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[iluvtt]

I've soaked my Reactor Corbor rubber with WD-40 & the results are quite good. The rubber/sponge expanded like 0.5cm on the length & about 0.2cm on the width. It play slightly faster than usual but I don't feel there's much improvement on the tackiness.

[729 fx]

Well, try not to overdo with the WD40. In club level or friendlies maybe this will be allowed (provided your opponent does not know this), but for ITTF sanctioned matches, I think tuning the rubber is not allowed.

[iluvtt]

Yeah true about the ITTF sanctioned matches. I was just testing the WD-40 on a well used rubber & wanted to see the effects.

[ejunkie]

I have heard WD40 for the topsheet but it works on sponges too? Nice, but I still prefer someone "clean" like e-oil.

[iluvtt]

Yup WD-40 works on sponges too but if you used quite an amount of WD-40 like I did you have to wait for about 2-3 days for it to dry completely else the rubber/sponge won't stick to the blade.

[varghese]

That's interesting. I have heard WD-40 works on the rubber as a whole. However, the table tennis players normally put WD-40 on the topsheet, not on the sponge.

I don't think the WD-40 makes the top sheet tacky. It makes more cushion on the topsheet for more rotation. I have a friend who uses it. He is a lefty and a looper. I have seen the difference when he did not have the WD-40 on the blade and he had later. There is another friend who does not hit but makes slow loop actions. His balls dont rotate much because he does not allow the ball to sink in much. There is another friend who uses the same. His balls are more anti.

The WD-40 is an interesting animal. No wonder Clint Eastwood had this saying in his Grand Turino movie about it. It can do pretty much everything.

[varghese]

Well, try not to overdo with the WD40. In club level or friendlies maybe this will be allowed (provided your opponent does not know this), but for ITTF sanctioned matches, I think tuning the rubber is not allowed.

It also applies to tournaments approved by the local body like USATT.

There are players still tune the rubbers and get away with it - in tournaments too. I play against a player who has Stiga Mendo with some 5 layers of speed glue. It's darn dangerous to my pips. The speed is equivalent to the friend visited from Hong Kong who has a Hinoki blade with Tenergy 64 on it without any speed glue.

[iluvtt]

I don't think the WD-40 makes the top sheet tacky. It makes more cushion on the topsheet for more rotation. I have a friend who uses it. He is a lefty and a looper. I have seen the difference when he did not have the WD-40 on the blade and he had later. There is another friend who does not hit but makes slow loop actions. His balls dont rotate much because he does not allow the ball to sink in much. There is another friend who uses the same. His balls are more anti.

More rotation = 'more spinny'? It didn't work for me. I didn't feel like my loops were more spinny than usual. In fact I felt like the rubber or the top sheet was 'more slippery'!