How To Pressurize / Revive Old Tennis Balls...

S

SeasonedNovice

New User
Wow. Just found this thing. It RE-Charges / Re-Pressureizes Flat Tennis Balls, and also keeps new ones at the Correct pressure.

It's called "Pressureball" (Is it ok to Post the URL of the Manufacturers Website? If so I will)

All the other "Pressureizers" on the market just keep new tennis balls at their correct pressure. But this thing Pumps life back into FLAT balls. You can put up to 20 PSI in this thing.

I filled this thing up with old crappy, balls (that are literally 2 years old). I kept them in there for a few days, and played with them the other day and they are literally just as bouncy as New Tennis Balls! I could not believe it. This thing works like a champ.


Anyway, just thought I would share my experience with this thing because it works so well. Couldn't be happier.

Anyone else tried one?
 
W

Wilson 1986

Rookie
pumping pressure back in to old flat balls is one thing, but it's useless if the felt is worn.
I have used several balls that lose their bounce and the felt is still like new.
the worst I found are the slazenger Wimbledon hi viz balls.
has anyone else found this with these balls, or indeed other balls?
 
W

Wilson 1986

Rookie
it does seem to make sense that if the balls can lose pressure it can be pumped back in.
I thought that when the balls are worn to such a state that the felt starts to wear off, the pressure inside will be going too.
 
L

Lyzerd

New User
I keep old balls to practice serves but when I play a friend I just buy a new can so I dont see much of a need to re pressurize my tennis balls, but good for you finding this and enjoying it.
 
W

Wilson 1986

Rookie
you don't see much of a need to save money buying new balls all the time when you can revive used ones?
there is nothing wrong with saving money.
 
W

Wilson 1986

Rookie
having said that, why would you use old balls for serving practise? hitting with old balls can cause damage to your shoulder and elbow.
so why risk using said balls when you are hitting the ball as hard as you can during your serve?
 
S

SeasonedNovice

New User
Let me just say that, YES, it is a good idea to Recharge flat balls with FELT in good shape.

Just because it is a flat ball doesn't = no felt. I don't know why everyone assumes this.

Heck, you can open a new set of balls that haven't even been used, and a couple days later they will be pretty much useless for serious playing. ONLY because of the lost pressure.

The PVC pipe sounds great but...

1. Have you tried to build one yourself?

2. Have you personally used a PVC pump that WORKS? (Every one I have seen has some sort of design flaw. I Personally have never seen one the works as good as the pressureball)

3. How many other people are going to take the time to construct such a device (that works) and spend more on making it than getting a tried-and-true device?

4. You will look like a fool bringing a huge PVC pipe out into the tennis court! lol


Even though the website says 8 balls, I can actually squeeze 9 balls into the Pressureball...Plenty for a match. And it is super easy to use. It's Inexpensive. It WORKS. And doesn't look like a red-neck potato gun. :cool:
 
W

Wilson 1986

Rookie
sorry, just found it.
I'm not sure the claim, You will play better, more consistent tennis is true.
your technique will make you play better, not a new ball.
 
M

Merlin703

Rookie
I ordered one, just to try it. I had those that you add pressure while closing it but it's heavy and because of the material used cracks easily.
I'm more interested on a device that can add/keep the ball pressure at higher quantities to be used with my ball machine. $200+ sounds kind of expensive for a simple piece of plastic made by the company (I can't remember the name).

People post here that you can make one of paint barrel (or similar) but I do find those posts useless when there is no link on "How To" actually do them. Maybe just a simple list of all the components needed with links would be really useful for most of us.
 
W

Wilson 1986

Rookie
Merlin703 said:
I ordered one, just to try it. I had those that you add pressure while closing it but it's heavy and because of the material used cracks easily.
I'm more interested on a device that can add/keep the ball pressure at higher quantities to be used with my ball machine. $200+ sounds kind of expensive for a simple piece of plastic made by the company (I can't remember the name).

People post here that you can make one of paint barrel (or similar) but I do find those posts useless when there is no link on "How To" actually do them. Maybe just a simple list of all the components needed with links would be really useful for most of us.
Click to expand...

I heard that using a garden sprayer bottle can work just as well.
the ones that you have to pump pressure in to for things like weed killer and other such chemicals.
I have had a look in to it and only a few of them have a pressure gauge on them.
if you can find one with a big enough neck to fit the balls in and one that will take enough pressure, I don't see why it wouldn't work.
 
M

Merlin703

Rookie
Wilson 1986 said:
I heard that using a garden sprayer bottle can work just as well.
the ones that you have to pump pressure in to for things like weed killer and other such chemicals.
I have had a look in to it and only a few of them have a pressure gauge on them.
if you can find one with a big enough neck to fit the balls in and one that will take enough pressure, I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Click to expand...

Coo, if you are able to test it out and the results are possitive, it would be really helpful to post a link to the actual garden sprayer bottle unit. Also, any mods, if any are needed.
 
W

Wilson 1986

Rookie
well, I do live in England so the exact same product may not be available to people in other countries.
they are all pretty much the same thing, the screw on lid also has the pump handle on it for pressuring up the container.
some have a pressure valve too but I have seen some without which wouldn't really do the job.
knowing the exact pressure is important.

I would like to add too that doing such things to bring old balls back to life is pretty much pointless if the felt is worn out or is wearing out.
 
T

tes

Rookie
I use a salvaged 10 gallon paint pot to pressurize balls.
It holds two cases of balls.
works great.
 
W

Wilson 1986

Rookie
sorry, you mean a pressure pot for paint spraying.
I have used these before when I worked in a spray booth.
I never thought of using one of them.
 
A

ATP100

Professional
SeasonedNovice said:
Let me just say that, YES, it is a good idea to Recharge flat balls with FELT in good shape.

Just because it is a flat ball doesn't = no felt. I don't know why everyone assumes this.

Heck, you can open a new set of balls that haven't even been used, and a couple days later they will be pretty much useless for serious playing. ONLY because of the lost pressure.

The PVC pipe sounds great but...

1. Have you tried to build one yourself? YES.

2. Have you personally used a PVC pump that WORKS? YES.
(Every one I have seen has some sort of design flaw. I Personally have never seen one the works as good as the pressureball)

3. How many other people are going to take the time to construct such a device (that works) and spend more on making it than getting a tried-and-true device? A lot of people.

4. You will look like a fool bringing a huge PVC pipe out into the tennis court! lol You don't bring it to the court.


Even though the website says 8 balls, I can actually squeeze 9 balls into the Pressureball...Plenty for a match. And it is super easy to use. It's Inexpensive. It WORKS. And doesn't look like a red-neck potato gun. :cool:
Click to expand...


You are still learning, it's ok.
 
M

Merlin703

Rookie
Wilson 1986 said:
sorry, you mean a pressure pot for paint spraying.
I have used these before when I worked in a spray booth.
I never thought of using one of them.
Click to expand...

Wilson, I think you are the right person for the job. I did a quick search on **** and got MANY HITS. This are going for as cheap as $110, which is not bad. However, they are pretty sturdy. I think for the type of use we have to give it, the quality of some of the components should be ignore.

Here is what I think, based on your knowledge, can you recommend a 10 galon (based on Tes' post that will hold two cases, which is exactly what I need) spray paint pot? What we need is to be as light as possible and not bulky.

If I want to check out some myself, what is the best place to check it out?
If I want to buy used, what places would you recommend. Once I have an idea of what is that I want/need, I can then order from ****, if not available in my area.
 
rjw

rjw

Professional
Has anyone tried the presto 23 qt pressure canner from walwort? and other places

$85, new...should hold around 80 balls or so? Has a gauge and possibly easy to fit a tire valve???

My question is ...how long do I need to leave the balls in there to charge them up...? I recall reading somewhere.. 24 to 48 hours?
 
M

Merlin703

Rookie
rjw said:
Has anyone tried the presto 23 qt pressure canner from walwort? and other places

$85, new...should hold around 80 balls or so? Has a gauge and possibly easy to fit a tire valve???

My question is ...how long do I need to leave the balls in there to charge them up...? I recall reading somewhere.. 24 to 48 hours?
Click to expand...

Here is the link. Walmart carries it and it's also available in Amazon. I wonder how well/long can hold air tight. It will probably work OK for a few hours _2-4 but then it might just go down. I guess if it doesn't work, I can re-use it for mother's day or... Xmass :mrgreen:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-23-Qt-Pressure-Canner/2625289
41J2WXVHVRL._SS400_.jpg
 
S

sundaypunch

Hall of Fame
ATP100 said:
Anyone can make one, and, people with a ball machine will need more balls.
Click to expand...

Well, technically anyone can rebuild an engine with the proper equipment and training. While this isn't quite so complicated I have yet to see a thread here that has a reasonable DIY ball pressurizer. That is, one that can be cheaply & easily assembled with common parts and minimal skill.

I find more threads where people have cobbled something together, sometimes with dangerous results (blowing the ends of their pressurized PVC tubes).

I would be all about a good DIY pressurizer. For now this $19 version looks more attractive than anything I have seen.
 
rjw

rjw

Professional
I've called 3 walmarts in miami and they don't have it....online only?

So I found a place that carries it (I hope) as well as a 22 quart Miro, for around $75..no gauge, but I'll have to wait till Monday to see if they actually have any on hand.

The Presto has a gauge and hopefully it goes up to over 15 psi....20 to 25 will do fine, in that I believe 20 is the right number and I don't want the gauge to go south.

This leaves 2 openings to deal with. Hopefully a tire valve will fit in one and the other will probably have to be blocked (safety rubber plug that will blow at over 15 lbs}

If that works out, I don't see why it wouldn't hold pressure for 24-48 hours or more?

12" pvc pipe is either pricey by the foot or $200 for a length. Then you have to deal with fittings, gauge, glue, etc and it doesn't inspire as much confidence as aluminum....
 
T

tes

Rookie
The patent for a commercial ball repressurizer uses 50lbs psi for 4-5 days to rejuvenate old balls.
In a similiar thread to this I posted the link to the patent.
If I can find it I will repost it here.
 
S

SeasonedNovice

New User
Forget about the Pressure / Canner thing.

Here is what I read on the manual...

" The Pressure Regulator acts as a safety device
to prevent pressure in excess of 15 pounds from building in the canner. Pressure readings on the pressure canner are registered only on
the pressure dial gauge. "

It would take a LONG time to "recharge" flat balls with only 15 PSI...
 
rjw

rjw

Professional
SeasonedNovice said:
Forget about the Pressure / Canner thing.

Here is what I read on the manual...

" The Pressure Regulator acts as a safety device
to prevent pressure in excess of 15 pounds from building in the canner. Pressure readings on the pressure canner are registered only on
the pressure dial gauge. "

It would take a LONG time to "recharge" flat balls with only 15 PSI...
Click to expand...

and what does the manual say about the air fill valve?
 
rjw

rjw

Professional
SeasonedNovice said:
It says alot of things about it.

The point is, you can't fill the thing over 15 PSI...
Click to expand...

1) I doubt that it says anything about an air valve, in that it isn't part of a pressure canner.

2) define can't

3) I doubt that the canner would blow up at 16 psi or even 20, but like the pvc thing, you're on your own...
 
Last edited:
rjw

rjw

Professional
Mentioned in previous threads is this option

tennis_ball_charger.gif


My question is "How much pressure is needed?"

Tennis balls come with around 14 psi (new). I've read that many charge them initially to around 20 psi....after a while, it drops as the balls take on more pressure inside them.

I guess that a paint pot or that patented device works somewhat faster in that pressures of 50 psi or more would allow for quicker charging of the balls.

So my question is directed at Tes and/or ATP100.....how do you know how long to charge them for, with your higher potential chargers?

Or will a ball only take on so much pressure?

thx
 
Coach Carter

Coach Carter

Rookie
Wilson 1986 said:
having said that, why would you use old balls for serving practise? hitting with old balls can cause damage to your shoulder and elbow.
so why risk using said balls when you are hitting the ball as hard as you can during your serve?
Click to expand...

do you work for them? my gosh you are pestering to no end on the subject. most of these gimmic products don't do much.
 
rjw

rjw

Professional
I realize that this is the upteenth thread on the subject, but some feedback from people who actualy made something that works would be nice?

so far we've got Tes....which I understand how that would work, but need to find a cheap 5 gal (min) pot.

then we have atp 100, but no details??



thx
 
S

sundaypunch

Hall of Fame
Good luck finding DIY solutions. There are always people that pop up and say how easy it is to make your own. I have yet to see a thread with a good solution.
 
B

Boxer

New User
There's a thread around here where someone suggested corny kegs as a pressure container. I picked up a couple of reconditioned ones, a connector set pair of valves, 1 foot of neoprene hose and 4 clamps. Got this lot delivered from http://www.cornykeg.com/ as the other poster recommended.

To the above I added one brass schraeder valve fitting -- like a car tire stem but threaded for a dust cap on one end like a stem but also brass threaded on the other end at a diameter suitable for sealing against the inner diameter of the neoprene tube. Got that at a local auto parts store for a buck and change. While I was there I got a $12 pressure gauge also with a screw thread that was sung for the neoprene tube.

Assembly involved making the inlet and outlet tubes using the connector set, gauge, schraeder valve and the neoprene:

inlet: valve - 6" tubing - keg connector (each '-' end of the tube is clamped with the hose clamp thingies)

outlet: gauge - tube - connector

(Mind you get the right color red/white connector for in and out if you try this -- took me two goes to get that right! ;)).

Hardest assembly part was getting the schraeder valve thread and the gauge thread seated in the neoprene...tried cold first but after cursing for 5 minutes I blasted the tube ends with a hair dryer for a minute and it went fast from there.

Total assembly time...maybe 20 minutes from start to first applying pressure.

The schraeder valve means I can use a tire pump or my compressor that has a tire inflation fitting to deliver the pressure nice and easily.

Kegs hold 40 or 50 balls at a time (haven't counted exactly but plenty for a practice basket for me anyway). Only real pain is that the opening in the top of the keg is a bit tight so getting the balls out is a bit more fiddly than just upending the whole thing. These things hold pressure very well for a week or two (and it needs to be that long for some balls; Dunlops lose pressure slowly but they take it back slowly too I discovered!).

I wouldn't claim that's an original since I copied the idea from another thread here but I can claim it's pretty darned easy to do...I'm not at all mechanical or handy.

Works pretty well. I have two kegs and plenty of old balls with decent felt still so I can always keep a couple of sets cooking and have some 'retreads' in the basket at the same time.
 
rjw

rjw

Professional
Cool...I remember that thread.

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

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

thx
 
Z

zorcy3

New User
recharge tennis balls

Yes it can be done. I have done it. My tank holds 60-68 balls. It would take 2 tanks to do some ball machines. If the ball is relatively new, a month or less, you just need to store them on 15 PSI. If you collect them from around the courts and they are unknown, you have to recharge them around 20-30 PSI. It takes about a week. Every once in a while, you find a few balls that go farther flat. I toss them out. I stated this for my friend. He coaches all ages and uses a LOT of balls. I think I have saved him about $1000 in just the last 10 months.

The tank I made him can go up to 200 PSI. I saw the green machine, nice set up. I like it. I think they should go to Nitrogen instead of CO2 though.
 
Z

zorcy3

New User
I've put them on craigslist in Atlanta too. They are too much equipment for a general player, but a must for a coach or ball machine.
 
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