How To Spread Glue on a Table Tennis Racket

While checking prices of table tennis rubber and other products in some Japanese online shops, I kept noticing that a lot of the shops were also selling melanine foam, sold as “magic eraser” in the United States. In Japan, the product is sold under several names including “Migaki-kun”.

Magic Eraser is used for a lot of different things, but some table tennis players in Japan say that it helps them spread the glue more evenly and with less mess that can be involved in the process of attaching table tennis rubber to their blades.

I haven’t tried this myself yet, but I have used Migaki-kun for cleaning and what these players say makes sense.

The picture above is a picture of someone using Magic Eraser to spread glue onto a table tennis blade.

Nittaku Finezip and Other Table Tennis Rubber Glue for Rackets

One important part of using a different type of table tennis rubber on rackets is to attach it with the right kind of glue. It’s important to note here that there are a lot of common glues that are not legal to use in competition.

This is because of their harmful odors. Any glues containing VOC’s or volatile organic compounds are banned. When buying a glue, look for something that says “VOC free” or “legal under new ITTF rules”.

My family uses Nittaku Finezip Glue but there are lots of other brands available on the market that work well. We have used Nittaku for a long time and have never been disappointed.

At higher level competitions, there are machines designed to check table tennis rackets for use of illegal glues and substances. It’s best to get the right glue for your equipment.

Changing Table Tennis Rubber in Pictures

There’s a place I often window shop (can I call it “windows shopping” if I use Windows XP?) is the Jasupo Online Table Tennis shop in Japan. They have great resources and prices. However, they are written in Japanese.

Although table tennis rubber changing page for beginners features easy to follow photos for beginners.

It starts with a photo of what you need: scissors, adhesive, and a roller or something else to stretch and smooth the rubber (they are using the JOOLA Rubber Glue Roller and Ball Case to attach the rubber.)… and what they describe as the most important thing … SPACE!

Because you want to work with care and then leave the racket undisturbed for at least an hour, you need some space where the racket won’t be moved or disturbed while the glue holding the table tennis rubber to the racket dries.

Then you spread the glue evenly on both the rubber and racket. Once you are ready, use both hands to carefully match the rubber to the bottom of the blade and use a roller or something similar to smooth the rubber out making sure there’s no air between the rubber and the wood.

You don’t have to press hard, and the natural weight of your hand should be enough to make the rubber stick without stretching it out. When the glue has dried after an hour or so, you can trim the rubber to fit your racket.

They suggest holding the scissors still against the edge of the blade and rotating the racket around to cut cleanly. They also recommend opening the scissors widely to make it easier to cut smoothly.

If you want to see the photos and Japanese explanation of how to attach your table tennis rubber to your table tennis racket, feel free to take a look.

How To Glue Rubbers Sheets

Anonymous writes “Every table tennis player goes through phases in their playing life and although we have different playing levels, we all had to start from the beginning.

Once a player has outgrown the ‘backyard’ type table tennis play and ready to move to more advanced competitive play, the player begins to look at better equipment. Commercial bats are generally good but a customized bat can bring the best in a player.

Using customized equipment is common in every sport. Formula One cars are built to the driver’s height and weight, Ian Thorpe uses a wet suit and many more.

This article describes the process of making your own customized bat by teaching you how to glue rubber sheets to a blade.

Step 1 – Tools of the Trade
Before you begin, you’ll need the appropriate tools in order to glue rubbers.

Step 2 – Preparation
Rubbers fresh from their packaging need to be primed or prepared. Apply a thin layer of glue to the sponge side of the rubber sheet.

Step 3 – Getting Ready
Once the glue has dried on the rubber, you are now ready to attach the rubber to the blade. Add another thin layer of glue on the rubber. Afterwards, apply a layer of glue on the blade. Wait until the glue on the blade is somewhat drying up before attaching the rubber.

Step 4 – Attaching the Rubber
Once the glue on the blade looks sticky, you are now ready to attach the rubber. Slightly bend the rubber in the middle forming an arch. Begin laying out the rubber from the tip of the handle while the rubber still bent. Slowly slide the rubber to the top of the blade.

Step 5 – Roller
With a roller, gently roll it over the rubber. The purpose of this is to take out any bubbles that may have built up under the rubber sheet and to give the nice flat surface that you need.

Step 6 – Cutting
Before cutting the excess rubber, I normally apply some weights or clamp the rubber and blade for a few minutes. This will ensure that the rubber has bonded properly to the blade before cutting. For cutting excess rubber, I prefer to use cutting blades. I simply slide the blade around the edges of the bat.

Step 7 – Sanding
Your cut may not be perfect initially and may have some extra rubbers sticking out. That’s fine. You can use sandpaper to smoothen the edges. I recommend the rough, cloth sandpaper.

That’s all there is to it. Make sure you always put side tape to protect your blade.”

How to Clean Table Tennis Rubber Video

Though the young Japanese guy making the video seems a little nervous (there’s even a speech bubble to that effect in the beginning). He does a good demonstration of cleaning the rubber on his table tennis racket.

Most of the people who read this blog have probably done this countless times, but it’s quick and efficient.

Although water and a sponge, or water with a little detergent and a sponge may do the job, they use an unspecified table tennis rubber cleaner in this video.

Read also: Cleaning tips for ping pong racket

Warren Davies