Shaft finish

Mike81

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a shaft that has some sort of clear coat or some finish like that. It tends to stick in my hands and fingers when shooting especially on a humid day. My players hxt doesn't have this finish and always feels much smoother. My question is how can I remove this finish safely? I'm a machinist and could easily set this up in a lathe to sand it smooth but would this be the right way to go about it or not.? Thanks in advance for your help
 

Renegade_56

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a shaft that has some sort of clear coat or some finish like that. It tends to stick in my hands and fingers when shooting especially on a humid day. My players hxt doesn't have this finish and always feels much smoother. My question is how can I remove this finish safely? I'm a machinist and could easily set this up in a lathe to sand it smooth but would this be the right way to go about it or not.? Thanks in advance for your help

yes you can sand it Mike, but sand with the grain. If it's thick use 400 to cut it off. You can tell by the material on the sandpaper when you get thru the finish and down to the wood. Stop at the wood, and put a sanding sealer on it. Let it dry in good, depending on brand at least and hour should do. Then sand again, with the grain, starting at 600, and progressively down to at least 2K. Burnishing with a fine coat of carnauba wax will protect the wood and help keep it clean, requiring just a good rub down with a soft dry cloth after use.
 

M.G.

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Actually, I'd not use 2K, but only 1200.
Only use a satin or matte finish, never glossy!

A too smooth finish will actually start to feel sticky again, because there are no small groves for air to act as a buffer.

In general, a good finish means soaking into the wood, and then taking off something again so a little of the wood can be felt through again.

Ibanez Velvet Touch is an excellent example how to finish wood.

:thumbup: for the rest.
 

qbilder

slower than snails
Silver Member
The wood itself will polish up nice & smooth. A good wax over the bare wood will enhance the smooth feel and give some longevity. I don't use sealer on my shafts, finished or between cuts. Oddly enough, I like for them to breathe. Warpers will warp regardless, and stable ones will always be stable. If there's a grey area in between that will stay straight only if you seal them, then I wouldn't use them in the first place. Nothing against sealing, as sealing a stable shaft won't hurt it. Some guys feel they can get a smoother or longer lasting smooth by using sealer, and that's fine. I'm not convinced. Everybody does what they do for their own reasons. I'm not posting this to argue with anybody or knock a technique, just offering another point of view. Heck, I have used everything from dielectric silicone gel, Kiwi boot water proof wax, shellac, oil & water based sanding sealer, etc. to seal shafts over the years and they all did just fine. Turns out that not sealing at all works just fine, too.
 

Renegade_56

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The wood itself will polish up nice & smooth. A good wax over the bare wood will enhance the smooth feel and give some longevity. I don't use sealer on my shafts, finished or between cuts. Oddly enough, I like for them to breathe. Warpers will warp regardless, and stable ones will always be stable. If there's a grey area in between that will stay straight only if you seal them, then I wouldn't use them in the first place. Nothing against sealing, as sealing a stable shaft won't hurt it. Some guys feel they can get a smoother or longer lasting smooth by using sealer, and that's fine. I'm not convinced. Everybody does what they do for their own reasons. I'm not posting this to argue with anybody or knock a technique, just offering another point of view. Heck, I have used everything from dielectric silicone gel, Kiwi boot water proof wax, shellac, oil & water based sanding sealer, etc. to seal shafts over the years and they all did just fine. Turns out that not sealing at all works just fine, too.

Yeah, I agree to a point. I've had good results getting the shaft slick without sealer, but found the shaft gets dirty very easily, and then the user uses sandpaper on them frequently to get them smooth again and even to sand off the grime. I find sealer and wax really keep it clean and requires only a good brisk wipedown. What really convinced me on sealer was when I started using OB 2 shafts on my personal shooter, where you can actually feel the different pieces of wood in the shaft. The technique I posted above smooths that out and it feels like a solid 1 piece maple shaft, the wax alone wouldn't do it but the sealer does, so I've just done it that way ever since.
 

qbilder

slower than snails
Silver Member
Yeah, I agree to a point. I've had good results getting the shaft slick without sealer, but found the shaft gets dirty very easily, and then the user uses sandpaper on them frequently to get them smooth again and even to sand off the grime. I find sealer and wax really keep it clean and requires only a good brisk wipedown. What really convinced me on sealer was when I started using OB 2 shafts on my personal shooter, where you can actually feel the different pieces of wood in the shaft. The technique I posted above smooths that out and it feels like a solid 1 piece maple shaft, the wax alone wouldn't do it but the sealer does, so I've just done it that way ever since.

I use the renaissance wax after sanding to 1500 & burnishing. Shafts stay pretty good.
 

3kushn

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The wood itself will polish up nice & smooth. A good wax over the bare wood will enhance the smooth feel and give some longevity. I don't use sealer on my shafts, finished or between cuts. Oddly enough, I like for them to breathe. Warpers will warp regardless, and stable ones will always be stable. If there's a grey area in between that will stay straight only if you seal them, then I wouldn't use them in the first place. Nothing against sealing, as sealing a stable shaft won't hurt it. Some guys feel they can get a smoother or longer lasting smooth by using sealer, and that's fine. I'm not convinced. Everybody does what they do for their own reasons. I'm not posting this to argue with anybody or knock a technique, just offering another point of view. Heck, I have used everything from dielectric silicone gel, Kiwi boot water proof wax, shellac, oil & water based sanding sealer, etc. to seal shafts over the years and they all did just fine. Turns out that not sealing at all works just fine, too.

The man that first taught me to play also owned a sizable saw mill in S. Illinois. He knew wood from 60+ years in the business and knew billiards from at least that many years. He told me the best finish for the shaft comes from the oils in your hand. He didn't care and I don't care about the looks of the shaft. Feel is the thing.

I'll probably raise a few more hackles with this. Almost always, when I get a new shaft, I'll sand off the finish from ferrule down to the real finish, 3 or 5 inches from the joint. Then never sand again unless it gets dinged, then address that tiny spot only, opening the grain and a little spit then lightly blend it in.
 
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qbilder

slower than snails
Silver Member
The man that first taught me to play also owned a sizable saw mill in S. Illinois. He knew wood from 60+ years in the business and knew billiards from at least that many years. He told me the best finish for the shaft comes from the oils in your hand. He didn't care and I don't care about the looks of the shaft. Feel is the thing.

I'll probably raise a few more hackles with this. Almost always, when I get a new shaft, I'll sand off the finish from ferrule down to the real finish, 3 or 5 inches from the joint. Then never sand again unless it gets dinged, then address that tiny spot only, opening the grain and a little spit then lightly blend it in.

When I was in AK, I maintained a player's shaft but wasn't allowed to touch the wood. He liked keeping the tip new and the ferrule clean, but said it took him years of hand oil & sweat to polish that shaft to the point it is, and didn't want me doing a thing to it.
 

louieatienza

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I like using wax on my shafts. Rub it on, let it sit and stiffen up, wipe the excess off. Then burnish with leather. When it's time to clean, which is not often, I dab a towel with some naptha and it removes the wax, taking most if not all the dirt with it, and I can reapply the wax. If for some reason I need to slick the shaft in between, I use a white nylon pad, which has no abrasives. Usually, however, since my hands are relatively dry, I prefer a slight resistance for "feel..."
 
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