What is the best thing to use to clean the play surface?
-tornado recommends formula 409 for the laminate surfaces.
-I use blue shop towels and 100% 409. I am sure to wet the cloth/towel and not the table as mdf loves to soak in excess fluid.
-others use simple green mix, or 50%409 and water, followed up with alcohol 99 to strip any foreign fluids.
Also some of the wood that has been has dark stains from where they have been touched over the years( ball return, serving holes, etc.). is there a way to clean or sand them to make them look new again? I know this does not affect play but I am kind of a neat freak.
-I used full strength 409 and steel wool to improve grimey mdf areas with no problem, you could coat it after with the correct sealant/varnish for mdf
-don't soak mdf surfaces... spray on, quick scrub then wipe dry. Maybe alcohol 99 would be better as it is more volitile and temporary but 409 worked well for me
Also does it sound like I have gotten a good deal? I know it doesn't matter now but I practically bought the table without playing on it and am not disappointed in any way, just curious.
-assuming the table walls and goal posts are in good condition you did well. The table can be improved over time if you so desire. It can be made to perform like a new $2500 table with some time and money investment or you could enjoy it for the next 20 years as-is.
How would I know what year model it is?
-I have read you can email tornado to get a rough idea of the s/n production date. I'm not an expert, so ignore me... the older ones had metal feet that were hard to adjust alone... apparently different bearings as well. Mid 90s would be my uneducated guess due to plastic feet...
-Age can be good and bad... bm's are a well made table but you likely live in a high humidity area and that can take its toll. One of the best tests of a table is to tap a ball around the perimeter of the playfield listening for a snapping or dead sound due to separation. Usually near the goal posts but it could happen anywhere.
About Finding friends:
The easy part of foosball is to buy a table, the hard part is to find friends at your level who will get together on a regular basis. Just like cats, foosball players are an independant, ecclectic, often egocentric personality type. Increasing the number of skilled players seems to be the question of the day as the social side of the sport has been in decline. From what I can see to create foosball players you need some basic ingredients.
Start with a pack - most good players started with regular exposure to a table as part of their social circle circle or clique. Pool hall friends, tech office workers, dorm friends, brothers at home, weekly barbeques etc. Not everyone will get sucked in, but it is messy fun for all. The variety of skills and novelty will tease out individuals with a strong predisposition to foosball addiction. This will develop some social bonds, ego, and a competitive mindset that demands more action. Having a good foosball table in a high traffic social area or at an extroverts home seems to be a common theme.
Find others who love the game - sounds like this is where your at... and this is really tricky in smaller communities. From what I have read, in the past the tables were usually decent, and common. Now you have to dig around your area to find the players, the tables, and/or make something happen yourself. Organise something, advertise on craigslist, call or meet people selling tables, bring it to a farmers market, setup at octoberfest, start a meetup group, place a table out in public and run an event to flush out others.
Foosball friends usually have common social habits related to drinking, swearing, smoking stuff, church, etc... that keep them together socially. The circumstances to find others to practice and play with are endless and reallly have a great deal to do with your own habits. Although the sport has slipped away from the youth, there are still huge amounts of people who would love to play recreationally. Many of us are working to change this trend.
Develop your skills and build your community - The key here is to get together regularily, practice, and keep inviting others. Let newer players feel like they can compete and have fun. In the city we have dyp tournaments where skilled and newer players are matched and teams compete. We also have drop in nights where players can come and go over the course of a few hours knowing others will be there. Ideas and skills are exchanged and friends are made. Shameless marketing and invitations are the key here.
Competition - This is the best part... Every region of the US and Canada still has a few tournaments. Once you know the rules and play a bit prepare to go to a tournament. The exchange at a tournament is hard to quantify, but it will help to end what I call foosball isolation. That is your regional tournament will help find your local community, exchange competition tips and skills, and give you a bigger view of the sport and where things are happening in your region. Try to find your local DYP.
I love playing foosball, and really like competitive side myself but... What has happened is things have declined so much that there is only a small but devoted set of players in or near the major cities. The public side of the sport seems to have died with the exception of the tech sector and youth community centers. I personally think the tounaments directors need to create more side events like the DYP for newer players. When isolted players show up and cannot have a few round robin events to enter and have fun they won't make plans to return. The counter argument is that newer players are uncommitted to attending, hard to organize, and skills aren't developed enough to have meaningfull competition. They are best accommodated at bars and smaller events. The counter counter argument is there is very few bars or smaller events anymore.
Have fun and hope to see you in Vegas someday!
HJ
Oh shameless NPO advertising...
Vancity Foosball
http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Foosball/
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