OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Should I buy glue marketed for table tennis, or are there other glues with the same active ingredients which would work just as well? Also, I don't have a good feel for the metric system, so how many ml of glue should be needed for gluing two rubbers onto one blade? I'm guessing that I don't need to even consider any volumes above 37 ml, but just thought I'd throw it in.

In terms of how much glue you should apply, I usually use around the size of a 20c piece per side. About 20ml of water-based table tennis glue will glue on around 6 rubbers by my experience.

There are products such as Tearmender (in the US) and Copydex (elsewhere) that are latex glues basically similar to table tennis glues, although some people say you should dilute them with water about 15% to make them easier to use. They are about 1/5th the price. You can find them at Home Depot and some Ace Hardware stores, or on Amazon.

And some people say just plain rubber cement (as long as it is more than 2-3 days before a sanctioned tournament where they test paddles).

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Butterfly Viscaria Black tag
2.2 mm Nexy Karis M on FH and BH

Presumably someone asking this isn't going to be competing at the sort of tournament that will test for VOCs, so just use rubber cement (I recommend Best Test in the US) since it's better than water-based glues and enough to very thinly cover both surfaces.

In the US, if you aren't subject to VOC testing, just use rubber cement from an art supply shop. Elmer's is good enough, though it's better if you thin it a bit. Otherwise I've heard Best Test is the best if you can find it. Try stores such as Michael's or Hobby Lobby.

Outside the US - well, that's another story. I'd stay away from the contact cements people use for formica countertops, probably way too strong (and most of these are pretty thick). There are art-intended rubber cements but they aren't all suitable. Faber-Castell brand isn't, way too thick (though it could probably be thinned down somewhat). Bicycle glue SHOULD work, the original speed glues were bicycle glues, but you have the problem of speed glue effect. With speed glues, rubber should be detached from the blade after playing, otherwise shrinkage happens and that isn't good for playing characteristics. Perhaps you can avoid the speed glue effect if you use one thin layer only, apply the rubber only after any doming subsides. The most common glue found is the the UHU in the yellow tube - I have yet to try this on table tennis bats, maybe it would work OK (but it is a little thick, also). You wonder if spray-on rubber cements might work, probably best to avoid 3M77, though (probably way too strong). Spray cements are also darned messy. Don't leave the sheets of newspaper you use to catch the overspray lying around, if you have a cat it'll get its paws stuck and will get QUITE agitated (yes, it's happened... ).

Iskandar

I've had pretty good luck with LKT Water Based Glue. I prefer it over Elmer's Rubber Cement but Elmer's is cheaper and easier to get.

http://ttnpp.com/store/lkt/324-lkt-water-base-glue-voc-free-100ml-15.html

Relatively inexpensive, $8 for 100ml tube, enough for about 10 sheets of rubber.

I strongly recommend you seal your blade with sanding sealer. It makes removing old rubber much easier and helps prevent splintering.

I recently moved 2 sheets of rubber from one blade to another and the rubber came off the old blade so clean with the glue intact that I only had to put glue on the new blade. No glue residue left on the old blade either. Amazing! Never had that happen with Elmer's.

Yeah, I've been using water based glue, too, but there is a reason to avoid them - apparently they cause blades to deteriorate. Probably doesn't affect us lower level players as much, but for those who practice many hours every day and change rubber three times a week it's an issue. Now, of course, it's exactly these same people who get VOC tested!

Iskandar

+1 for lkt glue but if I'd say i could do at least10 rubbers with 50ml. I put three thin lines across blade and rubbers and sponge it around. I'd much prefer the glue stay on the blade than rubber, though not if throwing out the rubber, though usually i put my old ones on club bats.

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

Would the megaspin.net blade-sealing service work? Has anyone had positive (or negative) experiences with that service?

The glue NEVER stays on my blade, it always comes off with the rubber! Maybe it's the super-smooth N11 blade surface, but this seems to be true for all my blades. I do seal them using Keme's method (very light layer of polyurethane varnish applied with paper towel). I've been using DingJi water-based glue.

Iskandar

Stores more or less do the same thing as the post just above. You can also use any non-perishable oil-like substance (so no vegi oil) instead of varnish. The point is to make the surface less sticky.

Yes, polyurethane will definitely have that effect, but I avoid it like the plague because I like soft outer plys and it permeates those plys and becomes quite hard. So it changes the way the blade plays.

I get the same protective effect with old fashioned hair spray, applied to wood each time before I glue, and then allow to dry.

Or you can use rubber cement as people mentioned, where that is much less of a problem. There are good reasons mentioned above to use rubber cement. The thinner versions also don't shrink.

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Butterfly Viscaria Black tag
2.2 mm Nexy Karis M on FH and BH

The VOCs in rubber cement make the rubber expand while gluing and lead to shrinking later on, especially in SGE rubbers. SGE rubbers still shrink, but not as badly. That's why I avoid rubber cement these days. I buy/use Sonic Varioclean from decently priced sources.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

I have been afraid of the possibility of shrinkage, so that's why I have stuck with the latex glues since I switched permanently to Tenergy (which lasts long enough to see shrinkage). Before Tenergy, some of the early generation ESN tensors I used simply wore out before shinkage would go very far .

Lately I have been using something called Revolution 3, which works well.

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Butterfly Viscaria Black tag
2.2 mm Nexy Karis M on FH and BH

It happens but it's quite mild compared to the old speed glues. I suppose you could let it sit for 1-2 hours while the "speed glue" effect subsides before slapping it onto the blade.

I suppose you could always put rubber cement on the blade and water-based on the rubber. They should stick to each other.



This stuff, maybe?



Iskandar