Uneven gluing of rubber

Hi Coach,

What happens if I forgot to wait to "let the glue get touch dry before sticking it on"?  I feel like I have not been waiting long enough all these years of gluing (various types of rubber sheets to various blades)...  However, I still got good results;  I see the surface is even after (1) I press them against a table edge to roll out any possible air bubble AND (2) I leave it under some heavy books overnight.

Will the fact that the glue looks almost all "non-shinny transparent" be a good indicator of that "touch dry" state that you are talking about?  I tend to add 1 more layer of glue to the rubber sheet as I feel that it doesn't have that stickiness when it's dry. Good idea?

Thanks,

Henry

Hi Henry,

The glue will dry eventually if you put it on wet so don't worry too much.

You can put an extra layer on the rubber especially if it is new rubber because the glue tends to soak into the sponge when new.

Thank you so much for your quick answer.  Appreciate expert advice from you and Jeff.  What a great site!

While on this rubber replacement topic, I'd like to piggy back a question about that final "bonus/optional" step...  edge tape:

As I understand the real-life usage, the edge tape protects the rubber sheet from peeling off too easy upon some accidental contact (like in table chopping that rub against the table surface), does it also help even out the vibration when ball contacts the rubber sheet?  Somehow I often hear this from other forum discussion.

I sometimes still doubt the usefulness/importance of edge tape, as I don't see the Olympics level pro put them on at least half the time.  Any clarification would be highly appreciated.

Hi Henry,

I don't feel like there is any effect on vibration.  It's purely to protect the edge of the rubber and blade.

Thanks a lot for demystifying :)

Hi, 

I opened a new bat, and noticed that the shades on the red side are uneven. There are brighter areas and less shiny areas. There are also slight differences in touch. Is this a manufacturing defect?

Thanks!

Hi Schmuel,

This could be a manufacturing defect.  What type of racket is it?

Joola Carbon Pro C

That shouldn't have uneven looking rubber.