OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I had to glue an Armstrong Vector rubber for someone, and it's the first time I've opened one of the packets.

I was fascinated by the leaflet that was in there (click to zoom in):



The interesting bit was about the rubber baking, and the sulpur in the rubber that supposedly makes the rubber more tacky.. I had never heard of this before!

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Me nether...
This must be some sort of insider knowledge...
Alex, maybe you could write to Armstrong, hopefully
they would tell us more about this...

Cheers
Geddk

AFAIK raw rubber is not entirely solid, so products required to keep its shape when exposed to mechanical stress, or required to keep within strict tolerances of measurement, would not be feasible. To make rubber stable, stronger and more durable, a method of "vulcanization" is applied.

The most common method of vulcanization depends on the reaction between raw rubber and sulphur.

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My blog of failures, etc., also containing equipment list at "resurrection" (referred to in a few of my early posts), and my current lineup
Rating in the middle/low range in the region.
Moderating the LP Attacking subforum in the Technique section.

Good link Keme! Yes that certainly explains a lot about the process.

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

So, I just happen to win a free sheet of Vector, 42°, and I guess I'll give it a review once it arrives.
It's quite strange that I fail to find any review on it anyway.

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From what I understand, the more sulfur the more the rubber gets cross-linked, so it gets harder (and more durable and elastic). I don't think you want to vulcanize it TOO much, either. If you remember the photos on that Yinhe forum web site, they use steam to vulcanize the sponge and topsheets in some sort of stacked steamer. The rubber is in molds, it goes in as a formable mixture (out of a rubber masticator/mixer - the thing with big rollers like you see in the Rasant video) and comes out as a formed rubber sheet. The sponge has stuff mixed in with it that produces gas when heated, making the pores.

Armstrong was THE first manufacturer of sponge, by the way - they provided Satoh with his 1952 World Champs bat with its thick, bare sponge. I wonder when Vector first appeared, when this "New Era" they refer to on the sheet began. Since they mention Sriver, it's probably late 1960s/early 1970s.

Iskandar