This is probably going to be a bit of an "Anti-Geoff" thread! Not against the good man in any way, but closer to "tales of how a snooker table probably shouldn't be refurbished" ;)
As per one of my first posts, I bought an antique Riley 6 foot table a while ago. Very pleased with it, but it's had it's fair share of wear over the years and by the looks of it the last time it was recovered, it didn't appear to have been done particularly well. The cloth sits well and is tacked in well, however little things like the pocket brass screws being driven into the wood at an angle. *shudder*.
I'm far from an expert, this is my first time, however I like to research, take advice and learn, all whilst taking as much care as possible.
The one thing going against me is lack of money, so this is something I'm doing slowly and on a budget!
At the back end of last week I ordered replacement cloth from Hainsworth - things are tight enough that I couldn't stretch to a Strachan, but as this will mostly be used by myself practicing and my friends playing pool, it's probably for the best. I also took the opportunity to buy some new rubbers. Again, couldn't afford some nice Northern Rubber but what I've bought should hopefully be considerably better than what looks to be the original rubber on the table, which feels particularly stiff and fragile.
The rubbers are coming today (I love DPD and their tracking!) and the cloth tomorrow, so thought I'd make a start by surveying the damage.
All the cushions off. The difference in colour of the cloth under the cushions is amusing - once I'd scraped off the years of dust! Found a few nicks and tears under the cushions on the bed cloth here too. Wonder if that was a bad original fitment or if wear and tear can do that where cues aren't accessible?
There's some repairs having gone on here by the looks of things. I imagine the screws no longer bit in these two holes so they've been padded out with dowels (the screw went down the middle of these). I need to take time to consider how I'm going to refit those. Also noticed the original colour of the wood underneath the brasses. Rather nice! Will also research on wood restoration to see if anything is possible on limited/no budget.
As per previous posts, I'd started to gain some interest in the history of the table & cues. Wondered if there was any significance to "Huddersfield" being written on this - is that reference to the place, or are the indistinguishable letters the initials to a name?
Similarly, got a closer look at the serial number on the bottom of the cushions. On closer inspection, rather than just being an upside down 7 as I'd previously thought, it looked to be more of a made-up 4 - perhaps they didn't have a 4 stamp, or only had stamps for numbers they couldn't otherwise make up?
Still, very pleased to see the serial numbers match on all 6 of the cushions.
The next job on the list is to hunt for an extremely cheap oak or oak effect dining table, firstly to borrow the legs from (this is a table-top table) to convert it to a proper table, and secondly to convert the top to be able to cover this with. This sits in an enclosed gazebo with plastic roof, so sunlight pours in all day - the cloth would fade nearly instantly if not covered!
I'd also like to refurbish the pocket brasses and leathers. The brasses could probably be brought back to life with Brasso and a polish, however I may smile nicely at some friends working in the local shoe factories to see if they can make me up some leathers.
All comments & suggestions welcome, including criticism!
Table refurbishment from a DIY perspective
As per one of my first posts, I bought an antique Riley 6 foot table a while ago. Very pleased with it, but it's had it's fair share of wear over the years and by the looks of it the last time it was recovered, it didn't appear to have been done particularly well. The cloth sits well and is tacked in well, however little things like the pocket brass screws being driven into the wood at an angle. *shudder*.
I'm far from an expert, this is my first time, however I like to research, take advice and learn, all whilst taking as much care as possible.
The one thing going against me is lack of money, so this is something I'm doing slowly and on a budget!
At the back end of last week I ordered replacement cloth from Hainsworth - things are tight enough that I couldn't stretch to a Strachan, but as this will mostly be used by myself practicing and my friends playing pool, it's probably for the best. I also took the opportunity to buy some new rubbers. Again, couldn't afford some nice Northern Rubber but what I've bought should hopefully be considerably better than what looks to be the original rubber on the table, which feels particularly stiff and fragile.
The rubbers are coming today (I love DPD and their tracking!) and the cloth tomorrow, so thought I'd make a start by surveying the damage.
All the cushions off. The difference in colour of the cloth under the cushions is amusing - once I'd scraped off the years of dust! Found a few nicks and tears under the cushions on the bed cloth here too. Wonder if that was a bad original fitment or if wear and tear can do that where cues aren't accessible?
There's some repairs having gone on here by the looks of things. I imagine the screws no longer bit in these two holes so they've been padded out with dowels (the screw went down the middle of these). I need to take time to consider how I'm going to refit those. Also noticed the original colour of the wood underneath the brasses. Rather nice! Will also research on wood restoration to see if anything is possible on limited/no budget.
As per previous posts, I'd started to gain some interest in the history of the table & cues. Wondered if there was any significance to "Huddersfield" being written on this - is that reference to the place, or are the indistinguishable letters the initials to a name?
Similarly, got a closer look at the serial number on the bottom of the cushions. On closer inspection, rather than just being an upside down 7 as I'd previously thought, it looked to be more of a made-up 4 - perhaps they didn't have a 4 stamp, or only had stamps for numbers they couldn't otherwise make up?
Still, very pleased to see the serial numbers match on all 6 of the cushions.
The next job on the list is to hunt for an extremely cheap oak or oak effect dining table, firstly to borrow the legs from (this is a table-top table) to convert it to a proper table, and secondly to convert the top to be able to cover this with. This sits in an enclosed gazebo with plastic roof, so sunlight pours in all day - the cloth would fade nearly instantly if not covered!
I'd also like to refurbish the pocket brasses and leathers. The brasses could probably be brought back to life with Brasso and a polish, however I may smile nicely at some friends working in the local shoe factories to see if they can make me up some leathers.
All comments & suggestions welcome, including criticism!
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