls may only see 2 hours between cleanings. Table is cleaned every 25-50 point game or every time I start or end practice.
I purchased a Korean 4 ball machine a few years ago thinking it would eliminate the hand work. It really doesn't if you're looking for "Like New" surface finish. I spend about 2-3 minutes working ea. ball by hand then wipe them off and drop them in the machine for the final touch. Yes its a pain and I'm only dealing with 3 balls. One reason I have 4 sets so I can just clean the table then grab a clean set for the next hour or so.
I pity the pool players. But guess I'm close by keeping 4 sets ready.
In the book Snooker Masterclass, Stephen Hendry recommends green chalk, and claims it doesn't leave behind as much chalk on the cue ball.
He doesn't provide any facts, so it may just be his opinion, and the book was published in 1996.
FWIW
A snooker cue and case I ordered from the UK came with a supply of Tweeten Triangle green chalk.
But if you watch pro snooker, cleaning the ball keeps the referee busy.
