I recently bought a used Mezz Ec7 cue with WD700 shaft.The shaft from factory are just polished very well and i think have lacquer coating on it. Should i remove it with sand paper or should i use some kind of chemicals to remove it ? A friend of mine told me to wait and try to adjust to it. Thank you for help
Sticky cue shaft
- Thread starter rene
- Start date
I have had 2 new WX700's and both of them started out a bit sticky feeling. In fact all new shafts I have got have been like that. I have used Nicks Edge microfilms, going from coarse to very fine to get the sticky substance off, then cleaned and sealed with a Q Wiz, wich I highly recommend. Its fast and easy to use, makes shafts feel slick instantly. I always keep one in my bag, just in case.
Another way that I found to work extremely well for my Predator shaft is to rub chalk on the shafts surface. I wiped some predator chalk on a paper towel, and then buffed the shaft with it. Repeated a few times, always making sure there was some chalk dust on the paper. Made the shaft feel like my other shafts that have been played with a long time and have the same chalk stain on them caused by chalk dust.
If you like pristine wood colored shafts then that is a no go for you, but personally I like my shafts a bit blue, they just feel like old friends with it and slick as... well, you know what :wink: With chalk stained shafts I dont have to clean them up so often as they stay the way are, day after day.
Another way that I found to work extremely well for my Predator shaft is to rub chalk on the shafts surface. I wiped some predator chalk on a paper towel, and then buffed the shaft with it. Repeated a few times, always making sure there was some chalk dust on the paper. Made the shaft feel like my other shafts that have been played with a long time and have the same chalk stain on them caused by chalk dust.
If you like pristine wood colored shafts then that is a no go for you, but personally I like my shafts a bit blue, they just feel like old friends with it and slick as... well, you know what :wink: With chalk stained shafts I dont have to clean them up so often as they stay the way are, day after day.
Why would any cuemaker put a glossy finish on the business-end of a shaft? It's fine on the wrapless butt handle-area where you want a grippy finish, but it's senseless on a shaft. That's how they finish a house cue.
If you don't want to send it to a qualified repairman for refinish with a satin/matte finish, you can LIGHTLY knock it down with a QWhiz. But don't be aggressive about it; you want to turn the gloss finish into a matte finish -- you don't want to remove the finish entirely.
On a shaft as costly as a Mezz, I'd send it to a qualified repairman.
If you don't want to send it to a qualified repairman for refinish with a satin/matte finish, you can LIGHTLY knock it down with a QWhiz. But don't be aggressive about it; you want to turn the gloss finish into a matte finish -- you don't want to remove the finish entirely.
On a shaft as costly as a Mezz, I'd send it to a qualified repairman.
I am guessing it's just a coat of sealer and not a 'finish' You can try what I do to all my shafts and what has been discussed ad nauseum in the shaft wax forum. Using a magic eraser lightly dampened with denatured alcohol gently clean the whole of the non finished area of the shaft (works wonders on the ferrule if it's chalky) Then burnish with a raw piece of leather, Q Wiz, dollar bill etc. I then finish with a coat of Renaissance wax. Ends up, as my father used to say "slicker then goose s@#$ in a glass tube"
Take Croakus Cloth or 2500 grit sandpaper and rub the shaft thoroughly..........then apply several coat of Craftsmen Cue Wax which you undoubtedly won't have.
so substitute the best car wax containing the highest amount of Carnuba wax......or bowling alley wax.......apply wax and polish the shaft 3-4 times & it will be just fine.
Matt B.
p.s. Sandpapering a shaft is fine as long as you use very high grit paper........ 2000 & 2500 grit.....hardly any wood gets removed and very little wood powder results and the shaft taper isn't changed.
I've been doing this for 25 years and all my cue shafts are pristene and near perfect.........I do this with the brand new shafts on my custom cues.......I also have a commercial steamer I use to
remove nicks or dents if that were to occur........seldom with my cues' shafts but I repair dents & nicks on my pals' cues all the time.
so substitute the best car wax containing the highest amount of Carnuba wax......or bowling alley wax.......apply wax and polish the shaft 3-4 times & it will be just fine.
Matt B.
p.s. Sandpapering a shaft is fine as long as you use very high grit paper........ 2000 & 2500 grit.....hardly any wood gets removed and very little wood powder results and the shaft taper isn't changed.
I've been doing this for 25 years and all my cue shafts are pristene and near perfect.........I do this with the brand new shafts on my custom cues.......I also have a commercial steamer I use to
remove nicks or dents if that were to occur........seldom with my cues' shafts but I repair dents & nicks on my pals' cues all the time.
Last edited:
DON'T SAND THE SHAFT BY HAND!
Go or send to a reputable maker and have them take care of it.
Removing the finish coating of the shaft is not a good idea I don't think. A magic eraser will clean your shaft like it was brand new. Seems like a no brainer to go with the less abrasive method.
ElCorazonFrio
Banned
I always strip my shafts to bare wood and put nothing on them.
They are all still straight, even though I keep 3 in my car all year long.
I sand with 600-1500 sandpaper when they need it. They are all still round and don't have an hourglass shape.
I don't use a lathe to do this.
Be aware that this can raise the grain on your shaft!
Yep. Tried magic eraser once and I was furious when I got finished. There are more steps other than just the magic eraser.
Kim makes cues. He knows what's going on.
He must be talking about extremely nonabrasive sand paper grit then. So I hope he doesn't sand off any wood.
Every cue maker uses sand paper when refinishing shafts... Magic eraser is an abrasive just like sand paper but as stated will raise the grain when used with water and create more steps to get the shaft correct.... Once again NEVER sand by hand. Reputable maker/repair person and a lathe is the way to go.... Once it's done, apply some Renaissance wax, by hand is ok. Renaissance wax will seal the shaft and will lengthen cleaning intervals. To clean it every so often use a soft rag with a small amount high % isopropyl alcohol or lighter fluid to clean and finish again with some Renaissance wax... Don't worry is a bluing occurs over time. Its gonna happen....
What is abrasive about magic eraser? I never had any problems with it at all.
How do you think it works? It's a material made up of tiny "bits" loosely bonded that when used with water act like wet sand paper... It's similar to the sanding sponges used in the automotive finishing industry...