We went over to Derby to re-stretch a bed cloth on a full size Riley Aristocrat table
we have not re-covered it in the past as another sheffield firm had supplied and fitted the table ,
our job for the day was to improve the speed of the table by re-stretching of bed cloth
and to test the cushion bounce with ball ramp
and also replace the very badly fitted long chinese low cost nets with good UK manufactured nets supplied by Peredon
the nets were too long affecting the ball run on each rail and balls falling on the floor or getting stuck in the nets .
one of the first things we found on the re-stretch was that the firm who supplied the table had used Substandard cloth
Substandard is a term that the manufacturer uses to identify seconds or faults within a roll of cloth
they iron on a transfer every 10foot so that anyone using this cloth there will be at least one of these transfers on each bed cloth .
also claims against Strachan cannot be made on substandard cloth you are buying seconds so you have no Warranty by Strachan on the cloth
GCL billiards will not use Seconds or substandard cloth .
I was allowed to see an invoice for what the other firm had charged for the re-cover and it was £375 + vat = £450 and that was last year when I was charging £397 and no vat to pay so perfect cloth from GCL billiards was actually £53 lower priced if you cannot claim vat back as was the case with this client , do not forget the other firm was using sub standard cloth which can be around £60 for bed and cushions cheaper to buy so he was actually making much more profit that way than using what we use perfect Strachan 6811 tournament cloth .
I wish to point out there is nothing wrong in using substandard cloth as along as the paying customer is informed , in this case they were not aware it was substandard cloth that they had used .
substandard can mean uneven playing surface , stop start lines , flecks in cloth or too loose or slack weave , and wrong nap length used .
i would say the previous firm made over £100 more profit than me using this substandard cloth so be aware and check what you are being quoted and inspect the cloth being fitted for substandard stamp running through the 6811 transfer .
actually be there when they put the tacks in and make sure the cloth has not been swopped over .
the riley Aristocrat had filled in corner falls to competition standard falls .
on the re-stretch we checked and adjusted the level and the slate joints where improved on ,
they were showing proud so we realigned them and surface filled and sanded in .
GCL Billiards will take their time at doing this to make sure your playing surface is good .
once satisfied they will re-stretch the cloth back on .
I also stapled cloth to the rear of each slide in cushion panel to eliminate any slide panel rattle and also checked it was not a rest rattling on the hook
these are common faults on tables with noisy cushions .
a ball hitting the cushion can cause the hooks and rest to rattle so check hooks are tight and that some hooks will have to have a large rubber sleeve over them if rst jumps up every time . by making loose sliding panels thicker with cloth behind this will stop any slide rattling.
once the table is finished we test that all cushions are aligned correctly with pocket openings the same size on each corner and middles aligning up .
the ball ramp holds a ball at a set height up the ramp , press down on the alloy strip to release
we measure the distance traveled down and back up the table , and we test along each cushion
although there is a definite sound difference in what we call no2 cushion or green ball cushion , it rebounds and travel distance is the same as cushions 3 / 5 & 6
and also 1&4 travel roughly the same distance only slowing slightly against nap rather than slightly faster with nap
anyone can make a ramp like this one , it does not have to be as elaborate as this one which also has alazor guide which you can see underslung in the clear acrylic .
I do not use the laser function myself all this does is put a red dot on the back of the ball to try and keep it straight when rolling a ball down .
all you really need to test is rebound value of each cushion and compare them to each other
but try and do it after brushing and ironing , make sure all cushions bolts are tightened up correct before you do this .
you must have some sort of ball hold at set height length up the ramp which will not move as a ball has to leave at the same distance up that ramp every time to make an accurate comparison.
It was obvious there is a different noise on rebound , so we have asked the client to live with it until the next re-cover in 12 to 24 months time and then decide if he wanted to carry on with it or have the cushions re-rubbered , I do not know what make of rubber is under that cloth , but going by the substandard transfer on the cloth makes you think have they used Northern Rubber or Chinese rubber on the cushions ?
once the cloth is off the cushions on a re-cover , I can then inspect the cushion rubber ,
Now it appears that there is one window that lets the sun light into the room and just by coincidence the sun shines on the no 2 green cushion now heat can shorten the life of rubber , even if a cover is over the table heat can travel through and soften the rubber or make it hard depending on type and quality of rubber used .
this will result in odd noise from the other none affected cushions , and it is my view as I did feel for any loose rubber under the cloth and it is fully attached , so I think it is rubber deterioration , due to hot sunlight hitting that one cushion during the day , I have instructed my client to get a blind up on that window having eliminated any other cause , I even checked the height of the rubber agianst the other cushions , just incase it was set higher or lower and it is all the same .
