Most everyone has probably seen pictures of my pool table with the red felt. My brother came to town a couple of weeks ago and we shot pool all weekend. We grew up with a table in the house. He never stopped shooting. I gave it up long ago. He plays at a professional level. Or close to it. He wiped the floor with me when he was in town. 
Anyway, my brother knows everything pool. He told me that my Valley table was made in the early 1970's. It was a tournament table. That means it's 8ft and not the standard 7 ft. bar table. It also has 1" slate instead of the standard 3/4.
He suggested that I recover the table with Simonis cloth. I looked up the price and it almost took my breath away - $400.00... for a piece of cloth.
I bit the bullet and it came in the other day. This is much different than any cloth that I've ever seen. It's what the pros shoot on. It has no nap. At all.
I'm doing a complete refurb. Almost. I kept the rubber on the rails because they were made by Raybestos (yes, the brake company). They used to have a rubber division back in the day and the rubber they used was the best in the world. The rubber is 50 years old and still plays like new. I almost orderrd new rubber but it it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I also restored all the aluminum trim on the table. I sanded with 600, 1200 and 2000 grit sandpaper and then used aluminum polish and a hi speed buffer.
The table is all taken apart. I hope to finish it this weekend. The new felt is green. I've recovered most of the rails. Still have to do the slate. It's a job. Whew.
See picture:
pt5.jpg
Anyway, my brother knows everything pool. He told me that my Valley table was made in the early 1970's. It was a tournament table. That means it's 8ft and not the standard 7 ft. bar table. It also has 1" slate instead of the standard 3/4.
He suggested that I recover the table with Simonis cloth. I looked up the price and it almost took my breath away - $400.00... for a piece of cloth.
I bit the bullet and it came in the other day. This is much different than any cloth that I've ever seen. It's what the pros shoot on. It has no nap. At all.
I'm doing a complete refurb. Almost. I kept the rubber on the rails because they were made by Raybestos (yes, the brake company). They used to have a rubber division back in the day and the rubber they used was the best in the world. The rubber is 50 years old and still plays like new. I almost orderrd new rubber but it it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I also restored all the aluminum trim on the table. I sanded with 600, 1200 and 2000 grit sandpaper and then used aluminum polish and a hi speed buffer.
The table is all taken apart. I hope to finish it this weekend. The new felt is green. I've recovered most of the rails. Still have to do the slate. It's a job. Whew.
See picture:
pt5.jpg
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