If your board gets damaged, we are more than happy to talk with you, and consider your best options.
For regular maintenance of your board, use a mild soap and water solution, then use a silicone-free spray wax like Guardsman.
If you have a felted ditch, use a vacuum. If you have a vinyl ditch, use a vinyl cleaner like ArmorAll.
In some cases, it may be better to have a local woodworking shop repair it for you if it is a significant problem.
In other cases, it may be best if we do the repair.
If you want a new lacquer job and some TLC for your board, we can provide that.
Send us an email with photo, or give us a call. Contact info is on the bottom of the page.
If we agree to try and repair it, we’ll ask you to send it in a well-padded box, possibly the original shipping box,
with a tracking number, and insure it for an appropriate amount.
Refinishing pichenotte boards as they age:
1) The early boards from 1997 – 1998:
a) The ‘Early’ Round tops were glued to the bases, so they cannot be separated and refinished separately.
b) Common brass screws were used for posts, and black vacuum tubing from the auto parts store.
To replace them, you can probably do it yourself, but we would be happy to do it for you.
c) The gloss wood finish was done in our shop using Deft Lacquer
d) Ditches were lined with hobby grade felt, or kept as wood ditch
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2) Boards from 1998 to 2017:
a) The ‘Classic’ Round tops were not glued to the base, so they can be separated and refinished rather easily.
b-1) Brass posts were custom made threaded 8-32 solid brass.
b-2) Replacement brass posts
Set of 8 Solid Brass Posts = $24 includes shipping SHOP HERE
Set of 8 Abalone Inlay Posts = $30. includes shipping SHOP HERE
b-3) Replacement rubbers
Set of 8 Replacement Rubbers – $12. includes shipping SHOP HERE
To remove the old rubber: The most effective method is to soak the post and rubber overnight in lacquer thinner. They will easily slide off the next day. Or, try the simple method of just grabbing firmly and pulling them off. If that doesn’t work, you can slit them with an x-acto knife, and scraping them off. Slide the new ones onto the posts. The new ones should last indefinitely.
c) The finish was done by a local professional, using a catalyzed varnish, hand rubbed.
d) The ditches were lined with either Billiard Cloth or left as a Wooden Ditch
Options to refinish the board :
e-1) We can have your board re-lacquered by our local Santa Fe professional finisher. We will provide a free quote for your approval.
Cost will be a minimum of $100. Give me a heads up, to make sure I am in town. Ship to the address and be sure to give it plenty of padding and place in a sturdy box.
e-2) You can take it to a local wood refinisher.
e-3) You can make it a do-it-yourself project.”
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3) 2018 to 2019
a) The ‘Deluxe’ Board was made to easily come apart and can be relatively easily refinished, compared to previous gameboards.
It was a collaborative effort with Klaus and Dave, but Klaus did most of the hard work.
b) The posts were the same custom 8-32 machine screws
c) The finish was a 2-part hard-as-nails p0lyurethane finish with special hardener additive that will last indefinitely.
d) Ditches were lined with either Billiard Cloth, Upholstery Vinyl, or left as a Wooden Ditch
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4) 2020 to The Present
a) The Santa Fe Round Board – Dave is now making the ‘Santa Fe Round Board’ by himself
It easily comes apart, since it is not glued together. Hex Allen wrenches can be used to tighten the rail to the base if they come a little loose over time.
b) The posts are the same custom 8-32 machine screws
c) The finish is MinWax Wipe-On Poly between 7 and 9 coats.
d) Ditches are Wood and either left as blonde birch or stained Cherry or Walnut using a Gel Stain
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If you want to determine if your top was glued to the base:
Prepare a large area with a thick soft cloth. Flip the board over and remove all the screws.
If the board sticks to the base, it has been glued on. There is no way to unglue it.
– Once you do all the sanding and there are still deep dings, you can either fill them in with putty, or use a hot iron and wet cloth to see if the wood will fill with water and pop back up. I use this trick quite a bit on dented wood and it works well. Don’t get the iron too hot and don’t leave it on for a long time. Sometimes, I just use water and no iron and see if the wood will raise itself up.
– Whatever kind of finish you use, you want to do it in a dust-free environment.
– Applying the finish in thin coats and a light sanding in between, after each coat dries, is essential for a good finish.
– Some woodworkers love to stain everything. We started out doing that, but soon realized that unstained wood had a beauty that could not be matched by any stain. So, we just used the clear lacquer, polyurethane and I think we tried a few other finishes also.
3) If the billiard cloth / felt is damaged prior to 2017: If it is a matter of a stain, I would first suggest a stain remover, then, if necessary, there are several types of fabric paints that can do a very good job of disguising stains. Send me an email and I will recommend them, based on the color of your billiard cloth / felt. If the billiard cloth / felt is torn, I would suggest taking it to a tailor or an upholstery shop and ask them them to do the repair. The billiard cloth / felt we used was 75% wool, 25% nylon woven billiard cloth. The very early models were made with non-woven hobby felt.
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To replace rubber on the posts:
By soaking the old posts in ‘lacquer thinner’ overnight, the old rubber slips off in the morning. ‘Lacquer Thinner’ only. Not paint thinner or anything else.
1) You can order 8 new rubbers – SHOP HERE
To remove the old rubber: simply pull hard and squeeze them off. Or, if necessary, use Goo Gone or similar product, and cut each rubber with a sharp knife,
being careful not to injure yourself, and peel away the old rubber. To install the new ones, spray them with soapy water, or with a product like the original Amour-All polish.
Then slide the new ones onto the posts. This can be a bit of a challenge, but use some ‘elbow grease’ and it will work.
2) You can bring the board to our humble woodshop –
Call me for the address. No charge to install them.
Best to call first to make sure I am home. Use the phone number at the bottom of every page to make an appointment
3) You can mail the old posts to me and I will replace the rubbers. No charge for labor.
To remove the old posts, simply unscrew them from the base
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I have found a new rubber post material called Tygon from McMaster-Carr that should last indefinitely.
You will need to use either soapy water or Amour-All type car polish to ease them on.
With some ‘elbow grease’ they will go on, but it is a challenge even for a tough guy like me 🙂
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The replacement rubbers for $2 each – SHOP HERE
Set of 8 – $12 includes shipping
Please send me your shipping address.
You can order extras, just add $2 for each extra.
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We accept Paypal, Venmo, Cash, Mastercard and Visa.
Paypal also allows you to use most credit cards to complete the transaction.
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We hope you continue to enjoy playing pichenotte for many years !
Thank you,
Your friend,
Dave