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Another mystery cue for the experts!

Chili Palmer
That cue looks a lot like cue #12 in the pic below. I won that cue by making a spot shot at Big Johns's Billiards in Omaha, NE on a Halloween night sometime in the mid to late 90's. There were three of us on the table, we picked a number and spun a wheel and won the chance to win a cue if we make the spot shot. I went first, made it, buddy #1 went second, made it, buddy #2 went third and took two tries, we all won cues. Me and buddy #1 picked the heaviest cue so we could use them as break cues (funny, now that my current break cue is sub 16oz). We both still own them and I used mine as a break cue for at least 5 years. Not sure what buddy #2 did with the cue, will have to ask, just spoke with him via text the other day. The shaft is very much warped, as depicted in the video below. Note the flat tip, it was a break cue.

EDIT: As far as maker goes it's hard to tell. In that area of cues there are dozens (and I'm sure more) Chinese companies making cues for all kinds of companies. Just know it's probably Chinese made, mass production, but - if it plays well then none of that matters.

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2-RAIL KICK SPEED EFFECTS, with the Midpoint-Parallel-Shift Aiming System

Chili Palmer
GideonF said:
I like that system where the balls are near a rail but I find it hard to hit balls in the middle of the table. Maybe it’s just me.
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Kicking two rails when the OB is near a rail I, more or less, shoot a one rail shot but shoot it long, adjusting for speed of hit and english used. Personally, I have found the mid-point parallel system works for me; however, my "natural" speed my be different then yours. My suggestion is to setup the shot he shows in the beginning and simply practice it until you can't miss. I will say, if the CB is further down table (as in the diagram below) I viewing the shot as a 3 railer and simply inserting the 1B into the equation. Basically, I calculate a 3 rail shot to multiple points in the bottom left until the 1B falls into the path, but I'm more familiar with 3 railers than 2 railers.

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Do cue makers who make wood shafts still use a wood sealer dip?

Chili Palmer
Kim Bye said:
Some still use Nelsonite or other similar stabilizing agents, but it seems that the consensus now is that if a shaft want's to warp it does and the stabilizing agent just makes you spend more time on a shaft that still will warp at some point. It's the same with drying wood in general. Some makers rely on moisture control to keep things stable from square to dowel to final piece, while many cuemakers actually "tortures" the wood, so you weed out the bad blanks before you even start working it, saves you time in the long run.
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Good points. My research tells me Nelsonite, or others, helps prevent the change in humidity in wood, which can prevent warping. I haven't done a lot of shaft work but whenever I had raw wood (mainly sanding down older shafts) I have always used a sealer for this reason. I also believe, but can't confirm, it helps prevent the bluing of the shaft due to chalk residue.

However, and as much as I'm a newbie when it comes to wood working, there is one thing I have learned, mother nature is going to do what it wants. That 1" x 1" square shaft blank has an infinite amount of directions it can go once you start spinning it down, and it doesn't care about you and your timeline. Every time you spin it down a tenth/thousandth, you just opened up countless ends of grain that may have been under compression or tension or both and they are going to do what they want on whatever timeline they choose. I have 5 shaft blanks that I bought as squares 6 years ago, I have been slowly knocking off the corners and spinning them down (I knocked the corners off a year after purchase and have put them on the lathe twice since then), they are currently at about .95" and I haven't touched them in 2-3 years. I have wood for 2 cues, when I have them built I want the builder to take at least another year finishing the shafts, I'll wait, it's worth it.
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Cue ID

PDX
Chili Palmer said:
Make sure you post up more pics and the specs! Merry widow, 4 pointer? Can't wait to see the rest of it. I literally just sold the last piece of goncalo alves I had or I'd be comparing them but, looking at the inter webs, that's my guess also. Here's a link to my old Tulip wood MVP cue, the grain seems similar but the tulip wood seems a bit tighter than your picture and has a bit more an orange tint.

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Merry Widow and I will when I get it home.
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Do cue makers who make wood shafts still use a wood sealer dip?

Chili Palmer
ShootingArts said:
Besides Nelsonite there was a product called Resolute that didn't smell as strongly. However both were pure hell on your lungs. I used to go outside with a breeze blowing and still have to bring a fan out to dip shafts in an upright three or four inch PVC pipe. It is amazing how much of these liquids a shaft blank can soak up in a minute or less. The liquid foams like it is in a hard boil until all the air comes out of a piece of wood and there is a lot of air in wood!

Aside from the little matter of killing myself, I quit using these dips because they deaden the feel of the hit a little. Very noticeable if you test the same wood side by side.

Hu
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I believe it, I have built quite a few cutting boards, it's amazing how much mineral oil an 18" x 24" cutting board will soak up, sometimes it would take 24 hours. That HAS to have an affect on shaft weight at some point?
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Cue ID

Chili Palmer
PDX said:
It is a 5/16x18 pin.

Less than a Lucasi.
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Make sure you post up more pics and the specs! Merry widow, 4 pointer? Can't wait to see the rest of it. I literally just sold the last piece of goncalo alves I had or I'd be comparing them but, looking at the inter webs, that's my guess also. Here's a link to my old Tulip wood MVP cue, the grain seems similar but the tulip wood seems a bit tighter than your picture and has a bit more an orange tint.

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Underappreciated Cue Makers Section

Johnny Rosato
FishKife ~ you are correct about the joint not showing wood surrounding the pin.
Mine showed all stainless joint collar. U thought that strange as I had seen a few Schon's before and they all showed wood in there.
I've read here that some didn't like the hit and some praised it highly.
Personal preference I reckon.
Good luck with you sale IF you decide to sell.
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Highest percentage way to shoot this with BIH, playing Back Pocket 9 Ball

Chili Palmer
David in FL said:
I'm glad that I'm not the only one that needs to take that seriously…

Probably about three balls apart and dead straight. About a half tip or so of follow as if my only goal in life is to make the cue ball itself. Roll it...
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Bob Jewett said:
First, set it up absolutely straight to the center of the pocket. (That's usually very near the intersection of the rail grooves.)

To minimize the effect of unintended sidespin, play with either draw or follow. Some players feel they can find the center of the cue ball better at the bottom, so draw is best for them.

A very old technique for straight-in shots: point your stick at the center of the pocket, not the object ball. The distant target may cause you to aim more precisely. Of course, if you have failed to do step 1 correctly, this won't work very well. (A more general use of the idea when the shot is not perfectly straight is to figure out where in the pocket to point your stick, like at the left point or at that rust spot on the corner casting.)
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Going straight at it is an excellent time to point out the need to practice the Mighty-X :)

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Highest percentage way to shoot this with BIH, playing Back Pocket 9 Ball

Chili Palmer
I'd be about 3-4" back from where the CB is now with a slight cut to the right, which is where it looks like it's sitting, and would shoot with slight bottom left. Medium speed, unless the pockets are being friendly and I don't really like the opponent, if that's the case, it's going in at warp speed. The first thing I do when I get to a table to practice is shoot shots just like this, but the OB starts closer to the end rail and I move it further away as I progress and I adjust the distance. I do this to learn short, soft draws, draw it 4", draw it 6", draw it a foot, etc. By the time I shoot that 9B I should have a good idea of table speed, any roll off, clean/dirty balls (affects throw), etc.
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