What A-joint do you build? Pictures of mine.

[Graciocues]

Hope to see more of those A-joints.
If no pics are available then maybe just a description would do.
This is a great forum to learn from the masters, innovators and the experienced and see what works for them. Putting the bickering aside
hope to see more:smile:

I'm fairly new but I think this is how builders meet each other. LOL

I didn't know much about BarenbruggeCues before this thread. I took a look around the Internet and he's building some very nice cues. Glad to meet you. I look forward to hitting one of your cues.

I'd love to hear his A-joint ideas and with all the clear conversation what clear he prefers.

 

[BarenbruggeCues]

Dave, i was referring to others threads here on az.
My bad.

I know a lot of that goes on here...but what do expect when you mix all that testosterone in one bowl?

 

[BarenbruggeCues]

I didn't know much about BarenbruggeCues before this thread.

Like most people, now you probably wish you knew a whole lot less.

 

[hangemhigh]

I'm fairly new but I think this is how builders meat each other. LOL

An edit is in order. LOL

 

[aphelps1]

I'm fairly new but I think this is how builders meat each other. LOL

An edit is in order. LOL



From some of the flamewars I've seen on here, I think the statement is very correct.

 

[Graciocues]

I'm fairly new but I think this is how builders meat each other. LOL

An edit is in order. LOL



From some of the flamewars I've seen on here, I think the statement is very correct.

Oops.



Did anybody learn anything from this thread?


This is a big one for the guys working on their clear. Seal it thick and use the clear as a shinny finish coat.


Anybody else willing to share their A-joint or clear ideas?

 

[Canadian cue]

I use auto finish in conjunction with epoxy sealer as well. My question is what is the advantages of spraying vs brushing it on? Since you have to wetsand and rub it out iether way what is the advantage of spraying? The advantages of brushing I have found is no mist to dontend with. Real easy cleanup no gun to clean. I purchased a small gun so as I could try spraying but that would also involve building a booth so have not gone there yet.

 

[Michael Webb]

I use auto finish in conjunction with epoxy sealer as well. My question is what is the advantages of spraying vs brushing it on? Since you have to wetsand and rub it out iether way what is the advantage of spraying? The advantages of brushing I have found is no mist to dontend with. Real easy cleanup no gun to clean. I purchased a small gun so as I could try spraying but that would also involve building a booth so have not gone there yet.

Both methods work, but, and this is just my opinion on it, I think the finish dries better if you don't lay it on to thick to fast.

 

[HoskenCues]

I use auto finish in conjunction with epoxy sealer as well. My question is what is the advantages of spraying vs brushing it on? Since you have to wetsand and rub it out iether way what is the advantage of spraying? The advantages of brushing I have found is no mist to dontend with. Real easy cleanup no gun to clean. I purchased a small gun so as I could try spraying but that would also involve building a booth so have not gone there yet.

This thread has been sidetracked and I want to chime in while we're in it. What about dipping with regards to finishing? Has anyone discussed it here on AZ?

 

[qbilder]

I use auto finish in conjunction with epoxy sealer as well. My question is what is the advantages of spraying vs brushing it on? Since you have to wetsand and rub it out iether way what is the advantage of spraying? The advantages of brushing I have found is no mist to dontend with. Real easy cleanup no gun to clean. I purchased a small gun so as I could try spraying but that would also involve building a booth so have not gone there yet.

If you are brushing/wiping finish on, why not just put the epoxy on thick & sand/polish it out? Epoxy makes for a great finish. The advantage of auto clear is that it can be sprayed. If you aren't spraying it, then it's not really any easier to do than epoxy.

 

[Ken_4fun]

This thread was intended to share knowledge and techniques. Pictures say more then words.

I like showing how my knowledge of building as my techniques get better and better. I purchased the wood to start building my cues in this manner years ago. When I started planning this I had no idea one of the masters was doing it.

I take the overkill statement as a compliment. Thanks.

I've only got 4 years under my belt and I can't wait to see what I will do 4 years from now.



The laser head for my CNC I've been practicing with is almost ready. It's overkill but I want to cut perfectly sharp inlays and as thin as .001".
I built a UV both and have started spraying UV clear. I didn't need to switch. I wanted better.

I look at the builders on this site, and they are improving all the time......

The local poolhall owner shakes his head at the prices of new cuemakers are charging for cues verses older cuemakers. His point is the more experienced cuemakers have developed their "best" technique and the new guys havent. In otherwords, old cuemakers should charge more and newer cuemakers should be cheaper.

Ken

 

[Michael Webb]

I look at the builders on this site, and they are improving all the time......

The local poolhall owner shakes his head at the prices of new cuemakers are charging for cues verses older cuemakers. His point is the more experienced cuemakers have developed their "best" technique and the new guys havent. In otherwords, old cuemakers should charge more and newer cuemakers should be cheaper.

Ken

It use to be that way but today is the day's of the internet and time served has definately been overlooked and apparently accepted from what I've seen.

 

[RBC]

At OB Cues, we still use Auto Clear on our cue shafts, but I have been playing around with UV since we started to build the Break Cues.

I too have found it a little harder to buff out, but there are answers for that.

For those that run into cracking, I think there is an important aspect to UV clears that is often overlooked. You must use an "insulator" or primer of some sort that is NOT a UV cured product. Think about it. The UV products are cured by the UV light. That light cannot penetrate into the wood, so the finish that soaks into the wood never cures. The Insulator products provide a surface that the UV will attache to, and will allow it to fully cure. I think this could be causing the cracking issues some have seen.

Right now I am in the middle of working out the right buffing procedures. Once I have it down, I will share it on here. Basically, I believe that i will be able to wet sand to 1500, and then buff in 2 steps and have zero scratches left (under magnification) and that "wet" look we all strive for. I've seen many cues with this look that were finished with UV so I know it can be done. I just want to get it down to as few steps as possible. I think we over do it with sanding. Buffing can do amazing things when you get the right compounds and the right speeds.

 

[Graciocues]

At OB Cues, we still use Auto Clear on our cue shafts, but I have been playing around with UV since we started to build the Break Cues.

I too have found it a little harder to buff out, but there are answers for that.

For those that run into cracking, I think there is an important aspect to UV clears that is often overlooked. You must use an "insulator" or primer of some sort that is NOT a UV cured product. Think about it. The UV products are cured by the UV light. That light cannot penetrate into the wood, so the finish that soaks into the wood never cures. The Insulator products provide a surface that the UV will attache to, and will allow it to fully cure. I think this could be causing the cracking issues some have seen.

Right now I am in the middle of working out the right buffing procedures. Once I have it down, I will share it on here. Basically, I believe that i will be able to wet sand to 1500, and then buff in 2 steps and have zero scratches left (under magnification) and that "wet" look we all strive for. I've seen many cues with this look that were finished with UV so I know it can be done. I just want to get it down to as few steps as possible. I think we over do it with sanding. Buffing can do amazing things when you get the right compounds and the right speeds.

You pointed out an important detail. A super thin sealer sprayed first keeps the UV from penetrating the wood.

The reason it's hard to polish is it's completely cured. We used UV clear at the body shop for small quick jobs and it will polish to that deep shine.



Regular auto clears get hard but don't cure for weeks even months depending on the thickness. That makes the polishing easier.

 

[Graciocues]

...................

UV can shine.

 

[Graciocues]

..................

I accidentally dropped this cue and watched it bounce a few times on the cement. It hit butt cap first then bounced on the side a few times before I could catch it. It had three scuff marks with little dents and major damage to the butt cap. I had to polish the cue to see the damage better.

The UV clear shows no sign of lifting or cracking. The adhesion is amazing. The durability is amazing.

The close pictures are a before and after polishing. It's where the cue took the hardest hit besides the butt cap.

The first pic is the damage before polishing. The second and third pic are after polishing. You can see where the wood has 2 dents under the finish. The clear is flat and the dents are under the finish.

 

[FLYINGSNAIL]

A- joint or Cue finish?????

Hey Scott,

Sorry don't mean to change subject here. I am readying your great post here about "A" joint. Now is Cue finish?

Kenny

 

[Graciocues]

Hey Scott,

Sorry don't mean to change subject here. I am readying your great post here about "A" joint. Now is Cue finish?

Kenny

This is a thread gone wrong. I started it hoping people would share their A-joints and why they like it. Only a few wanted to talk about their joint.

Some good ideas were shared about clear. I had to show the guys thinking about UV it will shine.

 

[mr2_serious]

....oops....

 

[lenoxmjs]

I should stay out of the thread since I'm not a cuemaker but my 2 favorite cuemakers in respect to their finish would be Travis ( Blackcreek ) and Darrin Hill . Both manage to achieve an incredible depth in their finishes . They look wet and like you could dive right in . I asked Travis what product he used. He said he'd have to kill me if he told me so I passed.