Many options for this cue
I recently picked up a new Schon LTD 1403. I got it with the linen since this is what I have always used and have no experience with anything else. After finally getting to play with it, I am finding the linen to be very slippery. I am considering getting it re-wrapped with something like stacked leather but have no experience with leather or other wraps.
You guys willing to offer some opinions on the best material and colors for me to match this cue?
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troyboy30:
First of all, GORGEOUS cue! (Let's get that out of the way, right up front.)
Second, specifically because of this cue's unique color patterns, you have a lot of wrap choices:
A. Replacing the slippery Irish Linen with
pressed/burnished Irish Linen;
B. Regular leather wrap, but done well where the seam is not noticeable (leather is great because it's natural skin, has a nice tactile feel, and absorbs sweat);
C. Stacked leather wrap (no seams whatsoever, and has a nice inherently tacky feel);
D. An exotic reptile wrap, like lizard/snake skin (but you'll have to test each of these first, because some of them -- e.g. snake -- have somewhat slippery scales);
E. Stingray wrap! Stingray has an absolutely unique feel; rubbery, but with little hard bony nodules evenly distributed throughout. Stingray is unlike anything you've ever felt, and you should check out a cue with a stingray wrap to get an idea. (It's hard to explain, but once you experience it, you'll "get it" -- understand the feeling, that is. And yes, if you like it, you subsequently will "get it" [i.e. obtain it], if you've the funds.) Stingray is not cheap, and is difficult to handle/apply. Only experienced cue luthiers have the equipment and knowledge in applying Stingray wraps.
Like you, I'm not fond of Irish Linen, and in many cases (unless it's done right), I find it too slippery. However, there are techniques to make Irish Linen much less slippery. Here are some:
* Press the Irish Linen with a
pressing tool. This is standard practice with good cues / cuemakers, and results in a good gripping surface, much less slippery than Irish Linen without this treatment.
* Burnish the Irish Linen by spinning the butt on a lathe, and applying a piece of smooth Oak stock (a smooth piece of Oak wood) to the applied Irish Linen, to generate heat, which flattens and polishes it. This applies somewhat of a patina to the Irish Linen -- a sheen, if you will -- but it will be much less slippery than the Irish Linen without pressing or burnishing.
* After either pressing or burnishing, briskly rubbing some wax paper to do the final finishing. One would think applying wax paper might actually make the surface slicker with the wax, but it does the opposite -- it makes a good "grippy" surface.
If you choose a pressed/burnished/finished Irish Linen wrap, might I suggest a basic black with turquoise speckling throughout, to highlight the turquoise in the cue itself? (Just an idea.)
All these techniques are used to improve the surface of Irish Linen, but in the end, it's still Irish Linen -- an inherently slippery material. Leather is much "grippier", and absorbs sweat and perspiration better. And, leather can have any texture you want -- if you like it smooth, no problem. If you like a particular texture, it can easily be pressed into the leather. Stacked leather is a leather "cord" (for lack of a better term) that is tightly wound onto the gripping area, and has no seams, other than the spiral "cord to cord" mating surfaces, which themselves can often be blended together by using a certain application technique. I've seen stacked leather wraps where you couldn't see the cord at all, and instead the surface looked like it was poured and molded onto the cue. It has a nice tacky feel, too!
And Stingray! Here's a sample:
Notice the little bony nodules evenly distributed throughout. The base skin is rubbery in texture, so it's a really nice contrast -- definitely a unique feel! My next cue will have a Stingray wrap, that's for sure. (I tried a Stingray wrapped cue at this past Super Billiards Expo, and I was sold on it in just a few minutes.) You can get Stingray in a surprising array of hues, not just the black shown in the photo above. (There's whites, grays, and blues available -- depending on the stingray species it came from.)
Hope this is helpful!
-Sean
