5 ways to fix a ping pong ball. I only knew one way!
How to Fix a Dented Ping Pong Ball
from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Yes, it’s true-you got so tied up in your last ping pong battle that you ended up denting the ball. Luckily, you don’t have to throw it away. Here’s how to salvage a beat up ping pong ball.
Steps
- Boil a pot of water.
- Put the ping pong ball on top of the water. Leave it there until it resumes its spherical shape.
- Take it out.
- Put the ball in a tissue and wrap the tissue around it, taping all the edges together to form a little sack.
- Hang the sack until the ball cools down.
- Find a helper who is handy with a lighter.
- Gently run the flame under the ping pong ball so as not to set too much heat on it, but just enough to cause a reaction. Do not hold it still. Instead, run it back and forth slowly.
- Continue until the gases within the ball expand, fixing the damaged ball and causing it to revert back to normal playing standards.
- Hold it gently until it cools off.
- Enjoy, relax, and play on!
- Put a ping pong ball into a conventional laundry dryer for 20 to 30 seconds (occasionally the ball will take up to five minutes to undent depending on the quality of the ball.)
- Let the ball cool down to harden or it may dent again quite easily.
- Grab a hair dryer with a high and hot setting.
- Turn it on and point the air stream vertically.
- Place the ping pong ball in the air stream keeping it vertical.
- Watch carefully as it will expand. It may be wise to take it off and let it cool periodically as the gases inside expand the ball to ensure no deformities.
- Assemble another ping pong ball, nail polish remover (acetone) and fine sandpaper.
- Cut a piece of material from the other ball.
- Paste that piece onto the damaged area using nail polish remover.
- Polish the area using the sandpaper.
Video
Tips
- Don’t put the ball down and let it sit on its side while it is still hot, or else it’ll form a flat edge. Keep it suspended, whether by holding it gently or hanging it in some kind of soft fabric, until it cools off.
Warnings
- This will only work with Ping Pong balls that do not have cracks.
- Don’t bring the flame too close to the ping pong ball or let it touch the ball – it will catch on fire quite spectacularly.
- Be aware of the obvious dangers of flames and boiling water. Do not allow children to do this without adult supervision.
- The ball may change slightly after heating it. It will increase in size, for example.
- Don’t expect the ball to be as durable as it once was. After each time of reviving the ball, it will lose its durability, until it is punctured or cracks.
- Its bounce power might decrease also, and will result in altered games.
- Under no circumstances should you put a ping pong ball into a microwave oven. A few seconds of heating will cause spontaneous combustion at a temperature high enough to incinerate the interior.
- The table tennis ball gives off a bad smell.
Related wikiHows
- How to Play Ping Pong/Table Tennis
- How to Serve a Ping Pong Ball With a Topspin
- How to Win at Killer Ping Pong
- How to Play Ping Pong Races
- How to Play 3 Coin Hockey
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