Normal glue. Apply a layer on the blade and on the rubber and join directly and press it, no need to wait before joining! Let it dry 6 hours. When you remove the rubber from the blade, the residue could become glue again with a small quantity of water. To clean, apply a small quantity of water and scrub with a wet sponge. Large brush for easy gluing.
This glue is transparent and 100% water based. It is particularly gentle to the sponge, which you'll notice when you pull it off, ie very little (if any) glue stuck to the sponge, and the sponge still looks like new.
 Instructions / Review (by Alex)
This is a true water-based glue for attaching any rubber to your blade. The liquid comes in a 150ml tin, with a nice and thick brush for spreading. The liquid is completely transparent, and dries clear. Only a very thin layer of the glue is required, and it does not harden completely, and will not affect the feel of the bat.
NOTE: This is not a contact glue, but a normal glue. Since the glue is still wet when you apply the rubber to the blade, it has very little adhesion strength at first, but makes a strong bond after 6 hours of clamping / pressing. For this reason it may not be suitable for those that speed glue since it can be tricky getting it into a press / clamp when the rubber still has a dome. If there is very doming it should work fine.
1. Cutting the rubber
I would highly recommend cutting the rubber before you put it onto the blade. The reasons are:
- Since this glue does NOT expand the rubber at all, it should fit perfectly again after you've applied the glue.
- Since the glue is still wet when you put the rubber onto the blade, it's easy to move it around to line it up.
- Cutting the rubber when the glue is still wet is very tricky since it moves around too easily. Cutting the rubber after the glue has dried is fine, but remember you'll have to make sure the uncut sheet fits in your clamp or press. If you glue a sheet on both sides, it can also be harder to cut one side while the other is still uncut.
To cut the rubber simple place the blade into the back of the rubber and draw the outline of the blade onto the sponge, than cut it with small and sharp scissors, with only very small cuts at the time.
Tip: Having the scissors a little wet makes it easier to cut cleanly
Alternatively you can use a real sharp knife, like a box cutter or scalpel. Put the rubber onto the blade, and lay it down onto a piece of carton on thick paper. Putting some plastic onto the rubber surface will help protect it, so I would recommend this. Push down onto the blade a little, and cut the rubber along the edge of the blade, taking several passes at the time (trying to cut through the rubber in one pass often leaves jagged edges).
2. Applying the glue to rubber
Put the rubber onto a flat surface (sponge up) and apply a thin layer of glue to it. I recommend only a very thin layer, since after you attach the rubber and blade together layer and clamp in step 5, you'll squeeze out any excess glue anyway, which is both a waste and makes a mess... Since the liquid is a little thick, small strokes makes it much easier to spread it thin and evenly.
3. Applying the glue to blade
Similarly put a very thin layer onto the blade also
4. Applying the rubber and blade together.
Put the rubber onto the blade, and move it around till it lines up perfectly. This is a simple matter of lining up the label on the rubber to the blade just above the handle, and putting down the rest of the rubber onto the blade.
Use a roller or round bottle to roll onto the surface to squeeze out any air bubbles underneath, taking care that the rubber does not move around too much. If it move, simple adjust it again. Clean off any access glue that has come from around the edges. if you spill any onto the rubber surface, it can easily be cleaned off with a web cloth.
Repeat for the other side.
5. Clamping
A proper bat clamp, or another type of press, or even a stack of books can be used for clamping. Do not clamp too tight, only just enough to make sure the rubber is in contact with the blade around the edges. If you clamp harder, you'll squeeze out more of the glue, making the adhesion strength less, and can push out some drop of glue, which when they dry will make it harder to cut the rubber.
As soon as you've tightened the clamp, check for glue being squeezed out around the edges. If there a fair bit of glue, it would be good to clean this off (with a wet cloth) first, before it hardens....
6. Drying times:
Leave the rubber into the clamp for at least 6 hours. After this the glue should be dry and the rubber firmly attached, ready to play.
7. Removing the rubber (if required)
If you need to remove the rubber at a later stage, either for speed glueing or just for replacing or trying a different rubber, it is quite simple with this glue. You can simply pull it off, starting at a corner where it may be a little loose already. if you do it slowly and carefully, it should come off without any damage to either the rubber or blade. Pull at 45 degree to the direction of the fibre of wood, which reduces the chance of pulling off fibres off the blade. I have not found this to be an issue with this glue though.
Both the rubber and the blade can easily be cleaned with a wet cloth, as the glue simply softens up and wipes off. This is a huge advantage with this glue, as getting it off with other types of glue can be a huge pain.
If you're going to put on another rubber, no need to remove the glue from the blade... simple make it wet again by gently wiping it with a wet clot (don't wipe too hard or too often or you'll remove the glue) and it will soften again, ready to be used for another rubber! This is a real bonus with this type of glue!
8. Conclusions:
This glue is a little trickier to use than the normal table tennis glues, but also has some significant advantages;
1. It is MUCH safer to use than normal table tennis glue.
2. When the ITTF VOC-based glue ban comes into effect, normal table tennis glues can no longer be used.
3. It is actually water based, and can easily be removed with water. This glue is particularly gentle to the sponge. Although there are some other VOC free products coming onto the market, not all are actually water based, and may need solvents to be cleaned off the surface of the blade or rubber.
4. Glue can be re-activated simply with water.
5. The bond is strong enough to hold the rubber on really well, but not too hard to remove, and I see the risk of pulling off fibres from the blade as much lower compared to normal table tennis glues
6. This glue seems particuarly gentle to the sponge of the rubber. After you pull it off the blade, there does not appear to be much glue on the sponge at all, saving you having to clean it off.
***Note: One of a Kind Trading is the distributor for this products within Australia and New Zealand. If you are interested in becoming one of our distributors, please contact us for further information.
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