Tag Archives: STRACHAN

Posted in News

Pool tables really looked after in this venue in Nottingham, recovered using 6811 Strachan cloth 2 to 3 times a year!

com 6811 used on these .

I was in this venue recovering these two tables only 5 months ago, so to get a call back to re-cover the tables again in 6811 Strachan cloth really means this venue likes to keep both of its pool tables looking the best.  The Landlord was holding a pool final night this Thursday so decided to have the tables done a little earlier than the normal 6 months for winter and summer league starts.
com 6811 transfer on cloth
On the last recover he had 777 Strachan fitted, this time he wanted to upgrade to Strachan 6811 grade cloth.  It is a much finer playing surface than the 777.  Where the 777 scores highly on durability, the ball rolls a little slower on this thicker cloth.  The 6811 is well known in the trade as the bench mark for good speed, playabilty and wear, using all wool construction.  Unlike other makes of mixed fibre cloth when ironed you will not get black marks on the base plate of the iron where the man made fibres of the mixed fibre cloth will melt onto the iron.
com perfect 0.0 for level
Again we strive to get the pool tables to the 0.0 level indicator on the digital level.  At 0.1 it would be just the thickness of a £20 note out of level.  Just look at the very short nap of the 6811, it really is one of the best cloths you can buy and probably the best cloth for a pool table at league standard.
com perfect level 0.0 end
If you require your pool table to be maintained to this quality, then give Geoff a call at GCL Billiards or email.  We also clean out the inside of the table, washing down ball runs and the flip out side of the door.  The build up of sweat, grease and dust from the cloth and chalk results in ball jams.  This may result in players picking the table up to jolt the balls free by dropping it back on the floor damaging the feet and legs and in some cases even breaking the slate.  A cleaned out inside of the table will prevent the players from doing this as no balls will jam and run smoothly on nice clean internal rail system.

Poorly maintained tables do not attract players, in fact you will find players will start to play at other pubs where they look after the tables, such as the one here.  Five months ago new rubber was fitted to these tables and that new rubber is now at its peak of rebound value.  As new rubber has to be bruised in to this state of play, it will take around 3 months of use to get those new rubbers bouncing to their full value.

The previous people who maintained the tables, used to swop the cushions over and take the new ones away.  This resulted in the first year, that these tables where put in new (2007), that they lost their brand new cushions and second hand cushions maybe over 5, 6 or even 12 years old where fitted.  They were a right mess, some were hard others soft, some both.

At GCL Billiards we always re-cover the cushions on site putting the original cushions back on the table.  We only change over if the cushions are dead like the last lot 5 months ago.  These cushions will be good for at least 6 years, maybe more, it all depends on heat on the rubber from sunlight through a window etc.

I have seen where the sun shines through onto a rubber on a side cushion 2/3rds up the cushion go rock hard, yet the other third is still bouncy.  This normally happens to the red coloured rubber.  There is a pigment in the red rubber that makes it go hard if warm sunlight shines onto it.  This red rubber is not used by Supreme anymore, but is still available to buy.  Please avoid using this, only fit black rubber of good quality.

I use two sorts of black rubber when I replace the rubbers on a pool table, standard good quality black rubber which is ok for 6 to 10 years and Northern rubber which may exceed 25 years of use.  The black rubber will not get affected by sunlight as much as the red rubber.

I always advise that when ironing, not to let the iron touch the cushions.  This will also shorten the lifespan of the rubber.

Posted in News

Well worn out cloth on this re-cover – just look at the photos , also info on 6811 strachan grade’s of cloth. there is more than one grade make sure you know what you have ordered.

worn cloth new in background

I have been over to Nottingham today to commence a two day re-cover of two full size snooker tables.

They got their last penny’s worth out of the old cloth on this table, just look at the wear in the photos below.

The table now has a nice new re-cover in 6811 tournament Strachan cloth, with 6 new nets, the old ones having been tied up.  The last re-cover was 3 years ago.  The room is very good for league snooker but no teams play out of this venue yet.

The tables are Thurston metric sized tables.  These are 2 inches shorter on the length of a full size table and 1 inch shorter on the width.  The metric sized tables never really took off as the other Billiard firms who were on the Snooker and Billiards Trade Association voted not to go ahead with the change over to metric tables.  Thurston jumped the gun back then and produced a few.  I have come across around five of these tables on my rounds.

very worn cushions cloth

Photos 2 and 3: The table with badly worn out cloth.

Split cushion cloth

Another couple of photo,s from the 2nd recover  I did at this location.
Note the very bad chalk dust build up , and at the point where the ball strikes the end cushion , you get compacted slate dust , when a ball strikes a cushion there is equal down force as impact , therefore crushing chalk dust and compacting into lumps , this can also make the ball jump off the cushion  , now some of you players out there may have blamed the table being out of level , when a ball rolling down the lenth of this end cushion , the ball  rolls off the compacted dust , well now you can see what the fitter reveals when taking a bed cloth off the slate bed . note that this tables bed cloth was last taken off 3 years ago , so there is 3 years of chalk dust here , and thats another reason why you should have youre bed cloths restretched at least once in their life time or yearly  , unless you have the tables recovered every year .
compacted dust

metric 12fts just been recovered
the two Metric 12 foot tables after being Recovered in 6811 tournament 30z cloth .
cloth side emboridered 6811t
Allways check that the 6811 that you have ordered is the top grade 6811 tournament , it has two blue lines embroidered into the side edge of the cloth plus gold embroidered writing , on the reverse it has a transfer and also a cloth roll number , also the words tournament should be on the embroidery and also in the roll black print number and the gold transfer it may also have the word gold tournament on the transfer too printed just under the large 6811.
Club 6811 has two red lines , when getting quotes make sure they do not fit club when you have ordered tournament , a well known trick that makes them an extra £20 per recover , at GCL billiards we only use the top grade and I show you the transfer stamp and roll number before fitting. 6811

Club grade 6811 is only a £20 saving over the top grade tournament , and this is only viable to use if you have say 15 tables to recover , then it becomes £300 saved , but on one or two tables in my opinion it pays to fit the top grade, and thats 6811 tournament. if you just ask a firm for Strachan 6811 and they say nothing about the two grades , then expect them to fit Club 6811 , as it makes them £20 per table extra . I prefer to be upfornt and honest about the grades and give the client the choice , I only use club if it is asked for. and then I give them the £20 reduced rate for that grade. You get what you pay for as they say.

Beware of undercutt priceing , when I quote for 6811 tournament , other firms may undercutt then use 6811 club or even worse 6811 substandard . when you order a recover in 6811 tournament look at the cloth transfer and side Embroidery before they fit it , and stay with them while they fit it to make sure they have not swopped it over as soon as you leave the room …it has been done .
It is ok to use club and substandard as along as the customer knows that it is being used and a lower price given because of this , I rarley get asked for club and never get asked for substandard , but I often get offered substandard cloth for stock but never buy it . substandard can be anything form white flecks to stop start lines in the cloth , there is nothing wrong with it , it just has faults within its weave . and the manufacturer stamps the transfer substandard right across it , if you see a cloth with the transfer looking as though someone has tried to rubb a diagonal print off the face of it , leave well alone ,  I often come across cloths that some fitters have done this . I have been around too long not to notice these things.
strachan cloth transfer 6811t

Posted in Sold

7x4ft SUPREME PRINCE MAHOGANY POOL TABLE NOW SOLD- SOLD- SOLD


We have a nearly new top of the range prince Pool Table by Supreme the best table manufacturers in the UK as played on by professionals, a Prince pool table that has only had home use , the table is coin operated with a Brand new straight 6 coin mech set to any coin charge you may require per game  for example  £1 / 90p/80p/70p/50p /40p/30p/20p/10p/or free play mech can be fitted, the cushions have new BLACK rubber fitted , new STRACHAN cloth , new balls and two cues plus chalk and triangle and cover , and the cabinet is virtualy as new , in fact you would be hard pressed to say it was not new .

THE TABLE HAS NOW BEEN SOLD , WATCH THIS SPACE FOR FURTHER POOL TABLES FOR SALE

SOLD SOLD SOLD !

Posted in News

POOL TABLE RE-COVER free set of Balls in October for every pool table recover (or discount on the recover if not required.)


A free set of reds and yellows Balls with every re-cover carried out on 6×3 or 7×4 UK pooltables during the month of October 2012 , you have a choice of cloths in the strachan make  777 / 6811 / or speed cloth in a choice of colours Green / Blue / or ( Red burgundy ).
Prices will vary depending on cloth choice , but all cloths are STRACHAN make, a sign of QUALITY  as used by Professionals ….phone Geoff on 07753466064 or leave a message on 01159725355  , or by email to c.large@btinternet.com if you require a written quote , I will need to know the make and size of the table if possible. if you can send a photo of the table it makes things much easier if parts are required like new cushions etc .
I fully clean out the table on a re-cover , plus check coin mech springs tighten screws and lubricate with wd40 , degrease all ball rails and ball flip side , and fit a carpet tile to quieten the sound of the balls crashing into the return box if requested . I then relevel and leave ready for play. this is a full professional refurb , not a hit and run like some do. leaving muck inside the table and grease on the rails for balls to stick on .

If youre table is passed it’s best , then why not join the influx of people Hireing a Winner supreme pool table supplied by www.88pooltables.com on a yearly contract , we offer varous types of hire arrangments from one recover a year to two recovers a year to make sure youre table is looking it’s best for Winter and the Summer league’s. We know our hire charges linked with the Excellent service options is second to none and can make sense to Hire rather than buy , ask for a quote and we will show you why we think this is now the best option for Landlords and clubs and for us the Cue sports table operator .