Prather Full Splice Blank - Louro Preto/Curly Maple

Lisa, that's probably best looking Prather splice I've seen...everything nice and tight....but that wood, man that's really incredible. I wouldn't want to loose any of it to inlays. If you decide you've gotta have inlays, imho I'd stick to inlaid rings. Some great suggestions here already. I'd opt for a flat face 3/8-11 with short ivory joint. :smile:
 
cueaddicts said:
Lisa, that's probably best looking Prather splice I've seen...everything nice and tight....but that wood, man that's really incredible. I wouldn't want to loose any of it to inlays. If you decide you've gotta have inlays, imho I'd stick to inlaid rings. Some great suggestions here already. I'd opt for a flat face 3/8-11 with short ivory joint. :smile:
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Thanks Sean! I know that you have seen your fair share of cues and blanks over the years, so your comments mean a lot. :)

From the beginning, I have really had no intentions of adding inlays...the wood in this blank really does all the talking...and with the blue veneers, it's more of a shout-out! LoL!!

Whatever the material I finally settle on, it will definitely have a 1/2 joint of some sort....I am just really seeing it on this cue. And it will very likely have a big pin.

I am more hung up on how I will incorporate more of the peacock blue found in the veneers into the finished cue to provide a little balance....or if I shouldn't even worry about adding a little more blue.

I am diggin' on the bumperless Hoppe style, though...and am leaning heavily toward that way. :grin:

Lisa
 
It would depend a lot on the weight of the blank and the balance. But if it were me, here's what I would do...

  • Flat faced ivory joint.
  • Classic Szamboti stitch ring set in a brown phenolic. Stitches being blue to compliment the veneers.
  • Wrapless.
  • Standard ivory hoppe ring with a brown phenolic buttcap.
  • No bumper. I like the look of the ivory showing under the buttcap. (It could also serve as a classic place for the cuemaker you choose to place an etched signature/date?)

Of course, you could easily swap out the brown phenolic for black. Due to the primary wood being bacote and the veneers being blue AND black, you could swap the brown for black.

That would look really pretty. Butthen again, thats just my taste. To each his own. Right?

Good luck. And keep us posted.

Aiden.
 
As you all know, I was really struggling with how to design this cue so that there would be a balance between the blue veneers, which are very vibrant, and the beauty of the figuring in the Louro Preto.

Also, once the blank was turned, the Louro Preto got lighter in color, almost golden, which allowed for the figuring to really come through, but making the blue veneers even more vibrant. I knew that I needed to incorporate more of that blue in the butt to bring balance. While I am generally not a fan of thicker rings, it really works on this particular cue, IMHO. I feel the focus has now been brought back to the beauty of the wood.

Additionally, the blank itself turned out to be over 34" long! This allowed for a piece to be cut from both ends of the blank. The bottom piece I opted to use for a butt cap...which I think was so the right choice! The grain was matched to that in the handle as closely as possible, given the wild figure.

This cue will have a FF SS 1/2 joint with a 3/8x11 pin. I will post more pics once I have the completed cue in hand!

lisarings.jpg


Lisa
 
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hangemhigh said:
Great choice Lisa. Your design works exactly the way you wanted, and the cue looks fantastic.
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Thanks Tommy...I wanted to do something a little different than the norm with this one, and yes, I am very happy with how it has turned out. Now, if it plays like most Bocote cues play...:dance:

Lisa
 
Prather

Wow... that turned out beautiful! The 'E' ring is perfect with the veneers. Really love those bright blue veneers too. Now you have to post a pic of all your cues together!! :D:):D:)
 
cyrex said:
Wow... that turned out beautiful! The 'E' ring is perfect with the veneers. Really love those bright blue veneers too. Now you have to post a pic of all your cues together!! :D:):D:)
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Thanks cyrex! I will post a group pic of all 3 of my cues once I receive this one. :D

Lisa
 
I'm anxious to see a pic that shows the whole butt, joint to cap. It's turned out just great & I really like the E ring / veneer combo being allowed to hold the cue up on their own. I'm kind of a sucker for blue & teal colors.
Often, the finish coat will be the final touch in making colors "pop". In this case - just my own opinion... I think a good thing happened when the wood and veneer tones "softened" during turning. I think the finish coat, in the case of this cue, is going to bring the toned down qualities, of the blue & your BB wood, together cohesively, and let the best of both meld as a whole. Instead of making them pop in your face, I think it will make them invite you to them. Always the better choice - imo.
Enjoy, Lisa!
 
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mia said:
So then... who finished it? I mean, people are asking because they want to know. So why keep us all in suspense?
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Ummm...because I wanted to play a little guessing game, like others here have...and to do that, I need the cue in hand, to reveal the maker's signature....that and I wanted to show off the entire cue once it was completed. :)

Also...I caught a lot of flack initially about sending such a beautiful blank to anyone but a well-known/well-respected maker. Another problem I have encountered is that many here are from the East Coast, and are unfamiliar with makers located on the West Coast....even ones that have been crafting cues for many, many years. I was even told that I would be devaluating the blank/cue by sending to anyone but a well-known maker.

The reality is that I am quite happy with who I chose, I think he has/is doing a wonderful job with it, and has done everything I could ask of him. I really do not care what the value of the cue is, because to me, it's priceless, and I have no intentions of parting with it.

Lisa
 
Prather

Cue tease. :wink:

Hmm... being from the West Coast I can think of a few that would do a great job on your cue. Looking forward to the completed pics!
 
cyrex said:
Cue tease. :wink:

Hmm... being from the West Coast I can think of a few that would do a great job on your cue. Looking forward to the completed pics!
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I'll just let the cat outta the bag on this one...

The maker's name is Paul Allers of Whidbey Island , WA. His cues are wildly popular in these parts, and he stays VERY busy with orders. Traditionally, he specializes in 60" cues, but he agreed to make this one at 58" for me.

The cue has matching rings to the one in the butt at the joint and shaft. It will also have a flat-faced SS 1/2 joint with a 3/8x11 pin. It will have one of Mason's Micarta ferrules on it, as well as one of golfparent's Melk Dud tips. I think it's gonna be a 'playa'...LoL!

Paul is always pushing the envelope with new designs, and his cues play very very well. He really loves what he is doing, and it shows! I am providing a link to a thread with some of his earlier work in it....it's even better now!

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=52155&highlight=allers

Lisa
 
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