How To Pressurize / Revive Old Tennis Balls...

[rjw]

Me...tretorns at 1.53 each and a case of Wilson Us open for my ball machine.The word on the street is that the cheaper Penn, etc balls don't recharge very well

[Wilson 1986]

I was told the same about prince championship balls.
I heard that putting them in a microwave or a tumble dryer before playing with them can revive dead balls.
but with the prince balls, it just makes the rubber go stiff and the balls can even explode.
so I was told anyway.
I have never tried this with any balls so I wouldn't know.

[rjw]

Originally Posted by Wilson 1986

I was told the same about prince championship balls.
I heard that putting them in a microwave or a tumble dryer before playing with them can revive dead balls.
but with the prince balls, it just makes the rubber go stiff and the balls can even explode.
so I was told anyway.
I have never tried this with any balls so I wouldn't know.

Plus my wife has laid down the law....no tennis stuff mixed in with kitchen appliances...hahaha.....bummer

[Wilson 1986]

always the way

[rjw]

Originally Posted by Wilson 1986

always the way

say what????

[zorcy3]

Originally Posted by rjw

say what????

to do what ever the wife says. If mammas not happy, no one is happy.

[Ronaldo]

Originally Posted by zorcy3

to do what ever the wife says. If mammas not happy, no one is happy.

Yes, my microwaved balls got so hot the kitchen smelled like burnt rubber. Wifey didn't like that at all. Decided to wrap the balls with a hot, moist towel instead. Then my dbls partner did not want to use my warm, moist balls. May need to just use new balls.

[rjw]

Originally Posted by zorcy3

to do what ever the wife says. If mammas not happy, no one is happy.

let the truth be told !!!

[rjw]

Originally Posted by Ronaldo

Yes, my microwaved balls got so hot the kitchen smelled like burnt rubber. Wifey didn't like that at all. Decided to wrap the balls with a hot, moist towel instead. Then my dbls partner did not want to use my warm, moist balls. May need to just use new balls.

Unless she's your wife/girlfriend, I don't blame your partner....lol

[Ronaldo]

Originally Posted by rjw

Unless she's your wife/girlfriend, I don't blame your partner....lol

Walking onto the court with my balls wrapped in a towel inspired a few unwanted comments. Especially playing mxd doubles.

[rjw]

Originally Posted by Ronaldo

Walking onto the court with my balls wrapped in a towel inspired a few unwanted comments. Especially playing mxd doubles.

the visual is too funny

[Ronaldo]

Originally Posted by rjw

the visual is too funny

Try to explain why. Because you and your balls are cold. You are too cheap to buy new balls. Why your balls must never be left on the court, always pocketed.

[zorcy3]

Originally Posted by Ronaldo

Walking onto the court with my balls wrapped in a towel inspired a few unwanted comments. Especially playing mxd doubles.

If your partner is carrying you, then get new balls when she tells you to, but if you are the best on the court that day, just tell them it has helped your game to get to this level. That will make them stop laughing! (to your face anyway)

[rjw]

Finally this thread is getting good input.....

[Boxer]

Originally Posted by rjw

Cool...I remember that thread.

How much pressure will they hold, and which kegs did you buy?

I got two of the refurbished pin lock kegs. These are rated to 120 psi and I believe it but I've never gone that high. The cunning part about the design is that the pressure inside pushes the lid into the rubber gasket improving the seal as pressure goes up (well, to a point, I'm sure).

With experimentation I've discovered that long and low works better than fast and high when it comes to pressure. 30+ psi was enough to burst some of the balls I put in there. I've had better luck with ~25. The kegs will hold that easily for a week or two based on the gauge I'm using to measure. In some cases, like the Dunlop Grand Prix, it takes a couple of weeks for them to take on enough "new" pressure it seems.

Also, I am unclear as to what else you needed from the keg supplier?

The pin lock corny connector set (one of those), one foot of corny tube (neoprene I think; could come from anywhere I guess but since they had the right dimension by the foot right there), and four corny clamps (again, generic but since they had the right size...). That's all I got from them in addition to the kegs themselves.

It really was falling off a log easy to put this lot together. Good luck if you try it.

[zorcy3]

Did have some troubles over the weekend. 2 tanks of balls are about 9 months old. The felt holds up well, as you only hit it a couple times each practice. They are good as new still. Over the last week, the temps dropped. Since they are stored in the garage, they got cold, too. They not only did not take the pressure charge, they lost pressure. We are pressurizing them now at 10 C then moving inside after a few days. This should warm up the rubber to hold in what we have put back. I think we have to research winter balls and summer balls. Seems this will make a big difference on recharging. I will try nitrogen at a colder temp and see how that works too.

[rjw]

Originally Posted by Boxer

I got two of the refurbished pin lock kegs. These are rated to 120 psi and I believe it but I've never gone that high. The cunning part about the design is that the pressure inside pushes the lid into the rubber gasket improving the seal as pressure goes up (well, to a point, I'm sure).

With experimentation I've discovered that long and low works better than fast and high when it comes to pressure. 30+ psi was enough to burst some of the balls I put in there. I've had better luck with ~25. The kegs will hold that easily for a week or two based on the gauge I'm using to measure. In some cases, like the Dunlop Grand Prix, it takes a couple of weeks for them to take on enough "new" pressure it seems.

The pin lock corny connector set (one of those), one foot of corny tube (neoprene I think; could come from anywhere I guess but since they had the right dimension by the foot right there), and four corny clamps (again, generic but since they had the right size...). That's all I got from them in addition to the kegs themselves.

It really was falling off a log easy to put this lot together. Good luck if you try it.

Thanks for the response....I'm weighing my options.....but this sounds promising.

[ClairHarmony]

Originally Posted by Boxer

I got two of the refurbished pin lock kegs.

I have corny keg as well, it already came pre-fitteed for tennis ball recharging. It was I believe $60 or so on clearance from a fly-by-night tennis ball cannister charging company around 11 years ago. I did not know what the rebadged pressurized cannisters they were selling were called...but now I know! Learn something new everyday, corny kegs!

BUUUT, the one to me FATAL problem with this execution was that the opening on the corny kegs used was obviously NOT designed with tennis bobo ball use in mind. Great for getting drunk, but not so much tennis. It's too small I tell you! Meanning in other words, you can't POUR your balls in and out of the thing...only one measely ball at a time, maybe two if I'm generously stretching my memory a bit.

Does the thing work? Absolutely. I never had to overcharge the balls. I just left them at 15-17 PSI which was fine as I would oepn a new batch of Grand Priz balls and leave them in there. Basically, just take out 9 to play each time, then dump them when the felt was gone. Polayed like new the whole time.

This said, I eventually soon found the thing pointless after that first case of balls. The tennis ball savers from Unique sports, bought three of them to hold a total of 9 balls. They work not quite as well, as for sure the balls don't feel good as new each time you play; but they're close enough to be more than useable...no need to ferment them in the trash can just yet. Same deal, use until felt is no good. Honestly, the mini tennis ball maintainers (they should be called this, as they certainly are not ball revivers as the corny kegs can be) are FAR more convenient, take up zilch space but in your bag, don't require a mini air compressor (sound like a bleeting pig for crying out loud, even the crickets in the cupboard, ceiling tiles, and my hair, shudder and complain!!! ...wheww, glad that's over), or high-quality, high-volume, bicycle pump...not cheap, btw. 'Bout 60 bucks. With a cheap K-Mart special pump...your arms will be tiring from the boring and monotnous pump, plus you'll be hunching over much lately? With the nice pump, it felt like it took a good 1 miniute 44 seconds or so while watching the boob tube in high-figh CRT to pump her up...then it was all over. I did not find the experience terribly satisfying, but it was better than the bleeting mini air compressor which took about 45 seconds of excruciating Casey Gag-Anthony!

By comparison, it was an acceptable happy-medium solution to me, with the added benefit of getting in some nice tennis elbow therapy as well...and hey, that's boring as well. Double your pleasure, I guess.

Really, two big problems to me. For these to be justfiable, A) you need to be able to hold 150 balls or so in a SINGLE container, and B) be able to POUR the balls in and out.

I can't overstate the importance of B) especially, enough! To me, it's pretty freakin' important. The pump you up aspect honestly ain't all that bad, and like I said probably good for the ol' elbow as well; but I can't tell you how frustrating it is to buy something like this for hopper use mainly, and find that it's a no go. It's excruciatingly slowwww....to have to plop out one cute, adorable, baby puppy ball at a time! I mean I love delivering babies y'all in my other life as a baby deliverer...but this is too much time and hassle folks to be practical!

With pressureless balls, yeah they stink like oversized golf ball nut sacks, but you can just take the dump them and forget them approach. Incidientally, I drove cross-country during the heat of summer with the corny keg, and it depressurized in the trunk like by half within three days....

I believe the company said they were working on bringing a new and improved larger opening to market, but then they either went under from lack of interest, or simply stopped caring. The market for these is decidedly small pond...the only thing is, on TW you are liable to think this is a large spacious blue lagoon with a loving and committed, agless Brook Shields who just called me...no really, it's true.

Beyond this board, no one really cares enough about these to mass produce and special order them with an *appropriately* sized opening to be useful for high-volume, DAILY use...as would be required by a serious amateur hobbyist, greedy pig, private tennis club owner...mua-ha-ha! Or, your friendly local neighborhood teaching pro/prviate eye and bounty hunter, named Skip McCallister at your service, I also do window cleaning.

Honestly, I only really see that big green machine thingy or the tennis ball charger 150 being "worth" it in the long haul.

I honestly don't think the corny keg is worth the trouble long haul, UNLESS you can get one with a large enough opening to pour balls. In that case, having to use two or even three of these wouldn't be all that half-bad. Corny kegs are robust like tanks, they look like giant, oversized fire extinguishers that sit in a corner. Picking them up and down and looking like you can hurl it out the window, makes you look and feel like an incredibly strong and masculine He-man in front of your woman. The feeling is just incredible! But that's where the endorsement ends for me.

The tennis ball charger 150 has been around forever, in hindsight I think they got the right balance of attibutes. Niche market, so charge up the wazoo if you hope to stay in business. The people who REALLY gonna need, are gonna buy, and beech and complain all the way to picking up the phone; but yeah, in the end, they probably gonna still buy...muttering, bunch of nice smelling, freaking, paper money for a bunch of no good, stinky, smelly overrated hunk of plastic with a lid, valve stem, and boiling needle point, pressure gauge in it#@%#!!!!!

But then? Yeah, you'll probably in the end be satisfied with it, and not complain no more after the first week. Then, you'll begin to compliment yourself in front of the mirror and flex for no good reason. The tennis ball charger has a built-in pump, can be poured, and holds the holy sweet spot of balls...150 or so, and it's *good to go*.

[ClairHarmony]

Honestly, ask yourself is it really worth it to you in the end? It's expsnive, but new rackets are a FAR bigger waste of money. That be a passing fad, that can be had on clearnace tomorrow. No money? Well then, what are you waiting for silly? Sell that puppy right this instance! Puppies depreciate overtime at an accelerated rate, make you play fetch when they should be fetching your paper, or at least making your morning coffee and scrambling your eggs without secretly slobbering in it like all the good tv dogs like Lassie do...so yeah, RJW show your wife this post, and she'll slap you silly. Convince her to allow you to do the right thing...DON'T allow her to exercise your manly inner, Tim "the foolish man" Taylor, drive...to build...! Where no man has before...unless you're an ISFP, in which case, you probably like working with your hands, 'cause doing man and craft projects on the side is a tactile feeling way of life, that brings you great pleasure.

A ball machine lift works a treat, but there is no existing market for folding rolling carts from Harbor Freight that with 20% off coupon and on sale during every other sale weeks can be head for next to nothing. It's not as good, but sometimes the ready-there solution is not bad. In this case, logically speaking, the DIY options...though tempting, are not as good as the ready-made. Have yet to see, large-enough pracitcal container like the oversized, plastic gas container thingy Tennis Ball Charger rebadged...and probably, no doubt had to *special order* in bulk, available to the public at large. It seems like there should something out there, that's just the right size and dimensions to pressureize and hold 150 balls, and then you can say ha! world! Look at me, I did it, I really did it for less...and better too! But that's not really the case here, it's a simple job, that requires simple parts, but only Tennis Ball Charger has put it out there at a price that's not *quite* out of reach, but just enough to make you stop, and scream fooey! I protest! I think honestly in this case, you're just better off selling that puppy, he'll probably get sick and ask for veterinarian help and premium Alpo dog food before you know it. Whereas with the Tennis Ball Charger 150, you'll be able to go all pro in no time! Just...charge it, for plastic is your friend. And, no, I do not work for Tennis Ball Charger; but if I did? I would suggest they hire a good ad man, so they can sell more and lower prices; because, to be honest, their current marketing campaign is abysmall, an out-of-sight, and practically not even there. They have just about ZERO presence, and it's all their fault...NOT Tennis Warehouse's for not bringing them into the spotlight...hint-hint, hint-hint, bring them into the spotlight! Only then...perhaps, the MASS consumer will no longer buy balls in bulk, that go flat the second you open them anymore...and then? Gasp, the WHOLE TENNIS INDUSTRY collapses.

No, seriously, think about it for a second. The effects would be pretty catastrophic if someone tried to mass produce a tennis ball charger for less money...why? Because, no matter how cheap; once you buy a tennis ball charger that "fills" your needs...why would pray-tell would you ever "need" to buy another one? They're not exactly sexy things, or collector cards like Pokemon. Exactly. It's NOT that the big bad ball manufacturers don't have the buying power to EASILY mass churn out a tennis ball tub for less...it's just that they'd go out of business, and enter the hot dog street selling business instead if they did. No one's thought of that yet, but I'm sure *they* have. It HAS to be true. They've been ripping you off with tennis balls that go dead before you know it for years, and they know it! And why? Because everybody knows you can't play tennis with a dead ball anymore. Much better to churn out more tennis balls, than oversimplify production with a tennis ball charger, that'll put everyone out of business. It's just a bad move all around, some "inventions" come with unfortunate consequences...tell me about it, I know this all too well. What's good for the individual, *hobbyist* consumer...can also put a small niche industry out to pasture, out of work. It's something to think about, for there are those to whom tennis is a hobby, and those to whom tennis ball sales is how...just as one example, how tennis boutique shops at your local club make ends meet. That and stringing rackets, 'cause with the Tennis Warehouse's of the world, ain't no one gonna buy rackets from ol' emaciated grandma and pop anymore. It's an oversized, global world we're living in, where Walmart and online, mean the little boys go extinct for good without wonton, excessive, tennis ball sales to help keep them afloat. It's not all greed, it's responsibility to your fellow little man in this case. As it is, the tennis ball charger is priced *just right* imo. If you REALLY want to get it, it's within reach, no more than a crummy celeron processor in a Dell. For a coaching program with some fiskal sense? It's a no-brainer. For everyone else, it's out of sight, out of mind, buy a sody pop, some grip tape, and a tennis ball can or two, the next time you're at your local friendly, ma and pop, tennis shop. And make sure to smile, and tell them Mr. Smith, the mormon, sent you. Then wink, at ma's daughter...ah, you're looking pretty fine there, ..."Ma...! The middle-aged man is creeping me out, like make him leave!" "What? Can't a man look at the latest tennis mini skirt in season these days anymore, without being harassed? I am so misunderstood! There's TW babes, on Youtube; I don't need this anymore..." "No, wait, come back!" sayeth Ma, like my daughter, was just kidding you know, giggle-giggle, tee-hee, flashing smile in the recycled, air conditioner wind."

[PrinceMoron]

OK so what I want is a way to pressurise a ball so much that when I serve it just explodes. Must be a way.