I Hate It When My Shaft Turns Blue...

Mikey Town

Mikey Town

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm currently using tan Master Chalk for two reasons:

1. I have tan cloth on my home table.
2. I have heard from quite a few people that tan chalk can help keep your shafts looking nicer since the color of the chalk dust basically matches the wood.

I'd like to experiment with other chalk, primarily Blue Diamond since it gets such great reviews, but I don't want to sacrifice the looks of my cue... I've never been a fan of the "blueing" effect that chalk dust can have on a shaft. I think it would be easier to re-sell a cue in the future without the blue effect also.

I'm not really worried about my cloth... Hopefully I'll be recovering with some Simonis Tournament Blue in the near future ;)

What actually causes blueing in the shaft though? Is it carelessness and/or apathy by the people who don't mind it, or is it the chalk? If you do use blue chalk (like most do), is it possible to prevent the discoloration by simply keeping your shaft in mind and making sure to clean it often?

I don't think I'm the only person out there like this, but I'm the only one that I know. Does anyone else feel this way about the color of their shafts?

Also, I remember seeing a post a little while back that was sort of a teaser for a new kind of chalk. It looked white, or grey. A lot of people were guessing that it might be a new chalk by Kamui. Did anything come of that yet?


Thanks for your time,

Mike
 
I use light gray chalk from Masters and my shaft always looks clean. Also the light gray doesn't look as bad on blue or green cloth like tan chalk does.
 
Dam i must be crazy !! i like the blue stains on my shafts. If im not mistaken Mike webb said a few years that the chalk helps perserve the wood.
 
I use blue diamond... great chalk!

I can honestly say you can not just feel the difference between chalks but you can see it. It goes on perfectly and you don't have to chalk as much either. I could chalk once and prolly get off 3-5 shots w.o a problem. Although I have that chronic chalking issue.

It goes on very well, sticks to the tip very well, and is not as hard to get off your hands. I can use just warm water and any lil bit that got onto my hands is gone whereas when I use master chalk Soap (the good type)+Water+Scrubbing was a must.

As for blue-ing.. pay more attention to when you chalk, sometimes when you chalk (depending on how you chalk) you'll notice some of the chalk gets on the shaft. I like to blow this away and wipe the ferrule clean if anything gets on it. This slows down the blue-ing process but eventually it will blue, just depends on if it's worth it to you.

I've shot some really hard force follow shots and miscued but was still able to make the ball and get into shape for the next shot. When i used master chalk I would mis-cue much more frequently.

Maybe it's in the mind but if it cost $3.50 to make my mind stop me from mis-cueing then that is 3bux well spent. This is just my experience.



P.S: You could always just clean you shaft once every 6 months or so. Im sure theirs tons of threads on how to maintain your cue shaft.
 
I haven't tried it myself, but get a pack of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and just use those on your shaft when it gets too blue for your liking.
 
How about just learning to chalk properly and washing your hands?

Blue Diamond is really blue! I chalk properly and wash my hands several times a night...I then will use the slightly damp paper towel I just dried my hands with and wipe down my shaft. It very simple little things like this that will keep your shaft cleaner and avoid bluing.

Lisa
 
I love Blue Diamond chalk!

Have you looked at sending your cue to Gulyassy and have "Shaft Freeze" put on it? It supposedly keeps your shaft from ever getting "blueing" from chalk on it.

Personally, I don't mind the blue color. It kinda gives me the "warm and fuzzys" that I really do get my use out of my cue :) Kinda a badge of honor :)

Brian
 
Call me crazy but I love the blueing on my cue, it shows age. Mix that in with a spotless ferrule and it's the ideal look for me. Plus, it's not like the blue hint affects my game, so I don't mind it.
 
S.Tat said:
Call me crazy but I love the blueing on my cue, it shows age. Mix that in with a spotless ferrule and it's the ideal look for me. Plus, it's not like the blue hint affects my game, so I don't mind it.
Click to expand...
some guys do
recently i put a tip on for a guy,
normally i give the shaft a good cleaning when doing a tip
i completley forgot about him asking me NOT to clean the shaft
habit i guess
then it hit me, :rolleyes:
so now i gotta make the shaft dirty blue again to make him happy
that was fun
i smashed up a piece of chalk,
dampened my hands slightly and rubbed that blue crap right back into it
he never knew the difference :thumbup:
 
ridewiththewind said:
How about just learning to chalk properly and washing your hands?

Blue Diamond is really blue! I chalk properly and wash my hands several times a night...I then will use the slightly damp paper towel I just dried my hands with and wipe down my shaft. It very simple little things like this that will keep your shaft cleaner and avoid bluing.

Lisa
Click to expand...

How about not jumping to conclusions. I could have the best chalking technique on the planet.

How would I know if I was chalking "wrong" anyway? I use tan chalk... Remember?

Thanks for the tip about the paper towel though :)

I do use the Qwiz on a regular basis... Would that to the trick just as well?
 
S.Tat said:
Call me crazy but I love the blueing on my cue, it shows age. Mix that in with a spotless ferrule and it's the ideal look for me. Plus, it's not like the blue hint affects my game, so I don't mind it.
Click to expand...

Ditto

Whether its the blue on my shaft or tan on my sax mouthpiece, I always associate the discoloration to the hard work I put in. It's like a badge of honor haha.
 
Mikey Town said:
How about not jumping to conclusions. I could have the best chalking technique on the planet.

How would I know if I was chalking "wrong" anyway? I use tan chalk... Remember?

Thanks for the tip about the paper towel though :)

I do use the Qwiz on a regular basis... Would that to the trick just as well?
Click to expand...

Because chalk stains on the shaft are typically an indication of an improper chalking technique. BTW, believe it or not, I have actually found that the tan actually makes the shaft dirtier. I used to be a tan chalk user until I found out just how nasty it made my shafts...now I use Blue Diamond exclusively.

I now find that when I clean my shafts with ME, there is little blue, mostly just nasty dirt from skin cells, skin oils, and crap picked up from the table's cloth.

Proper chalking is a couple of quick little swipes across the tip's surface...and your chalk should be wearing more to a flat concave. If you got a hole down the center, you're grinding, and that is the source of the excess chalk on the ferrule and shaft.
 
Just put a small piece of Magic Eraser in your cue case and wipe the shaft down after each playing session. Only takes a minute or two and your shaft will stay clean regardless of what color chalk you use.
 
One my my fav Shafts is so blue it looks like it went thru a smruf a few times. But like i said i love the blue stain
 
Mikey Town said:
... If you do use blue chalk (like most do), is it possible to prevent the discoloration by simply keeping your shaft in mind and making sure to clean it often? ...
Click to expand...

Yes.

Two points:

- Keeping a shaft clean is a simple matter.

- I'd rather use blue chalk than brown, because blue is more visible when it begins to accumulate on the shaft and can then be easily seen and cleaned off. If it's there, I want to know it and get rid of it.
 
BHQ said:
some guys do
recently i put a tip on for a guy,
normally i give the shaft a good cleaning when doing a tip
i completley forgot about him asking me NOT to clean the shaft
habit i guess
then it hit me, :rolleyes:
so now i gotta make the shaft dirty blue again to make him happy
that was fun
i smashed up a piece of chalk,
dampened my hands slightly and rubbed that blue crap right back into it
he never knew the difference :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention that I wanted you to clean the shaft this time...:thumbup:
How long will it take, can I bring it by in the morning?
 
How much chalk are you applying? If you are fiendishly grinding your cue into the chalk like a screwdriver like most pool players do, then what is there to wonder about staining the shaft? I agree with Lisa here. Chalk modestly and regularly wipe your hands and shaft in between frames. A lightly damp cotton face cloth is all you need. My cue is oiled ash which is porous and highly susceptable to blueing, but it isn't stained one bit.
ridewiththewind said:
How about just learning to chalk properly and washing your hands?

Blue Diamond is really blue! I chalk properly and wash my hands several times a night...I then will use the slightly damp paper towel I just dried my hands with and wipe down my shaft. It very simple little things like this that will keep your shaft cleaner and avoid bluing.

Lisa
Click to expand...
 
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