Looking to buy some Clear acrylic pads hoping to find some on here everywhere is back ordered
ISO/wtb clear acrylic pads
- Thread starter 23jmjjjones
- Start date
CD......? Like the kind music is on? DVD's too?
Yes. Just use a hole saw without the drill bit. Run it slow rpm or else it will melt the material. Sand or use a utility blade to scrape off the reflective and melt layer.
I have to ask, why are installers starting to use a clear pad? Do they use them on other tips that aren't black Kamui's or any other black tip, and if so....why?
I know that Kamui offers a clear backed tip, but they are attached to the tip already as a package. All they are is a gimmick...IMO, as you still have to sand them flat and they offer no upgrade to the performance of the tip. Even Kamui only states that it assists in installation only. I hope it's not for someone to pass off tips as kamui clears that aren't actually them.
Dave
I know that Kamui offers a clear backed tip, but they are attached to the tip already as a package. All they are is a gimmick...IMO, as you still have to sand them flat and they offer no upgrade to the performance of the tip. Even Kamui only states that it assists in installation only. I hope it's not for someone to pass off tips as kamui clears that aren't actually them.
Dave
Tip pads
I was using the Cd's as a tip pad material because it is a very flat source of poly carbonate.
I had acrylic sheet that was reasonably flat, but found it was prone to shattering. So Cd's it was. I was making my own before knowledge of the Kamui thing. I found that with some tips there was an advantage to the clear pad versus the no clear pad. You can get different coloured cd's for identifying different tips.
Neil
I was using the Cd's as a tip pad material because it is a very flat source of poly carbonate.
I had acrylic sheet that was reasonably flat, but found it was prone to shattering. So Cd's it was. I was making my own before knowledge of the Kamui thing. I found that with some tips there was an advantage to the clear pad versus the no clear pad. You can get different coloured cd's for identifying different tips.
Neil
I have a sheet of it if you feel like cutting pads out
Kinda interesting, first, just because a customer asks for it, doesn't mean you should break possibly copyright/trademark/ patent laws, as I'm sure Kamui may have in place. Second, there is no proof that this 'pad' helps performance, even by Kamui, It's strictly for installation ease according to them, so why would someone want to duplicate it....Unless for financial gain...nothing else.
They get to buy a 2:50 black tip and then charge for a MUCH more $$ black tip around the $35-$45 price range. Plain and simple. IMO, anyone putting clear pads under the tip they install, especially black tips, may be violating above mentioned restrictions, and sadly, only for financial gain. I have been at a tourney recently where the guy doing the cue work was installing kamui Clears and regular blacks, as Kamui brand of black tips for $20 installed but he was installing a separate clear pad.....hummmm. By the time I was made aware of it and talked to the league operator, he abruptly left and hasn't been seen since. Those tips mushroomed beyond belief, as soon as they started to play with them that same day.
Third, interesting how that the OP hasn't responded since the original post.......
Dave
They get to buy a 2:50 black tip and then charge for a MUCH more $$ black tip around the $35-$45 price range. Plain and simple. IMO, anyone putting clear pads under the tip they install, especially black tips, may be violating above mentioned restrictions, and sadly, only for financial gain. I have been at a tourney recently where the guy doing the cue work was installing kamui Clears and regular blacks, as Kamui brand of black tips for $20 installed but he was installing a separate clear pad.....hummmm. By the time I was made aware of it and talked to the league operator, he abruptly left and hasn't been seen since. Those tips mushroomed beyond belief, as soon as they started to play with them that same day.
Third, interesting how that the OP hasn't responded since the original post.......
Dave
I think you're reading too far into it. Some people just like the look of the clear pad. Nothing more. Nothing less. I suppose there is there is going to be some weasel who tries to pass off another tip as Kamui but I think that is a very small percentage.
Next thing you know, Captain Mingaud's family will sue everyone for putting leather tips on cues. I've even put a piece of Lexan under my tip long ago, because I played with a cheap Sneaky with a cheap soft plastic ferrule, and I have a pretty hard stroke at times.
Same thing with guys that use phenolic, fiber, or CF pads.
I'd agree that if someone took a black magic marker to a LePro tip, put a clear pad, and charged $50 for it, that would be robbery. Interestingly, I do have a Bob Frey cue with a Kamui black installed...
Ryan nailed it. People simply like the look & despite all the naysayers, a pad has a negligible effect on the hit. Just think about all those ivory ferrules that hit great - even with a pad!
Regarding patent infringement, pads have been used for decades. I don't see color or opacity as being a reason for exclusivity.
Yes, I could (and have) cut my own from CDs (thanks, Neil) or I could have ordered the cheaper, larger & thicker pads from ebay but I'm lazy. The real reason I had a batch burned in 1/32" thickness was so I could glue the pads to tips ahead of time. When a customer arrives & wants a Triangle with a clear pad, I pick an already padded tip out of my box & glue it on. Wham, bam, done & I'm $5 richer.
Regarding patent infringement, pads have been used for decades. I don't see color or opacity as being a reason for exclusivity.
Yes, I could (and have) cut my own from CDs (thanks, Neil) or I could have ordered the cheaper, larger & thicker pads from ebay but I'm lazy. The real reason I had a batch burned in 1/32" thickness was so I could glue the pads to tips ahead of time. When a customer arrives & wants a Triangle with a clear pad, I pick an already padded tip out of my box & glue it on. Wham, bam, done & I'm $5 richer.
Thanks Kim
Thank you Kim for posting the link on eBay for those clear pads. After Tommy-D made his post I went looking on eBay, but could not find them. Ryan is right. people do like the looks of the clear pad. I have requests all the time for clear pads by my customers. I did a black Juma ferrule with a black Kamui clear tip. Boy did it look nice. The Juma polished up real nice. Everyone was talking about how nice it looked.
Thank you Kim for posting the link on eBay for those clear pads. After Tommy-D made his post I went looking on eBay, but could not find them. Ryan is right. people do like the looks of the clear pad. I have requests all the time for clear pads by my customers. I did a black Juma ferrule with a black Kamui clear tip. Boy did it look nice. The Juma polished up real nice. Everyone was talking about how nice it looked.
has anyone confirmed that the Kamui pads are actually acrylic or is everyone assuming? Acrylic is literally the last thing i would choose for this type of installation. I initially saw these and assumed they were some type of polycarbonate. Theirs probably a couple hundred variants of optically clear plastic, all with very different properties that would be extremely relative to the feel of the cue. I would think that when the tip gets worn enough and the pad starts to share more of the impact then acrylic might shatter.