Table maintenance time. This week: when should bearings be cleaned, when should they be sanded, and when should they be mocked on the internet and discarded? The worst-of-the-worst photos are at the end of this post.
I’ve experimented a bit, and I’ve come to three conclusions.
1) Clean your bearings whenever they seem at all sticky. If a drop of lube doesn’t help, pull them out and wipe them clean. Clean bearings make a huge difference in play.
2) Check the feel of the interior when you remove the bearings. If the inside collar of the bearings feels smooth after cleaning, reinstall. If the inside isn’t smooth, but is evenly worn, polish them. If there are scratches or pits, they are hopeless and should be thrown away.
3) Do not over-tighten when you reinstall. Over-tightening will destroy the bearings. Use just fingers to tighten at first, and then a slight turn with a bearing wrench to get them snug against the wall so they don’t rattle. This is not the time to prove how strong you are. You can see from the photos below that the worst-of-the-worst bearings were all over-tightened.
Cleaning bearings is easy: pull them out of the table, get some cleaning solvent on a rag, and wipe out all the dust and dirt. Then drop them back in the table and add a drop of lube.
For sanding, the thing to remember is that the collar of the bearing should feel smooth to the touch. If you feel friction, it’s time to sand. Ryan Knapton’s video on NextLevelFoosball has some suggestions on how to refurbish bearings with fine-grit sandpaper:
I had over 100 old bearings, so I decided to record the process of polishing them. Most of them look great. I documented the very worst, though:
The bearing on the left is the worst I’ve seen. The collar of the bearing was completely worn away, and the entire length of the bearing had scratch marks. For comparison, the bearing on the right was in OK shape.Here’s a side view of the bearings. On the right you can see that the plastic on the badly worn bearing was paper thin. It’s amazing this was still in one piece. I took a moment to appreciate the service this bearing had provided over the years, but it was definitely time to retire.There is a deep curved scratch in the collar. My guess is someone tightened the bearing and turned the rod while there was a bit of sand between the bearing and the rod. Oops. Note the opposite end of the bearing is also worn: this bearing was too tight. Sanding didn’t help. I threw this one away.This looks like a severe wear pattern from lateral rod motion. You can see at the bottom of the photo that the opposite end of the bearing was also worn. This is not normal. This bearing was too tight. Sanding didn’t help, and this bearing went in the trash.Something created many small pits in the bearing collar. Not sure how this happened, since the wear pattern doesn’t make it look like the bearing was too tight. Sanding didn’t help, this bearing was retired from service.This bearing was in OK shape. Here’s a photo after refurbishing. You can see the wear marks in the collar, but the collar surface is buttery smooth to the touch. This bearing will go back on a table!
Open Singles/Handicap Singles/Monster DYP with Singles Playoffs:
1st place: 4 points
2nd place: 3 points
3rd place: 2 points
4th place: 1 point
5th-8th place: 0.5 points
Monster DYP with No Playoffs:
1st place: 4 points
2nd place: 3.5 points
3rd place: 3 points
4th place: 2.5 points
5th place: 2 points
6th place: 1.5 points
7th place: 1 point
8th place: 0.5 points
Players can win at most one prize. If somebody wins multiple categories, that’s amazing, we’ll give them the higher value prize and an extra pat on the back. 2nd place in the category will take the lower value prize.
In case of a tie, the following tie-break rules will apply:
Number of finishing points vs number of attendance points: the player with more finishing points win.
Winning record: the player with more 1st place finishes wins, then with more 2nd place finishes, etc…
We’re using Bayfoos local points for categories. Top prize is open to everyone. Expert prize is open to anyone with under 3000 points. Rookie prize is open to anyone with under 1500 points.
Summer is almost over, let’s do a mini points race. Over $100 in prizes in three categories. There are 7 events to play, earn a prize if you’re the best in your category. We’ll be playing at California Billiards, hit us up at SF Foos for details.
Overall Winner: $50 cash
Top Player: Expert: $30 cash
Top Player: Rookie: $30 in free tournament entries
So, how do you win? Show up and play! The better you do the more points you get. Everyone who attends gets one attendance point.
Event Schedule:
Aug 13: Monster DYP, Doubles Playoffs
Aug 20: Monster DYP, Singles Playoffs
Aug 27: Monster DYP, Points Race
Sep 3: Monster DYP, Doubles Playoffs
Sep 7: Open Singles
Sep 7: Shake-n-Bake
Sep 10: Monster DYP, Singles Playoffs
Bonus points depend on which events we play.
Monster DYP with Doubles Playoffs:
1st place team: 4 points each
2nd place team: 3 points each
3rd place team: 2 points each
4th place team: 1 point each
Open Singles/Handicap Singles/Monster DYP with Singles Playoffs:
1st place: 4 points
2nd place: 3 points
3rd place: 2 points
4th place: 1 point
5th-8th place: 0.5 points
Monster DYP with No Playoffs:
1st place: 4 points
2nd place: 3.5 points
3rd place: 3 points
4th place: 2.5 points
5th place: 2 points
6th place: 1.5 points
7th place: 1 point
8th place: 0.5 points
Players can win at most one prize. If somebody wins multiple categories, that’s amazing, we’ll give them the higher value prize and an extra pat on the back. 2nd place in the category will take the lower value prize.
In case of a tie, the following tie-break rules will apply:
Number of finishing points vs number of attendance points: the player with more finishing points win.
Winning record: the player with more 1st place finishes wins, then with more 2nd place finishes, etc…
We’re using Bayfoos local points for categories. Top prize is open to everyone. Expert prize is open to anyone with under 3000 points. Rookie prize is open to anyone with under 1500 points.
When you play a lot of foosball, you’ll notice two things about the balls. First, they wear out, becoming slick and difficult to control. Second, buying new ones is expensive, around $4 each.
Luckily, it’s not hard to build a foosball tumbler that can refresh the balls. You attach the tumbler to the inside of a clothes dryer, let it run for about 3 hours, and the balls will be clean and fuzzy again.
Used foosballs before cleaning and tumbling.
Cleaned and tumbled foosballs.
Keep Your Table Clean
First things first: if your table is dirty, your balls won’t last long. Keep your table clean. I use a mixture of 50% Formula 409 and 50% water. Other people use rubbing alcohol. Whatever you use should be a mixture of a solvent to cut grease, plus water to dissolve any spilled soda. Don’t use anything too harsh or abrasive. Protect the finish on the playing surface.
Spray the cleaning fluid on a soft cloth, and gently wipe down the table surface. Use a bit more force to remove any grease stains or shot marks, but be careful not to remove the finish.
Clean the side walls the same way, particularly underneath the rods. Lubricant from the rods will attract dirt. Cleaning the ball ramps inside the table can also be helpful.
Tables get extra dirty if players use too much lube. Use only one or two drops of silicone on each bearing. It doesn’t take much to keep the table playing smoothly. Wipe up any silicone that spills on the table, but leave the lubricant on the rods.
If the rods need more than a drop or two of silicone, you might need to clean the bearings. Remove the bearings, and wipe them out with the same cleaning formula. If the insides are scratched up, it’s time to replace the bearings. They aren’t expensive, and they make a big difference in playability. If you clean the bearings, clean the rods at the same time. Then reattach the bearings, and lube up the table again.
Building a Tumbler
The tumbler is a plastic container lined with sandpaper, attached to the inside of a clothes dryer. Drop around 20 balls inside the tumbler, then run the dryer on a no-heat cycle for 2-3 hours. The sandpaper removes the dirt from the balls and roughs up the surface a bit.
Cut the sandpaper so that it fits into the inside of the container. You’ll probably need a couple of sheets per container. It’s OK if they overlap, the fit doesn’t need to be precise.
Wipe out the inside of the plastic containers with rubbing alcohol to remove any oil or dust. Spray the adhesive on the inside of the container, and let it get a bit tacky.
Press the sandpaper into the sides of the container. You can keep working on the rest of the project while the adhesive dries.
Press the sandpaper firmly against the side of the jars and wait for the adhesive to dry.
Attach the velcro to the outside of the jars
Take a close look at your hook and loop (aka velcro) strips. One side is soft, the loops. Another is scratchy, the hooks. The scratchy hooks will damage clothing, so we’ll use the soft loops for the tumbler and the dryer.
Clean the exterior of the tumbler with rubbing alcohol. Cut a strip of the soft loops, and attach it to the outside of the tumbler.
Give the adhesives some time to set. Practice your foosball game.
Attach soft velcro loops to the side of the jar.
Attach the velcro to the dryer fins
Clean the fins with rubbing alcohol. Attach two large strips of the soft loops to the dryer fins.
Attach two large patches of soft velcro loops to two of the dryer fins. The patches circled in red are the ones that will be used.
Attach the tumbler to the dryer
Put the pillow in the dryer, then place the jars on top of the pillow. Measure out a long strip of the hook-side of the velcro. The strip should long enough to attach to both of the soft loop pieces inside the dryer and hold the tumbler firmly in place. You may need to place the strip diagonally to maximize the contact area between the hooks and loops, or use multiple strips.
Use the pillow to support the jars, and the velcro strip to hold them in place. The strip should be snug enough that the jars are held firmly against the pillow.
Cleaning the balls
If the balls are particularly greasy, it’s a good idea to clean them before placing them in the tumbler. Putting them in a mesh laundry bag inside a clothes washing machine works well.
Running the tumbler
Place about 10 balls inside each jar, depending on how large a tumbler you’ve built. Put the lid on the tumbler, then attach the tumbler to the inside of the dryer.
Set the dryer on no-heat, and let it run for 2-3 hours. The balls will come out cleaner, with a rougher surface that gives better control.
The first time you run the tumbler, stay near the dryer to check for problems. If you hear the tumbler detach from the dryer, stop the machine, add some additional velcro strips, and try again. Also check on the sides of the dryer, to make sure the jars aren’t damaging the interior.
When to replace the balls
A tumbler is great, and can give months more life to balls. Eventually balls do become too slick to be refreshed. Check the balls after tumbling. If they still look dirty, or feel slick, they are completely worn out. Time to buy some new ones.
