Lifespan of cues

pool_princess

Registered
Hi all,

I'm curious to know how long is the lifespan of a cue if i play it everyday for 4 hours (but with care and not for break).
Are there any effects to the cue (the shaft and the butt)?
Thanks a lot and i appreciate every answer :)

Happy Haloween and have a nice weekend guys :grin:

Jans
 
If you buy a quality cue made with good wood, and take care of it and dont store it in to cold or to hot of temperature, It will last longer then ,we may live as Dave said. If you take care of it , it will take care of you <<<<ED
 
And if I can hijack for one question.
I keep my cues in the spare bedroom. I keep the door closed to keep the doggy out so it gets a little chilly.
Just how cold is cold enuff to damage a shaft. I took my 314 out today and its a pretzel. The tip flops like a fish out of water.
 
And if I can hijack for one question.
I keep my cues in the spare bedroom. I keep the door closed to keep the doggy out so it gets a little chilly.
Just how cold is cold enuff to damage a shaft. I took my 314 out today and its a pretzel. The tip flops like a fish out of water.

Im no expert, a cuemaker could aswer better then me, but my opinion is if it is to cold or hot for you to live in , it is to cold or hot for your cue's to be stored <<<ED
 
Im no expert, a cuemaker could aswer better then me, but my opinion is if it is to cold or hot for you to live in , it is to cold or hot for your cue's to be stored <<<ED

I agree with Arrowcrusher, If your uncomfortable, than it is too. But, some are more able to adapt than others. I have a Stambolini from adams that since 1993 has been straight as an arrow, even though I, at one time, kept it in my truck for about 2 years, while living in the northeast, thru humid summers and dry a$$ winters. It never moved. As a part time builder now though, I've had quite a few move thru the winter or summer, and had to be trashed.
To answer the original question, a cue will generally last as long as you let it. If you take care of it, and it was a decent cue from the start, then it will serve you well for as long as you want to play. When you consider the balbushka's and Palmer's were player's cues before they were ever considered collector's cues, and look how long they lasted before refinishing, etc. to be put into someone's collector's case....
If the shaft is maintained by a professional repair guy, the sanding and therefore wear, of the shaft should be minimal. If it was a cheap cue or you abuse it, or not properly maintained, then all bets are off.
Just my 2 cents
Dave
 
And if I can hijack for one question.
I keep my cues in the spare bedroom. I keep the door closed to keep the doggy out so it gets a little chilly.
Just how cold is cold enuff to damage a shaft. I took my 314 out today and its a pretzel. The tip flops like a fish out of water.

FWIW, Predator shafts are easily straightened and will usually remain straight unless re-subjected to the environment that caused them to warp in the first place.
Again, it all boils down to how well you take care of your equipment.
 
I'm pretty anal about how I take care of my things KJ, Specially my cues. Thats why I was a little shocked when I saw this today.
Its good to know that that shaft can be straightened. The room is around 65 degrees when the door is closed. In the dead of winter here, the cues get colder on a short ride to the hall.
 
FWIW, Predator shafts are easily straightened and will usually remain straight unless re-subjected to the environment that caused them to warp in the first place.
Again, it all boils down to how well you take care of your equipment.

interesting....how do you straighten a predator?
 
Thanks all. I really do appreciate every feedback from you guys. Does the change in temperature also affect the wood of the cue's butt?
 
The life of a cue is a good question. Some English players think that the ash shafts seem to go off after a few years of play.
I have not heard of this for Maple shafts.
I have recently played with a maple cue that was 1 piece about 65 or so years old.It played I thought real well. It does have a modern tip on it and it was about an 11 mm tip. The shaft is no longer round and it is not dead straight.The owner said he has used it so much that the shaft is no longer round. He said it was always a small tip compared to others in it's day.He got it for a good price as alot of people did not like the smaller tip. But here in NZ the ball siaze is smaller than they have in the us.
Neil
 
Well if you start with a quality product, then nothing prevents getting the cue restored/refinished/or even converted to become another treasure. Of course the bets are off if the house catches fire, etc.
 
Hi all,

I'm curious to know how long is the lifespan of a cue if i play it everyday for 4 hours (but with care and not for break).
Are there any effects to the cue (the shaft and the butt)?
Thanks a lot and i appreciate every answer :)

Happy Haloween and have a nice weekend guys :grin:

Jans

Jan's, a well built Custom cue that is respected as a instrument or tool can with maintenance last longer by many hundreds of years than the Human who uses it or the craftsman who made it, but this doesn't apply to production cues.

Cues like any other tool can be used for what it was designed for or it can be used for other than what it was designed for which is abuse. Abuse can be as simple as leaving a cue in a hot enclosed place such as a Car truck exposing it to high temperatures or cold or freezing temperatures or as intense as slamming on a table or even another player.

Even a cue that is treated properly will need maintenance, Tips, Ferrules, Wraps, Bumpers, Shafts, and new finish at some point.

Jan's, I think that some will disagree with the above, but I personally believe this is exactly what separates a well built custom cue and most production cues.
 
youre gonna get 800 different answers. here all you need to know. climate control and proper storage. if you leave a cue leaning against a wall for a year it wont stay straight. hanging is the best way. nothing is more true then gravity. laying flat would be my second guess. also maybe a vaccum sealed case like its george or fellini keeps the moisture out.
 
youre gonna get 800 different answers. here all you need to know. climate control and proper storage. if you leave a cue leaning against a wall for a year it wont stay straight. hanging is the best way. nothing is more true then gravity. laying flat would be my second guess. also maybe a vaccum sealed case like its george or fellini keeps the moisture out.

Das ezacly right.

As long as you keep it in your case and don't bake it, freeze it, or drown it, you are good to go. Also, keeping it clean will help in more ways than one.

If you have a locker at the pool hall, that is the ideal place.

Also, there was something about temperature change. That is the primary enemy, especially with ivory. Natural materials shrink and swell according to it's climate.

If you have it in your car in the winter time, and your cue is frozen, make sure you thaw it out. It could be bad if you don't. Also if you have it in your car in the summer time, it can loosen up the glues that are in the cue.

Moisture escaping from wood is done in a controlled manner. If moisture escapes too fast, the wood will be unhappy and frown on you. Also, there are materials in a cue that are natural and un-natural and they act differently to one another. Actually, phenolic rings are used to hold a cue together and keep it from splitting which is a rarity.

Ivory is your biggest concern when it comes to dealing with hot / cold. It likes to be kept in a normal atmosphere where it doesn't get too dry. It can get brittle and crack. Wood is more resilient. There are some woods that are less stable than others. Burled wood and snake wood are two prime examples. They must be cored out if used for a front.

If you store it properly under room temperature, you cue will last longer than you will live, real the question is, how will your children treat it?

Hope you got the answer you were looking for.......
 
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I too would like to hear the magic trick of straightening a Predator shaft and wonder why one could be and a one piece shaft not.

Bob Danielson
 
Each and every feedback really helps alot. Once again thank you guys. Now i know how to treat my cue well. I'm really happy and grateful to be in this forum as there are many helpful people here!!!

Jans
 
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