I often see vendors selling oil for table tennis racquets.
Why would one want to use oil on their table tennis racquets?
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can I use Olive oil for table tennis?– user1570Commented Jul 21, 2013 at 4:15
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I would never think of oil. How about Mobile 1, the synthetic motel oil for cars?– user5035Commented Jul 10, 2014 at 0:53
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Sorry, I mean automotive lubrication oil. Should that be 0 weight or 30 weight? We should try it with an old rubber.– user5035Commented Jul 10, 2014 at 0:55
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1 Answer
The oil is used to increase the grip or "tackiness" of the rubber surface of the racquet. You can actually just use ordinary oils (like sunflower oil) but the oils vendors sell are manufactured for the specific purpose of applying to table tennis rubber.
Anyway, you want to use a medium width brush (like something you'd use to paint model airplanes or something like that) to apply a coat of the oil evenly on to the rubber, then let it soak into the rubber (can take anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours depending on the rubber). Then repeat this process (applying the oil and letting it soak in) 2-3 times.
Advanced players need very tacky rubber to impart the type of spin on the ball that they want as well as to deal with the spins put on the ball by their opponents shots. Really tacky rubber on a racquet should allow you to pick a ball up off the table using just the rubber surface.
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3You shouldn't use natural oils on sports equipment (or leather etc.), it will rot and degrade the material it was applied to. Some mineral oils may be OK, though I don't know if they'd work for table tennis racquets. Commented Feb 21, 2012 at 23:21
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I always thought it was some sort of wax and not regular oil...– posdefCommented Aug 14, 2012 at 15:49
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Can I use oil to restore an old and dry rubber to a good state?– SpideyCommented Feb 7, 2014 at 14:42