Penjagaan blade

last few days, bet dr neubaeur firewall plus yg saya beli dgn tommy drpd us dah sampai.
bila try semlm mmg try bet yg baru beli tu lagi padat n mampat n laju drpd bet yg saya
beli di kl. puncanya cara dia seal the blade tu. rasa boleh solve problem nak spin dgn bet
tu. semlm try main dr salor pun rasa ok dalam match practise.

fwd article from tommy dlm forum my tabble tennis . net dia seal bet tu ikut spec drpd
chinese national team!

Here you go!!!

Don't lacquer . . .
Double Seal as per Chinese Specs (used to be triple seal, but more conservative now).
I seal everything and I always will. You'll get some debate about sealing, but those
players are pulling chunks of top ply off each time they change rubbers. .

VARATHANE DIAMOND INTERIOR WOOD FINISH-SATIN (not gloss)-#2002-61.

*Prepare blade first. If you have to lightly sand, do it carefully with a fine gauge sponge
sanding block-DRY. If you wet-sand a bare wood blade it might sofen the wood and
could disform it. Do not round off blade edges. Use rubbing alcohol to clean. Let dry (a
few minutes). Now you're ready . . .

1. Stir Can well without shaking (causes air bubbles).

2. Dip the corner (twisted or folded up a little) of clean, dry cotton cloth* and quickly rub
the sealer into the blade and with a technique that covers evenly. I go in circles starting at
the center of the face of the blade and work my way to the outter edges, then wipe along
the side edge (perimeter) of the blade where the edge tape will go, then quickly return to
the face of the blade to wipe off any spill over from the edge sealing with some light
vertical strokes from handle out over top of blade. You might want to stroke a nice even
level line across the top of the handle where the bottom edge of the rubber will go;
however, I think it looks better and strenthens the blade to seal the wings/shoulder. Some
prefer to use a sponge or china bristle brush when applying, but that leaves a heavy coat
and/or streaks of sealant. THAT IS NO GOOD. The trick is to rub the sealant INTO the
blade, then gently wipe off the excess with the cloth. Some use a good quality paper
towel. Basically, use whatever is clean and doesn't leave link or fuzz stuck in the wet
sealant.
3. Wait two hours, then polish with a clean dry cloth.
4. Repeat.
5. Repeat a third or forth time ONLY if the blade is like bare porous wood or if you want
a stiffer lacquered effect (I have over sealed and made a mess. My blade looked like an
over protected night table . . . hard as a rock and too thick). Luckily, I managed to fix this
by sanding with a fine gauge wet sanding sponge and it took hours to repair my disaster.
But only do this if you mess up, which you shouldn't. However, I should mention many
of the Chinese players are over-sealing to stiffen the blade. Some call over-sealing
"lacquering." There are also other product and techniques specifically designed for
lacquering, but I recommend using Varathane and adjusting the number of layers.
6. Wait 24-hours.
7. Affix your rubbers! I use glue sheets and NEVER get splinters when removing!!!!!!

*Use a cotton cloth or an expensive paper towel like Bounty that will not leave lint of fall
apart and get stuck to your wet sealer. I use an old pair of 100% cotton boxer shorts. .

I don't remember who turned me on to this Sealer, but it was on this site. My hats off to
him/her. I added the boxer shorts.

ttvet86,
I think Hookshot answered your q to me really well!
Another thought . . . how much (coats) you use will also depend on the top ply of the
blade, i.e., Stiga blades = MORE. Butterfly blades = less. I would put one nice coat on
anything and everything, then adjust from there depending on the hardness of the top ply.
The Acoustic + Violin need on one, unless you are using glue sheets. I just put three coats
on my Stiga Offensive CR and lots of grain are still touchable and rough. It soaks up the
sealant! i usually seal until about half of the grains have been glassed over. First coat
rubbed in. Second coat wiped over, then see if you need another.
Best of luck.