OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I use Latex based glue (joola lex) and I just want to check if i should seal my blade or will it be fine ? And if i do what do I use to seal (cheap and accesible) ?

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For sealing the wood blade, you need to use a wood sealant that is water-based. Usually I seal the blade as soon as I get it while it is still brand-new. I have used the "ITTF-approved" TSP RacketCoat and non-"ITTF-approved" polyurethane varnish ( Acrylic canvas matte sealer ).

TSP RacketCoat forms a hard and sanding-ready layer within like 10 mins of drying.

The PU varnish dries within 10 - 15 mins but I can't sand it immediately. I have to wait 24-hours before it gets hard enough to sand it. Else it will just start caking and coming off if I sand too early.

The idea behind sanding is that the varnish is too slippery and has no surface for the water-based glues to stick to easily. So far I have always sanded after sealing all my blades.

I repeat the sealing after like 2 - 3 years of use per racket that would have seen some 5 or 6 gluing and regluing going on with different or same rubbers.

Sealing a blade is a user preference. Some players hate it. Some like it a lot. Some dont feel or notice any difference.

Its up to what you like.

If you dont want to seal your blade, I would advise ALWAYS using Nail Polish Remover ( Acetone soaked in a sponge ) while peeling your rubbers very very carefully and gently and LIBERALLY dabbing that acetone-soaked sponge to help ease with the process of removing the rubbers.

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Backup C-pen blades:

• TSP Black Balsa 7.0 :
  1. FH/BH-YRakza9/XOmegaVT
  2. FH/BH-TSP Spectol/Yinhe Qing OX
• 729 Bomb C-P : FH/BH-DHS H2 Orig/DHS H3 Orig
• TSP Versal :
  1. FH/BH-XOmegaVA/YJupiter-II
  2. FH/BH-*blank*

Fun blades:

• Yasaka Battle Balsa(ST) : FH/BH- DHS TG2Neo/Gewo HypeXT 47
• Dr. Neubauer
  High Technology
  Cypress-Carbon(ST)
  ***************************** : FH/BH-YRakza7/YRakza7

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I do what this guy does except I use clear nail polish instead of tt-company made sealers.
Don't buy these TT sealers if you're only gonna be sealing 1 blade.

I seal with Xiom I-Sure and off brand PU. Never had to sand. I've sealed hundreds of blades.

This was the last time I seal many blades in one go. Experimenting how many blades I could seal with a small bottle of xiom i-sure (inside was off brand PU).



Those sealed includes: head, sides, handle. So if only sealing heads it could seal so many more blades.

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instagram: rokphishtt

I think oil based polyurethane varnish would be better. Water-based will raise the wood's grain. And yes, you shouldn't need to sand, nor should you apply very much. I use the method outlined by Keme - use a paper towel to apply lightly all over the blade, including edges and corners, and then use more paper towels to remove as much of it as you can. Some people claim that too much of a layer will cause the feel of the blade to change - I can't say I've noticed anything of the sort but I don't slather it on like suntan lotion either.

In Malaysia get Pye Brand polyurethane - it costs about a quarter the price of imports. Here's how to keep it fresh (it will otherwise form a hard, solid layer in the can, or the can lid will stick on to the point you can't remove it). Nothing's so frustrating when you want to seal a new blade and you find your varnish has gone bad or you can't get to it. No need to decant into a glass jar, just drill holes in the side of the can towards the top and never take the can lid off.

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Iskandar