OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Thank you, kind sir, for the info.

I am not an artisan by any stretch of the imagination yet I desire to be a table tennis artist of some degree.

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A big bag full of blades and long pimples, donuts and coffee!

Just realized my pics are too puny...

here's a larger pic:



and one showing the symmetry of the layers:

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A big bag full of blades and long pimples, donuts and coffee!

I tried hairspray and had a blade splinter afterwards. That's why I use a very thin coat of the varnish.

Are you telling me you are playing it with no rubber at all?

LOL, you are getting silly, but I understand you want it right. You have no idea how many blades and different rubbers I've gone thru trying to get the one that's just right for me. I think its 10 blades and probably 25 or 30 different rubbers, LOL.

May I suggest that you seal it and then put cheap or free used rubber that you already know you like on it just to see how it plays, and I'm thinking that experience will tell you whether you need something faster or slower or softer or harder, etc., and get you one step closer to "just right".

Good luck with it...

PS: so far as i'm aware, edge tape is legal for competition

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--- Push/Chop or Attack ---
USATT 1684 left, Lost it all by playing sick and hurt.
No legs left, no more backing up, just smash it!
Blade: TTPiet OFF-/ALL custom
FH: Spinlord Waran Short Pips
BH: Joola Badman Reloaded 0X

I used hair spray a long time ago, frankly, it just is another step that gets in the way but I know that some blades splinter easy and need to be sealed like the instinct.


There must be a blade in your collection that caught your eye, that for some reason, you just had to do it right, that you got fussy all over it... heck, it could have been your last blade And yes, I have more than 10 blades and a big shoe box of new rubbers and another shoebox of used stuff.

I got this big, beauty of a blade on NYE on just took my time with it. Didnt open the box right away, had my NYE party and the drinks first , woke up the next day and unpacked it. Didnt bother even tearing the plastic off just gave it a quick glance to mmake sure it was intact. Just taking things slowly, walking before running, real mature like. Yeah I know 70 is really not that much but hey, it's a great blade, gotta take care of it.



You very well may, friend. That's the next step, like most other bats I got in the past. In fact I got an old sheet of btf ortho sp that would fit just nicely. Got a Feint 2 as well. Looking over coles site for the new stuff, considering something like saviga v or the air up soft control lp. No rush right now. Got my matsushita pro - its good enough for me right now but I play a game kinda like roundrobin and I think the FW is the way to go. I admire pushblocker's style as well so I'll get similar stuff just to try it out al least.


It's different up here in the Great White North!!!!!!!!!

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A big bag full of blades and long pimples, donuts and coffee!

Yes, the last 7 of my blades I decided what each ply of the wood would be, and had it made to my specs, size wise, and them I assembled, shaped and finished them myself. Maybe they weren't expensive like yours, but with each, no amount of time or effort was spared to get them "just right", so yes, I do understand. BTW, I do "ball drop tests" on each side of each blade before putting rubber on them to see how each compares to the store bought blades I have. And I too have boxes and bags of new and used rubber, and still find reasons to go buy more, so I have no room to talk.



LOL, I never would have guessed. In that case, I have no idea what the rules are for you.

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--- Push/Chop or Attack ---
USATT 1684 left, Lost it all by playing sick and hurt.
No legs left, no more backing up, just smash it!
Blade: TTPiet OFF-/ALL custom
FH: Spinlord Waran Short Pips
BH: Joola Badman Reloaded 0X

Hello OMS:

I've emailed my buddy at the club, a 40 year vet who started playing at the clubs inception in '71, for the official rules.

Yes we got some crazy rules up here, eh

If that don't work, I'll get some feedback from our club president but basically as the story goes, some guy stuck PAPER under his rubbers...

Sounds like I should make my first topic - rules of TT in Canada!

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A big bag full of blades and long pimples, donuts and coffee!

If I've offended you, I'm sorry, that wasn't what I was trying to do.

When I buy a new blade, I read the ads too! I have an odd habit, where I research just about everything I can about the blade... And again... And again... I also do this if I'm not going to buy a new blade, which happens much more frequently

I've borrowed a FWP with GiantDragon Talon OX and 802-40 1.8, and it played wonderfully. The thick balsa has a soft feel to it, which makes blocking the ball short really easy. However, it also provides plenty of speed to put away loose balls. Its a great blade that plays as good as the more expensive assymetrical models. I hope you enjoy your purchase

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Allround Evolution ST + Any rubber really

Just a note about "Sealing".
Hair spray does not seal. It provides a weak bond so the rubbers will come off eaiser. Water is the solvent for hair spray. If you really want to seal a blade against water, use poly or other sealers that are water proof.

Spray a piece of toilet paper with hair spray, use alot. Dry it with a hair dryer. Result, a stiff piece of paper. Now dip it in water. In seconds, it is a limp piece of junk. The water instantly disolved it. Same thing on a blade when you use hair spray and water based glue. Sealing infers coating with something that resists water.

I used hair spray in the past because it was convenient then I got lazy and now I don't bother. I am not good with chemicals and there is a chance of screwing up the blade, forever changing its playing characteristics. In many ways, its easier to just buy a new blade earlier instead of taking all of these precautions.



No problemo dude!

I got low credibility right now as an OOAK noob, so just trying to join in as best as I can...

With the FW+, I got what I paid for...I was expecting the high speed and later in battle, the breaking effect will hopefully come into play.

Just a short note about the rules of TT up here re: edge tape. My clique just dont use but I do in house league. Just last year, both two guys warned me NOT to tape up my blade right before house league started. Also I got my first reply from one of the clubs best pimple players and he said something like 'its only the wood part' but he was unsure himself. I never checked into the rule thing before, but I'm expecting a reply from the club president. It's just a norm that I've accepted in the past. Another player who's 1800+ CAN that I play occasionally from another club also does not tape it up. He lost to someone named ????? last year, I believe. EDIT: whoops used someone's name who might be related and a forum member, sorry about that

One of the differences in Canada would be the subtraction of 300 points to get the USTTA rating.

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A big bag full of blades and long pimples, donuts and coffee!

Got the email reply from CTTA

Looks like I'm totally wrong about 'canadian rules', they are as far as I am concerned ittf sanctioned with exceptions like rec tournys, same rules different rating system. I'm sure there are discrepancies but I'm not knowledgable enough or experienced enough about tournaments to start rambling on-I play house league but get ask to join in sanction tournaments often. I can only assure anyone on this forum that certain members in my club don't use side tape and strongly advocate that practice probably due to the referree's ability to look under the tape at his or her's convenience. Not having it on makes inspection alot easier I supose...

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A big bag full of blades and long pimples, donuts and coffee!

I would suggest that 99% of my dings and dents are on the top of the blade from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock, and that farther down the blade it isn't needed for protection's sake. Having the bottom uncovered might allow for easy inspection. Having edge tape loose is very distracting. Not having edge tape means a ruined blade every few months almost guaranteed for me (being a chopper).

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--- Push/Chop or Attack ---
USATT 1684 left, Lost it all by playing sick and hurt.
No legs left, no more backing up, just smash it!
Blade: TTPiet OFF-/ALL custom
FH: Spinlord Waran Short Pips
BH: Joola Badman Reloaded 0X

Glad my post has been chatted on from time to time. I do believe that the types of blades and the technology has improved to the point that Balsa blades over the last 10 years. No other blade that I know of can play a better short game than Balsa. Fragile to the core, easy to chip and break but we still tend to use them. I have hit with a few Balsa blades, a few I like the best DR.N Firewall-GD Kris (trimmed) my two top Balsa blades. I am sure that there are more that I would like as well, cost and availability is an issue. But now since going to the Nittaku Monophonic I give up some short game and a little power, but gain more control and feedback. less net balls and not as many long ball returns on hard hit balls. I have had a few light weight balsa blades that did perform well on blocking, pushing and chopping but did not come close to hitting the ball when needed. Right now I am very interested in staying with what I am using, buying another one and trimming it down to 159x152, to manuver better.
at 62 I dont think I want or desire to change at this point. Going forward I am hoping they fix the new ball thing as well.

Peace GIG
*HAppy New Year

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*IT IS NOT LOGICAL TO PLAY WITH LONG PIPS*
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.


New blade set-up... Nittaku Monophonic with Dawie 388d-1 ox and Big slam max ( really like this one) down to FH rubber selections--I like it better than talon
flaired handle and 90 grams

So, it looks like there's no concensus on balsa vs. non-balsa. I've been using balsa exclusively. Right now I have Andro Fibercomp, FW+, BTY Balsa Carbo X3, Donic Alligator, and Cayman. Fibercomp and FW+ are the best of the bunch, IMO. However, I'm very tempted to try Kung Fu as I heard a lot of good things about it and it's not balsa. Anybody using it?

I've settled on the Giant Dragon Kris Special and just ordered a backup blade. I've gotten rid of all my other blades so I won't be tempted. Now is I could just find that perfect long pip...

 

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Giant Dragon Kris Special : RITC 802 w/Dawei 2.2 35d fh : : Donic Blue Fire M3 2.0 black bh
Member of Charlotte Table Tennis Club, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Visit Charlotte Table Tennis Club on Facebook

I have epoxied it with the 5 minute Lepage Epoxy

Yes it set quickly so I just applied more until I got to the other end.



Don't know if the thickness is just right...it probably aint but I can proceed to the next step, hairsray but it looks as though PaddlePalace has treated it already when I ripped open the wrapping and saw it under the light.

I can tell you that as a novice craftsman that I dripped a little epoxy on the face of the blade and freaked out, for a nanosecond. Taking these chemical precautions are not for me, and I am not prepared to do this for 100 blades or so to become a specialist, this includes sealing which I will not even attempt since I will just use rubber cement. It just aint worth it for me.

Hopefully, this blade will propel me into my first roundrobin after houseleague. Also, I got a response from my club president, another Canadian living legend whom I might profile for the forum, and he agreees with not using edge tape...strange he disagrees with the CTTA??????

Anyways, balsa vs non-balsa comparisons, for me are to follow...

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A big bag full of blades and long pimples, donuts and coffee!