taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 26, 2017 10:38:28 GMT
surely start with 5 subs in order of entry received. close the door and let everyone know they have to be quicker to enter next year?
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 26, 2017 9:52:08 GMT
Hey Tommo get that form 4 ruler out again please! does this help? inches are fine. but perhaps not "the nearest inch". as for the cushion, look at the left of photo and you can see the leather strip now in behind the cushion. this brought the back cushion forwards the 20mm. the gap twixt edge of holes and back cush is down from 90mm to 70mm. how is it going? Good even more elaborate and extreme shots which is good, neutral any ball travelling laterally along the back will come to a hole. there's goos and bad in this worse an angles shot is based on several features and the further off the cushion the more accurate the shot can be angled. so having the back cushion up doesn't actually help this. if you work on the basis of hitting a 'V' shot near the top to get one of two balls in then it is 'impossible' to get them both in, the natural angle has gone. if you split the balls, only one can go in. a ball that is in the gap, while the shot back to the 200 is playable, it is now too close to the back cushion to get a a true angle guide. so yes, the shot is on but the accuracy suffers. effectively, it is the balls just infront of the back 5 that still make the best shot. the ones between them lack accuracy. yet when infront of the back 5 you would most often settle for the split shot and two down. this is first observations. about 7-9 games in. Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 25, 2017 1:15:04 GMT
Hi Tommo I think you went directly from a 50 to the 100 and 200. I laid a ruler across the edge of both 50 holes, you know, laterally across the table and then measured again from the middle forwards and back using the nearest edge of the 50 back or forwards.
I reckon you've only got one ruler, from school and it's still got your name on it and 'class IV'. inches rule hey!
the stuff I got is actually called "Non-Stretch Vynide"
cheers
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 24, 2017 14:32:38 GMT
thanks for the suggestions Tommo! other than the being Greedy bit, i recognised everything you said...but me? Greedy!
PLAYING SOLO. well I've started getting 1,000 with nearly every decent effort. I can get 1,500 twice a game....and lose it! and just recently I've been building 2,000 breaks and my record now stands at 2,430.
so last night in an hour, I had unscrewed the cushions, removed the leather bar at the front, slipped it in behind the top cushion and squeezed the three cushions back in. I had a quick knock about. Then first thing before work this morning I drilled and screwed everything in.
first thing I've noticed is that the corner shot misses the (10) hole by 10mm. so I have brought the back cushion up by 20mm and improved the diagonal shot by I reckon 11-12mm. the shot between the 30 and 20s is the same (bloody hard) but the shot twixt the 10s-20s is greatly improved! How much space do i need though? the backline is looking a little cluttered. when they don't go down.
I will play with the present set-up for a while and have some strips of wood ready to slip in if I think 20mm is too much.
It also means that if I do alter the holes in the next top I have, I can spread them out. at a guess, more shots will be on but the ball will fly out of more holes and disappear! It has to be 'a balance' but I want to be able to go for the shots!
another idea is to go back to 90mm behind the top 5 holes BUT to put the two x 10 holes back some 10mm allowing the corner shot, this will allow shot 4 more easily as well.
I noted that my top is 20mm thick. so a piece of slate that size IN THE FUTURE is what I shall want?
I have bought 1M x 1.27M of a black Rexine substitute from 'Woolies' in Market Deeping near Peterbogrough. it was £12 plus £12 to send in a roll. Black is the only colour available.
I now fancy sticking to the non-slate top and drilling new holes as per my design/ideas.
did anyone say what the "slate" is made from? what is the truest surface Sav? MDF someone said? surely there's an alloy or plastic substitute that at 20mm thick can be relied on to stay truly flat? nothing man made?
all in all, happy so far. I will loop back to playing on standard tables soon and see what I feel the merits are of the standard game of 4-pin. the softness, deftness of touch needed etc.
It isn'a narrow table Tommo, it is a wide table. I will put a photo up soon of the 200/100/50/50 holes.
Tommo If I put a ruler across the top edge of the two 50 holes and measure to the nearest lip of the 100 hole it is 202mm. if I measure from the nearest (the other) edge back to the 200 hole it is 122mm. could you check this on yours please? or anyone with a good table (Sams or Sams for instance)?
they are meant to be in a square aren't they? well 'roughly' anyway?
regards
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 22, 2017 23:53:06 GMT
will it take off?
probably.....if you light the taper!
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 22, 2017 12:24:30 GMT
here is a diagram of the faults with my table. I stole it off Google Images and it says 'Norwich league' so errrrr!!! thanks whoever! are they faults (IMO) with my table or the rules? well this one is about the table not the rules of course! 1.the corner diagonal shot is coming back between the 200 and the D, wiping out the 200 skittle. A.I have moved the D forwards as it is drawn place on the baize and not Leatherette yet (I haven't drawen the new D here) and I intend to bring the back cushion forwards so I don't catch the 10 hole. then re-assess. So D forwads and back cushion back toward the D. 2. a ball has gone past the 50 hole and is against the side, the cue ball catches it, crosses to the 100 and just wipes out the 100 every single time. A. move the 50 forwards making the break shot tougher but the 100 shot easier, then the cue ball will cross closer to the 100 hole. 3. the object ball is difficult to differentiate between the 100 and 200 hole on its return A. the 100 is staying as it picks up some lovely balls but with the 200 hole 2"(50mm) further back we are seperating the holes. Then also, if I ever put a new top on the table I will potentially move the holes away from the middle 30 hole. so away and also the gap between the 5-holes and the back cushion will be closer. Note how I have moved the top 20 and 10 hole in the diagram below. 4. the return 200 is difficult from between the 10 and 20 hole sspread the 20 away and the 10 away while going towards the back cushion keeping the corner shot (No.1 here) still available. so the above gives you an idea. the thick black line is because I am removing the leatherette cushion at the front of the table which is 20mm wide. The side and back cushions can all come forwards then 10-15 or even 20mm and a strip of wood placed behind the top cushion to test it. regards Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 18, 2017 9:29:23 GMT
well this pink ball is working a treat! I think that I would have more trouble winning over cynics who say it is confusing than freshers who would get it straight away I think. but there is just always a ball in play and on the D, scores are higher overall due to 'workrate'. what with more solid skittles as well, the game is speeding up. it is losing its 'delicacy' and becoming an 'attacking' game
Pink Ball Target: keep the game moving, continuous play. it is a reserve red for non-stop play. it is also a reserve white so that you don't have to go 'nearest ball'.
side benefit: after the gate has dropped, the game can be like chess.
the pink ball is a second red and to be only used as a red when the real red is dropping. this allows continuous play.
if the whites are also exhausted or the last one is going down, the pink can be a substitute but must be called by the player 'white' when placed on the D. if it scores from this shot it gets a 'white' score but if it stays on the table it is a red for scoring next time down. this way it can be forgotten after the shot and left for what it is.
if the pink is up and only the red is in the trough, and a white is required - red can't be used and nearest ball required.
it is only possible to have two reds on the table therefore if the pink came up as a 'white' substitute but stayed. it is possible to just put down non-stop single reds for example as long as the whites stay out the way.
THIS CHANGE IS STAYING.
next items on the agenda are Alan Taylor's Mush-tittle. I'm getting a set. my 18mm based red on the 200 is so fat its blocking out the light! I want more 200 shots!
secondly, one for Sav this: I'm looking to: 1) remove the leatherette bar at the near end temporarily 2) shunt the side cushions nearer-temporarily 3) move the back strip forward 5, 10 or 15mm-temporarily
the reason: I can't get the 200 diagonal-it catches the 10 pocket if I give it some side. I still can't quite separate the reverse 100 and 200. sure it's skill but I want it to be a little easier.
this may help and I want to spread the '20's outwards 5mm each and the '10's out a further 5mm making a total of 10mm. now the 200 diagonal is catching now on the edge of the 10 hole so I need to get the 200 out of the corner and look one day to spread the holes a little and still be able too. But something has to give and bringing the back cushion forwards to me or the holes backwards. but to test it, I can bring the back cushion forwards for the same effect and learn what happens.
it is all a balance. a very delicate balance.
I've asked a couple of times about the positioning of a skittle v a mushroom. so, I shall make fresh markers when I get the Mush-tittles and they will reflect the advantage that a mushroom has using scientific methods....but you knew that!
regards
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 15, 2017 19:43:35 GMT
i think you misunderstood me Tommo. I make my living from my hobby and my passion. I like having new ideas and seeing them work.
that doesn't mean making my living from bar billiards. ideas over here, making my living over there.
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 15, 2017 17:44:42 GMT
OK so i read that in the AEBBA rules about the 6mm. so I would ask them why a dirty great fat skittle and a waisted mushroom would both sit the same distance from the edge of the hole? given that one has a waistline of 12mm and the other has one of 21mm?
I'm using a pink ball next...I'm getting in touch with my 'other side'! so a red, a pink and 6 white balls. the pink is a second red unless it is all that is left and a white has gone down. because I don't want to wait I pull up the pink and call 'white'.
not overly worried about the EAO Dave, i devour new ideas in my daily work very similar to this, designing new stuff and trying out ideas. it makes me good money. money from your hobby and your passion....
I can't train on the table I'm playing on, I just have to adapt to what I'm on and get on with it. I haven't forgotten how to play and also i don't have a pub team to play with each week. a team of one- that's me!
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 15, 2017 12:19:58 GMT
i know that sudbury rules request that a mushroom is 6mm from the edge of the hole but are there any rules for skittles? clearly if they are also 6mm from the hole then we have two different standards.
I have changed the table a little. the baize part is 143cm long which is the table maximum allowed in the design but I couldn't play the corner diagonal back to the 200. by marking a fresh baseline 30mm forward and re-marking the D, this shot is now possible if I go to the 'away' side of the D for the corner I'm shooting into. the ball is a little skitso as it comes back but plain ball it nearly goes in the 200 but prefers the skittle!
trouble is, the break shot moved but I'm getting used to it now and can get my hand down on the leather comfortably now.
tried a black that could be used as a back-up red OR a white and it was impossible. lasted one game! i had no idea what the black was after it had been used a couple of times (as 8th ball and last up). so now I'm trying another way forwards.
the second red that sits in the trough and a white has gone down. so the red is pulled and declared 'white' to the scorer (imaginary of course!) is played but only worth a whites value. if the ball stays up it sits on the table as the second red to be counted double for whoever gets it down. essentially, after the shot, it can be forgotten and left just as it appears to be, a red worth double.
so the second red gets used, value white for that shot, value of red thereafter as it suits on the table. this seems to work at the moment. it means that a scorer has to keep an eye on this second red for its value. it's likely that the person using the red doesn't get the true value only for the next player - your opposition to have it on the table and perhaps receive the true value of it.
might not work but sure as hell beats waiting for the balls to return.
I'm getting big breaks all the time now of 750-1000 and broke my own table record of 1,800 on Thursday and would have had 2,300 yesterday but the red took the skittle out clean....
I hate this game sometimes!
very few of those points were break shots, my talents only get one down at a time but I'm banging in 50,100 and 200 shots from all angles. its a lot of fun! I guess if it wasn't my GF i was playing I would have to be a bit more cautious..
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 15, 2017 11:57:17 GMT
i think we all need to stick to the day job after this little lot! so they are 'Mutleys', the owner is a cheating sod bent on winning at all costs - sounds perfect then!
on another subject for a moment, as this is a thread about my table...... I have drawn a line 30mm from the leatherette parallel across the table which now allows the diagonal shot out of the top left and right corner with a touch of "side". this is the "side" that I appear to have no control over but now it will be a skill to get something in off the 200 hole. the break shot is for some reason still a bastard but that's the skill! the worst bit is the 200 shot which changes with every shot and the balls either take the skittle clean out or go past the hole.....
my hand now places comfortably on the Leatherette which is a bonus.
as this table hasn't got a slate, I am toying with getting a used snooker or pool slate and working it thanks to advice from Sav. or I could put support wood underneath and shim the table up using steel shims. I happen to have piles of .010" shims laying around, that's 1/4mm to you.
regards
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 14, 2017 9:32:09 GMT
Alan did you get my email about the the hybrid 'mushtittles'?
Dave that sounds great! I'd like to think that i will, cheers! but is that 150 reliable? I'm sure the white in the 50 is good but that red in the 50 is a long, long ol shot isn't it!
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 11, 2017 19:01:26 GMT
at 24mm up which is the balls widest point, the mushroom is 12mm and the skittle 21mm on my table.
big difference.
I've taken up Alan Taylor's offer of making me a hybrid.
as for thee second red, the new rules are: when the gate drops: if a red is in the trough, it is left there to be the very last ball on its own. if two reds are in play as the gate drops - they stay on the table. otherwise, normal rules regards the second red.
having two reds has spoilt me, I can charge through a game but just now and again, both reds stay up and I get just one white back at a time and it now becomes the whites that are slow and boring.....
I'm also toying with the player (when the gate drops) being allowed to take the ball that they want so the leader will bury the game but a player behind can plan a victory. what with two reds and one staying to the end, this makes the gate dropping the best part of everything but the most one-sided game.
regards
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 11, 2017 18:51:49 GMT
Bar billiards slate is 12mm thick, quite honestly barely thick enough! and three quarter length slate tables have a known propensity for cracked slates under the front middle where the support is poorest (I add angle iron). You are governed by the thickness of whatever is in the table now for ease of installation. Any thinner and you would need a support frame under the slate (as normal) to bring it up to the correct thickness. Any thicker and you will need to drop the support rails to get the top of the slate snug under the cushions. thank you. I'm sure it will be 'bleedin obvious' when I look at it but from the outside it was a hypothetical question I guess. not really off subject Dave....its all added info. I got the trophy for highest break two seasons on the trot and if I recall, they were 3,000 which is really stupid when you think about it. its a league game and as Tommo says, get 2,000 and the games are mostly put to bed. far from being happy, my landlord was just whispering under his breath: "!oy, enough Taff, c'mon, enough mate!!". as this was a stupid action it came easily to me. my maths is now better thanks Tommo! Interestingly Dave, the object ball up to the top and back to the 50 is an even vaguer shot than my shot towards the 10 hole and the cue ball has to have some speed in it after the object ball has flown off! there's no lack of talent in doing that one! I DID NOT WORK OUT WHY THE RED WAS THE CUE BALL. EVEN COMING HERE I DIDN'T! But 70 v 110 is why isn't it.... 'there's nowt as blind as those that will not see' I suppose! regards Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 11, 2017 13:14:49 GMT
so the thickness of slate being what in snooker and usually what on a BB table Sav? If i can get away with 'thin' then thin is what? 6mm?
yes Tommo, red in the 50 and white in the 10 for 110. and the sudbury way would be 60 not 70. so it is 110 v 150 v 60. it means the risk of the object ball taking a 50 skittle out is less.
nobody went for the 150 in our league because the angle from the object ball was too acute to the skittle, virtually nothing of the hole being visible. when you have 110 to gain everytime you don't take the 150 risk.
firstly, the cue ball is travelling far slower than the object ball and also if the object ball always heads to the same place but can vary a little then the cue ball is far more consistant. the cue ball is a metronome.
the ball you get wrong is the object ball in the 10 because you are aiming nearly 'blind', and the pace and angle have to be perfect everytime. but if it goes wrong every third shot then who is crying anyway!
I can see how getting only 60 (sorry Dave!) off the break shot would make you cry!
we got something right? and if you think about it - skittles stop the break shot dead.
skittles are cheaper than tables Dave (hint! hint!)
regards
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 11, 2017 9:03:10 GMT
Sav
could you give me an idea on what I'm looking for in a slate THICKNESS wise? I'd imagine that finding an old pre-used pool or snooker slate is quite a good idea right? I can't see this being a problem. Thing is, i might find one of these big and heavy items near to home and that to me is worth a bit too.....
Tommo I have yet to see 4-pin played by the experts and I see from last years scores that one or two players acheived superb scores at the EA open. if the break off shot was in the 50s then these men are heros! in my day, the break shot was red (cue ball don't forget) in the 50 and white (object ball) in the 10. so you got 110 with every shot. if these boys are getting 150 then they are something else!
no worries on the slate! you answer many, many questions and no doubt with a high repeatability level = yawn! takes dedication to keep offering this service.
regards
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 10, 2017 18:56:30 GMT
Another 4 pinner added, at least I think he's a 4 pin player it's such a job to tell Dave its 4-pin Dave but not as we know it! Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 10, 2017 9:45:33 GMT
hello
any views on the waisted mushroom v beer belly skittle? history? why? I mean they aren't even close are they!
cheers
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 10, 2017 9:43:37 GMT
Hello
things going on with Mr Other's table are:
we start with a question: 1) has anyone ever cut up or drilled slate? i say drilled but that is probably the wrong term? it is just that there are old snooker table slates for sale really cheap and I wondered if they can be cut to shape and then the holes put in?
comments on slate would be appreciated!
2) recently I have had the table tilted towards the player in order to give the ball a good roll off the top cushion. this works nicely and the player can play a softer shot for what they want. a re-cloth would be better but we await this?
3) I purchased a set of Snooker balls this weew. I have played for the first 5 weeks with 7 whites of which one had polca dots marked on it with felt tip. now I have two proper reds and was able place the two whites in a box and replace them. the weight of all the balls is - luckily 90-95 grammes so happy days!
4) Alan Turner made me a beautiful set of skittles and then I read of the Sudbury leagues rules and noted the base of the skittles could be 18mm not 16.5mm as they came. so Alan made me a second set and they are 10mm shorter and 18mm across the base. You can hit them a little harder and the whole skittle moves rather than falls. as i'm within the rules I feel that this is a good move.
5) the breal shot is nearly impossible, either one stays up and down or either or both, all on a 'hair's breadth' of change. the table is on the maximum playing length of 143cm so maybe this has something to do with it?
6) after several weeks of use and 30 games per week, yes 30, the clock mechanism is better than ever with the oiling it got. so sometimes you have to wait!
7) the 'quill' was going ten to the dozen and the longest a game was lasting at full stretch was 8.30. after a word from tommo, it transpired that the quill should have a weight on it and this slows the speed down of the quill. so i fitted a block connector that are used in auto electrics and placed it the correct distance. the game now lasts just under 18 minutes which is deemed the right time by 3-pin tommo.
8) the balls were BANGING into the drop board so i changed the hardened congealed rubber mess for CONDENSED FOAM RUBBER 10mm thick and it's brilliant! no noise and no mess, far better than felt.
9) the trough had sponges in each bay but after years of lack of use the sponge was being smashed and then the balls hit the board here as well. more CONDENSED FOAM RUBBER and i can hear a pin drop while the balls are coming back.
10) next problem, even when made, i think this had 4mm ply and the balls dropping in the 100 and 200 really 'bangs' so much so the gate goes a few seconds early when the ball goes down the 100. I need to either put thicker cloth on the runs or as i suspect use screws instead of nails to hold the ball guides/runners - its these that rattle!
that is all!!!!
regards Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 10, 2017 9:14:04 GMT
I'm happy to trust you on this Sav and can do rebates. I had no idea what 'northern rubber' was though! Can you do me a set? I see rubbers for sale but lack the detail knowledge.
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 5, 2017 18:56:36 GMT
here's one I could do with a hand with? mushrooms v skittles OK? Sudbury like the mushroom to be 6mm from the edge of the hole, the widest the base can be is 18mm. absolutely fair enough OK! but let us freeze the ball that is 'rimming' and hold it against a mushroom then remove the mushroom and put a skittle there. because of the shape of a skittle, to get the skittle to touch this frozen ball (that is still rimming!) to put it there it must move further from the hole. it is now 8-9mm away! I had the 21.5mm mushroom i own just 4mm from the hole BTW if your thinking 'how dee doo dat?' so to give the same 'freedom' to a skittle it should be around 8-9mm away from the hole. OK, what have i missed? cheers lads - I'm sure you'll put me right! Taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 4, 2017 1:44:04 GMT
could you see them leaving one white on the side then Tommo?
mmm?
Landlord! take this away before I'm tempted!
Dave I will have a go at grabbing any white while waiting for the red if available. I played some 3-pin against some lads in Milton near Cambridge and they just grabbed a white and got on with it...I didn't know if that was coz it was a Friday night bit of fun.
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 3, 2017 18:21:58 GMT
haha! you've watched 'Scum' too many times with a young Ray Winstone!
I don't think I've ever seen anyone play a good shot in 4-pin when the ball was stuck behind the 30 (your 3-pin '10') because we have two skittles on the way down and they are fat not skinny like a mushroom! also we can't play anything but a hit 'n hope off the side because we have skittle infront of the 50 hole.
quite how the Gedney Hill Mob (must be the name for a good whacky race that!) go off the middle of the D for everything I do NOT know! the Sudbury lads use mushrooms and use the whole D, my old league had skittles like Gedney Hill but used the whole D like subury and we are/were halfway between the two!
we have 6 fingers on all three hands here in the Fens and I've always played with one white per finger so I should have remembered. it's also one white per inch (ahem.......) and its getting smaller as i get older!
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 3, 2017 12:22:18 GMT
I would love to see the bulk lines being used and not having to always have the red in play but I am in a minority here so I cant our rules changing in the near future. Dave yes I thought that, with two reds there are too many on the table it seems and the other way is to grab a white from the trough. the two reds probably come into use when the top has just got clogged and the first red is de-commissioned. the second red hopefully is somewhere usable. 4 pin = 7 whites 3 pin = 6 whites so an extra red makes it look like piccadilli circus. not a problem when the skills are there but to a novice it just becomes a hopeless log jam with no apparent skill. its that word 'apparent'. best thing to do is have a free open day, 'come and try it' and as they await there next turn or after a game: ask them what they think or felt? encourage them to say it their way. "well I felt really silly but I hit all the skittles" I didn't like that bit so much! but when that lovely lady over there showed us how to play it became so much easier! we also tried the game with ******* and that seemed better. I will always use the whole 'D' (except a break shot). to be able to go down the edge of the red skittle is a 'skill' and to move the ball ever so slightly to get balls in the 200, 100 and 50s is something I shall hold on tight to! I want to raise the skill and the enjoyment and using the centre of the D is like telling a donkey he'll enjoy his day around the well.... regards Taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 1, 2017 20:50:00 GMT
that's the second time you've said this Dave? it's not aimed at your rules, I'm sorry you feel the need to defend them. when you have thee standard rules set, I guess you are going to feel it is aimed at you but it isn't.
I'm still playing with the red on the D. that was how the Nmkt & BSE league did it, so I guess I'm changing the rules after the horse has left the stable, paddock, town and country. History is written by the victor as they say and my league is deceased so what's the point you're making? i forgot.
I'm changing the rules in my living room of a deceased league. if your league went tits up tomorrow would that make your rules wrong? no, of course not. So if I was usingg one red which i have till now, I would agree with you, but I have two and the gate has gone. now what?
I thought you were going to question my ability to hit a good shot, to even know where one is? guess I missed that bullet. LOL!!!!!
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Jan 1, 2017 15:48:39 GMT
it's that word 'exciting', it is a stray cat v a labrador, it is a 2 stroke v a 4 stroke, a family saloon v a cabriolet/soft top! london v the sticks,,,
so far, it has been 'two reds', 'furthest ball away', shape of the skittles is all that I've changed.
hardly setting the world alight is it?
cheers!
Taffy
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taffy
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Post by taffy on Dec 31, 2016 13:33:55 GMT
been trying the game without the 100 skittle which is how i bought the table, played about 5 games like this but couldn't take anymore of it. all the skill had gone out of it and also the ball would either go in the 100 hole or nothing as the next hole was too far away to get a bit of luck. Great way to introduce the game though.
changing the value of the 50s with the 100 is next but I can't see that working.
another one is: when the gate has dropped, take the furthest ball first. these are worth little perhaps thus killing the game early! if we take balls hovering around the 10 we can get that ball down the hole on the edge of the 200/100/50 pocket!
I have to decide how to utilise the second red when the gate goes if it is still in the trough: must be used first(no I hope not) any order (maybe) all the whites in the trough first followed by the red, then balls on the table top ((sounds very official and sensible) don't use the second red at all if it is in the trough (can do....principles and ethics of sport apply here but what are they? what are the morals...?) must be the very last ball of the match even taking balls from the table top first) = excellent. so the game always finishes with a "potential" 400 shot. what with two reds around when the gate goes and one of them mostly awaiting being the last ball of the game @400 then we have a serious 1,000 points up for grabs when the gate goes. THE GAME IS NOT OVER YET!
Taffy
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taffy
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Posts: 514
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Post by taffy on Dec 27, 2016 17:10:18 GMT
Latest tests of a 'better game' have centred on two reds (presently because I bought the table with 7 whites only I have had to felt-tip dotty balls for reds) and that has launched the game into 'Turbo points'. big, big breaks of over 1,000 with skill. I hope to have a proper red or two soon and will leave 9 balls on the table so i never run out. The idea is that only one red at a time can be 'on the table' unless no other ball is available. The second red eventually comes into play full time when the gate drops and no other ball is available in the trough.
I've also changed the 100 'skittle/pin' for a mushroom so that I can get the 200 shot off the top cushion twixt the 20-30-20 holes. it has been very marginal and half the time I was getting the 100 skittle. now its a regular shot although anything going towards the 200 is playing with fire.... but for the first 5 minutes it is a great break builder.
the next thing will be to swop the values of the 50s with the 100 and try it unguarded at all.
I'm doing everything I can to make the game faster and reward daring shots......
an appeal: anyone who wants to sell me a set of 'easydrop' pockets?
Taffy
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taffy
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Posts: 514
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Post by taffy on Dec 27, 2016 16:58:48 GMT
Hi Alan They really are well made and with a lovely gloss finish, can't see any grain to even say they are wooden and the finish is holding up.
I'm into that kind of thing, yes it would lower the C of G further. even now, with 10mm removed they either fall or the y don't, they don't 'rock' anymore. I have to treat the lip of the hole with the same respect as the skittle. there was an imbalance before whereby I was worried about the skittle more than "rimming". as I say, they are equal now.
the other thing that came to mind was to start the base of the skittle as 18mm and have half the rim you see in the middle/waist of it. so that by having half a rim, you come in from 18mm and then you still have the same width as the old 16.5mm skittle did. I'll draw it for you....
Taffy
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taffy
Distinguished Member
Posts: 514
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Post by taffy on Dec 27, 2016 9:12:35 GMT
you've lost me Alan? a rod that is 2.5mm? where are we talking of here?
Taffy
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