How to clean a shaft..my way!

I am also not in the camp that removes chalk from my cue tips. I worked to put the chalk there just how I want it.

Bill Schick tol me that the "proper" way to load a case is tips UP so that the player can eaily see which shaft he wants to use. He said that this is how all the old time players did it for that reason.

Porper changed that dynamic I think with the introduction of tapered cavities that only accepted shafts tips down.

I would never ever think to rub my tip on someone else's carpet to remove chalk.

And one more thing, the amount of chalk in a case is not as much as some people think. As someone who has taken plenty of cases apart the liners are not nearly as "dirty" with chalk dust as is thought or feared.
 
Cleaning your ferrule...

A small dab of your regular old, nothin' fancy, garden variety, WHITE toothpaste on a paper towel.

Gently wipe the toothpaste around the ferrule, then wipe it off with a clean part of the towel. POOF !!! Looks like a brand new ferrule.

Don't forget to floss...:D
 
Lance Link said:
A small dab of your regular old, nothin' fancy, garden variety, WHITE toothpaste on a paper towel.

Gently wipe the toothpaste around the ferrule, then wipe it off with a clean part of the towel. POOF !!! Looks like a brand new ferrule.

Don't forget to floss...:D
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i use it on my gold rings too! works great! :thumbup:
 
My ferrule is all scratched up. I remembered it being smooth and now it's steel wool. :frown:
 
is it bad to put little water into the shaft? cause my method (my way) is really easy and takes just about 30second to do, I order a bottle of water, then I put just a little bit of water into the towel that I have, and i start cleaning the shaft with that tower on the side of which I put little water, and the shaft will be clean enough for me.

can somebody tell me if this can hurt my shaft? thanks.
 
Secaucus Fats said:
Any experienced pool player knows that nothing affects your shot for the worse more than a nasty, sticky cue shaft. And if you sight in line with the ferrule, a clean ferrule makes things easier on the eyes

I have a Cue Companion lathe and I do repairs on the side here and there.
Currently I have a Joss cue that is in for a tip and a cleaning. I will post pictures of the cue before and after.

The accumulation of chalk, dead skin, sweat, oils, condiments, dirt, snot, whatever, penetrates into the pores of the wood and then forms a sticky coating on the shaft. The only way to prevent this is to:


[1]Wash your hands frequently or, carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer and a small towel to clean them.
[2]Remove all chalk from the tip. DO NOT GRIND THE TIP INTO THE RUG! Use a napkin or piece of paper towel..
[3]Wipe the cue down completely with a soft terry cloth.
[4]Burnish the shaft quickly with a slicker.
[5]Place the whole thing in a clean pool case.

OK, so you have let your shaft get so bad that it is filthy. What now?

Here's how I clean, reseal, wax, and burnish a shaft. The method produces a smooth as glass, clean, sealed, and waxed shaft that you can be proud of.

I start with a slightly damp Mr. Clean Magic sponge I clean the ferrule, sides of the tip, and all non-finished portions of the shaft. After I am satisfied with the results. I wipe down and dry the shaft with paper towel (Bounty or the like). The Magic Eraser alone usually suffices, but in extreme cases, I use a dab of Soft Scrub w/ bleach on a terry rag to remove any remaining persistent chalk or other discoloration. When I use Soft Scrub I make sure I remove any residue by wiping the shaft down with a damp cloth and drying it quickly with paper towel.

I then wipe down the shaft with 0000 steel wool dampened with mineral spirits. (Mineral Spirits will remove any residual wax, shellac, etc.. and it prepares the wood for sealing.) DO NOT GET MINERAL SPIRITS ON THE FERRULE OR ANY FINISHED or PLASTIC PARTS OF A CUE / SHAFT!

Depending on the overall condition of the grain I usually start with either 600 or 800 3M wet dry at highest speed on the Cue Companion. Next I wipe the shaft to remove any dust, then hit it with 1000 at high speed, wipe again, hit it with 1200 and wipe down and burnish with a leather slicker. Next I apply sanding sealer to the shaft with wadded paper towel as it spins. The sealer dries fairly quickly (5 – 10 minutes.)

Ok the sealer is dry, I spin the shaft up full speed, buff with a rag, and then hit it with 1500 3M (this does not remove the sealer it simply smooths and burnishes. Next, I apply a coat of Cue Doctor wax, let it dry to a haze, and buff it to a high gloss. Lastly I burnish again with a slicker and I put a little touch of Kiwi liquid shoe polish on a Q-tip going round the edge of the tip then burnish it so it shines and looks new.

I'll have pics up tomorrow.
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When can I drop off my chalk filled shaft?
 
Am with JB on this one... Anyone that works on my cues knows that you do not clean my shaft when installing a new tip or you will see me go off like a bottle rocket.

I worked hard to season the shaft through hours and hours of play. If it gets a little sticky from time to time from carrying it in and out because of humidity I rub it down with my hands.

I will clean the ferrule rarey but that does get cleaned when I get a tip replaced.

"Kamui Super Soft.... Nickle it but DON'T cut it down ANY... AND DON"T CLEAN MY F&^%ING SHAFT! IF you CLEAN the SHAFT the tip work is gonna be FREE!" That usually works and I started putting it exactly that way after a repair guy did me a FAVOR... =)
 
I remember going through all of this with my cues but after letting people use them too much they are all broken. Now I just carry around a tip shaper on my key chain and grab a house cue. Now I can't play with a regular cue it just feels to weird
 
tryhonesty07 said:
all I know is that magic erasers use bleach as their cleaning ingredient. This is fine for the ferule, but will damage the wood over time. fyi.
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There is no bleach in the magic eraser material.

Kelly


Edit: Sorry, I didnt' see Tate's post until after mine. What he said...
 
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People that allow their shafts to accumulate blue funk probably only change their undies every two weeks.
Try and play with a one piece house cue. A sticky piece of crap and people advocate that you allow your $1500 cue to look and feel like that?
Thats just an excuse for pure laziness. Facial oil? Sure, I just wipe my greezy face off with my hand and slick up my shaft. Pure bull crap.

I heard the best way to keep your leather case soft is to wipe some butt crack sweat on it. It lubes the auto close latches so they don't break on cheap ass cases, such as Sterlings.
Oooops, did I say Sterling, sorry about that john. I hope you're not associated with Sterling or any company that gives crap customer service, cause we all know that you're the best.

But seriously, OMFNG, Fats makes a thread to help people maintain their shafts properly and JB just has get in on the act.
Your wrong, I'm right blah blah blah fooking blah. And look out, here comes another 50 pager on why you never clean a shaft.

John, you should read what you type. You contradict yourself every second sentence.
Jerry Franklin says to use facial oil on your shaft. Then you say, keep your hands clean. wear a glove if you have to. Leave all that funk on your shaft and wear a glove so you don't feel it.
Gloves are pure crap. They totally desensitize the connection between you and your stroke. If you keep your shaft clean, you don't need a glove. If Jerry Franklin told you to tape your PP between your legs, would you? Probably only you and Earl do that.

Why don't you just let a person have a thread and an opinion to themselves? Stupid question right, cause you're always right and everyone else is wrong.
 
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I'm beginning to wonder about the ME myself. I got two splinters from my first production shaft, one big enough to pull out right at the table, and the only reason I can come up with for it is that I used to go to town on it with a dry ME about once a mpnth.

Considering that I've never heard of anyone getting even one splinter from their shafts, I can't help but think it was the ME roughing up the surface too much.

A friend of mine used Carnuba wax to clean and polish my new 23 year old shaft that was filthy and it's pretty awesome now. My attempt with it didn't work very well but apparently he knows what he's doing.
 
In a pinch...

... I've used paper money to clean the 'gunk' off the shaft.

Wrap the money around the shaft and slide the shaft back and forth through the money (the same way you would with a burnisher). The fibers in the money help get the grime off, but don't harm the shaft.

It works with any denomination, but it's looks pretty badass doing it with a $100 bill...
 
Wow. . . Blue Hog is cooking with gas!!

and, hey. . .tell us how you really feel! <ears pinned back>
 
15 years later on this post, lol. Just adding some cents here. People now have custom joint protectors that are labeled shaft 1 shaft 2 shaft 3 etc.

So the tip goes down. Hi end hard cased load this way, which is what I have. I hated a case that had tips face up and if the tip was still loaded with chalk, it would get all over the inside of the lid and you could see the chalk starting to line the inside of the cases. Taught alot of pool players about cleaning tips and loading shafts to keep them cleaner and they have commented that their shafts stay cleaner when they wipe the tip off.

Now I've never wiped my tip on a person's home carpet, but a pool hall, everyone does it and I have never had a pool hall owner question me, even the one I worked at said to do it to keep the cases he sold cleaner and the carpet got cleaned daily, so there's that.

Also, I would wipe the tip on the lowest part of my blue jeans too if need be, never hurt my clothing.

I will say though, don't rub it so hard and spin it to start a fire, you'll just burnish your tip and glaze it over.

I've done the light swipe of removal on carpet for over 30 years. I don't use tip picks, a shaper, or any type of scuffer. Standard Everest Tip and they last me 5+ years. They stay very consistent in hit and no miscues, and no glazing.

Been a cue repair and builder for 30 years also and magic erasure to me is essential in cleaning a shaft properly with rubbing alcohol and then sealing and polish and was. Non abrasive soft scrub w/bleach sparingly on stubborn areas, and any of the liquid shaft cleaners everyone sells help tremendously too.

I'd say it's just finding what you prefer and your method for your shafts.

Happy shooting - for the of the game!
 
Even with owner permission I still think it should be an executable offense, or at least life w/o the possibility, to wipe your tip off on the carpet.

Alright let me not be hyperbolic here…no executions, no life w/o… but you should at least have to face a plethora of large, starved predators in the arena of combat - armed only with your chalkless and possibly well polished pool cue
 
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