How to Glue Your Long Pips OX Rubbers to Your Table Tennis Blade - Video 320x240 pixels, 15MB
How to Glue Your Long Pips OX Rubbers to Your Table Tennis Blade - Step By Step - Sheet of Paper Method
- Gluing long pips with no sponge is different to gluing sponge rubbers. There are two main points to keep in mind here: (1) get a good coverage of glue on the blade, because you aren't going to put any glue on the rubber; and (2) under no circumstances allow the rubber to curl up on itself once it has some glue on it, or else you might not be able to unstick it without ripping the rubber. If you can achieve those two goals, you'll be allright.
- If you have old rubbers on the blade that have to be removed, peel the old rubbers off the bat diagonally. Never try to remove a rubber vertically (from handle to tip) since it's possible you might take splinters off the blade, depending on whether the blade is sealed.
- If the blade isn't sealed, I would recommend sealing your blade first before gluing your new rubbers on.
- Wipe the blade several times with your hand or a soft cloth, in order to remove any bits of glue left on the blade - you'll feel the residue easily. A bit of gentle rubbing will get rid of any leftover glue.
- Open the tube of glue (any non-speed glue from a reputable table tennis manufacturer will be fine), and a folded small piece of paper (or paintbrush if you prefer), and put some glue on the blade, giving the whole blade a thin covering of glue. You may need to angle the blade a bit against the light to see if you have missed any spots.
- As soon as you have finished gluing the blade, lightly rest a clean piece of paper or plastic on the blade, leaving a gap of about an inch or so from the handle.
- Pick up the long pips rubber, and gently drape the rubber over the blade, starting with the area near the handle. Press gently on the rubber where it covers the gap left by the paper, making sure to squeeze out any air bubbles by pressing from the handle towards the paper (don't press far enough up to press on the rubber where it overlaps the paper, or you'll stick the paper to the blade). You may need to stretch the rubber a little by pulling gently on the sides of the rubber.
- When you are satisfied that you have removed any air bubbles, slide the paper out another couple of inches, and repeat the process. Continue to do so until you have completely removed the paper, and the rubber is fully covering the blade.
- Hopefully by this stage, the rubber should be firmly attached, with no air bubbles under the rubber. If there are air bubbles that are close to the edges of the racket, gently move them to the edge to let the air escape by nudging them with your finger in the direction of the edge.
- For any air bubbles closer to the middle of the rubber that resist nudging, you may need to lift the rubber back off the blade to allow the air to escape, then roll the rubber back on the blade, keeping a little tension on the rubber by holding it in both hands. This should get rid of the air bubble without allowing new bubbles to form.
- If the rest of the blade is good, but you have one small air bubble that just won't go, and you don't want to lift the rubber off the blade again in case something goes wrong, you can prick a small hole in the air bubble with a pin. Then press down on the bubble with your fingers, and you should be able to get the rubber to stick as the air escapes through the pinhole.
- Once you are happy with the rubber attachment, gently use a roller to press the rubber firmly to the blade. Make sure the pressure is mainly down, not sideways, or you might end up sliding the rubber along the blade if the glue is still a bit wet.
- Now put the racket in a bat clamp or under a thick stack of books to keep the rubber pressed firmly on the blade while the glue dries.
- After half an hour or so, cut the excess rubber from the blade with a sharp pair of scissors (or a Stanley blade or hobby knife). If you are going to cut the rubber with a knife, make sure you have plenty of scrap paper under the racket, so that you don't accidentally cut into your table!
- If the edges of the rubber have pulled up a little due to the cutting process, put the bat back into the clamp for a few minutes to press them down again.
- That's it! Your new rubber is ready to go. If you are planning to play in an ITTF sanctioned event, give the rubber a couple of days airing to allow any illegal VOC's in the glue to evaporate. Otherwise you risk disqualification.
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