Hi,

A lot of the more advanced (and boy were they advanced!) players at the community centre where I really started to play were doing this. The idea isn't to get the shuttles themselves to very high temperatures, since they would probably fall apart. With all the glue and other products that make them up, as you say, bad things are bound to happen that way.

The idea is to use the vapour itself to coat the feathers evenly with moisture. That way there's more 'give' at the time when the feathers contact the strings. Non-steamed shuttles lasted two or three rallies at the most, and they were using AS-50. That's a lot of money per rally by the end of the night. So the less resistance, the less breakage, the better.

I'm not sure whether there are more reasons to use steaming. A slightly higher degree of moisture doesn't get you the same effect, which is probably why people don't use your sponge idea. I do wonder if the heat has anything to do with it otherwise.

I hope I've helped clear the issue. If I'm dead wrong or have omitted something vital and someone reading this knows it, please correct me.

Paul said:

Lukas

The idea of steaming shuttles isn't to change their speed but to make them last longer.

When you play in different halls, the temperature has the effect of making the air thinner or denser. This has an effect on a shuttle whereby the same shuttle will fly further in a hotter environment than colder because of the change in the air.

Paul

Thanks for the explanation

i am sorry to say this to you marc but steaming shuttles for a week long in the bathroom is WAY to long! NOTE:Shuttles needed only to be prepared if they are pour quality or stored to long.

the proper way to prepare shuttles is:

– get a kettle with water and heat it up. When the water is boiling you can do two things.

1. get al the shuttles out of the container and let each individual shuttle suck up the steam for an X ammount of time.(depends on the age of the shuttles) when i prepair the shuttle, i hold the feathers of the shuttle for roughly 5 seconds above the kettle. If you are holding the shutltle to long in the steam, the shuttle will suck up to much moist and it wil change the distinctive features and flight path of the shuttle.(prepair1 or 2 days before usage)

2. remove both caps of the shuttle container but leave the shuttles inside the container. place the container with shuttles verticaly in the steam. the steam wil find it's way trhough the container. when the steam is coming out of the upper container side you know it is ready. put the caps back on the container and you are done!(prepair1 or 2 days before usage)

the shower is also a way to prepair the shuttles. You should do this once, not a whole week.

you will know when a shutlle is to saturated:

1: the feathers of the shuttles are full of moist, you cannot bend the tips of the feather so good.

2: the shuttle becomes heavier and will travel way faster than it's origanal state.

3. You will feel/see moist on the feathers of the shuttle.

NOTE: if you are buying shuttles you can notice of a shuttles is “fresh” or “old”:

good shuttles are:

– shuttles with feathers that are crisp

– shuttles that can have a smell of glue

– shuttles with nice white feathers

– shuttles without dents in the cork

bad shuttles are:

– shuttles with yellowish or even brownish feathers

– shuttles that smell “stale” or “muff'

– shuttles with feathers who are feeling dry. (if you are feeling the feathers you will know when it's dry. A dry feather tends to sting or prick in your skin. Not stingen like a bee or mosquito but you can feel it a little.)

– shuttles with feathers who are not running perfectly straight. (the quill is curving to the right or left)

the last thing i like to say is:

Good shuttles do not need to be prepaired unless you want to trade in a good flight path for lasting a tiny bit more.

i played with:

– victor campion GOLD (superb shuttle in flight path and duration)

– yang yang 300B(really good shuttle for its price, good flight path, duration a little less then campion gold)

– carlton GT1 (the same as yang yang)

– yonex aerosensa 30, 40 (superb shuttle in flight path. lacking duration for the price you pay)

– RSL tourney 1 (cheaper than the rest above and you will notice. Good flight, really bad duration. feathers tending to break really easy.

– victor queen (good shuttle, a bit pricy compared to the quality of the carltons and yang yangs)

– break 101 (awfully bad, yellowish brown feathers. very dry and you need a shuttle every point NOT KIDDING!)

1. victor champion GOLD(pricey but well worth)

2. carlton gt 1/yang yang 300B (good allround perfomer with excellent value)

3. victor queen (just because)

4. yonex aerosensa 30, 40 (really good shuttle, but way to pricey!)

(sorry for the english i use, it is not my first language)