I don't know if any good sandpaper tt bats are currently being manufactured. A
friend bought one on ebay that is offered there often, called a "Thunder". It
is awful. So light if feels like you have nothing in your hand, and so dead
that when you hit the ball it feels like the ball will just drop onto the floor.
I bought some vintage Parker Bros. sandpaper bats on ebay, and we had a lot of
fun with them at the last two nationals. Jones Baldanado played with several of
us, and coached us on the liha rules...easy serve, easy return...and the 5 point
playoff if the score is 19 all. He thought the Parker Bros. bats were too fast.
This July I gave him a vintage 3-ply Harvard bat with 400 grit wet/dry black
paper I put on it. He liked it a lot. When I asked him what kind of sandpapers
were used in liha table tennis, he said "anything". So room to experiment here.
I think most of the modern bats are too light for sandpaper because they are
made to accomodate some heavy sponge coverings. A friend put 180 grit paper on a
heavy old 5 ply bat (unknown manufacturer) and loves it. We play great games.
Probably the best would be to find a large oval vintage bat that has "touch",
you can feel the impact of the ball easily and adjust to it, such as a Hock. Or
perhaps a Valor American Chopper, or a Yasaka sweeper, and try different papers.
Jones thought the 3-ply Harvard had a good touch, and he played very well with
the 400 grit black wet/dry paper. I plan to make another one like it.

--- In hardbat@yahoogroups.com, "Larry Bone" <bonemanrides@...> wrote:
>
> > Has anyone taken a look at sandpaper?
>
> It was banned from play a while back. I've heard that some would like to see
it "legalized".
>
> > Never played with the stuff myself, but I
> > can't imagine one could load up too much spin with it.
>
> I have. You'd be surprised.... you can impart spin with it. It does wreak
havoc on the ball from a physical standpoint. Roughs up the surface
considrably... which of course, makes the aerodynamic properties of the ball
considerably different.
>
> Actually... now that you mention it.. I recall playing with a bat that was
completely cast resin... with sanpaper faces and I'll be darned if I didn't see
them on Ebay just the other day....
>
> Here's a couple listings (Ebay Item Numbers) it you're interested in a little
"comparison" shopping.
>
> 170344139271 (7 lots of 5 available!!!)
>
> 370225949236 @ 5.99.... a bargain!
>
> 300289774967 STIGA!!!!
>
> And HERE THEY ARE! UNISTRUCTURE and BUY 'em by the DOZEN gang!!
>
> 350218427629
>
> Precisely as I remember the units from the 1970s.
>
> So yeah... you can get them! Seeing as they're not legal for official play,
I'm sure there are all shapes and manners of them.... and of course, one could
certainly ponder the different materials... not only for blade construction....
but for coverings. 80, 120, 220... grip paper. Garnet paper? Silicon Carbide?
Good olde fashioned SAND paper?
>
> Could make for some interesting experimentation I'm sure.
>
> BTW.. .the resin units... being resin.... not legal for hardbat play either.
;-)
>
> It is... and interesting topic, I assure you!
>
> Cheers!
>
> Larry "Boneman" Bone
> Dingmans Ferry, PA
>