Equipment question- slight rattle in cue

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barrymuch90

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello all I have a Dan Dicola cue w 2 shafts that looks awesome to me and plays even better. This has been my playing cue since I bought it second hand over 5 years ago from a close friend who deals in high end customs. Like I've said before recently took about 3 years off from pool 100% and returned full swing around February and have tried to get back to my full potential and feel pretty confident I'm close.

Here's the issue, since I returned and I'm not positive when it started there's a little rattle some where from the wrap to the first third of the shaft when screwed together. I can notice when in once the cue of my hand or when I hit pretty firm shots that Aren't center cue(medium to extreme English/spin) I've found after putting my cue together as tight as possible that it's either not rattling or less of a rattle and then as I shoot shots I try to tighten it as much as possible because it rattles less, but it seems to be slowly getting worse with time. The problem currently is my second shaft doesn't have a tip so I can't switch shafts to see if it's a crack in the shaft. I also want to say I'm not looking to repair to resell for maximum money but mainly because it's my favorite playing cue and I would never part with it if I can get it back to top shape.

I told a few people and have gotten mixed opinions and have tried removing the threaded weight bolt to see if it was loose and that's not the issue. In my opinion it's either the coller before the joint, the joint itself, or somewhere in the first half of the shaft. The cue does have some ivory and some have said the ivory cracks from time to time.

Again I love the cue and love to compete seriously so I'm pretty motivated to get this straightened out because it affects my concentration always listening for the rattle n tightening the shaft and also my confidence on a small level but for the most part it doesn't affect the hit to much especially when screwed as tight as possible but I think it slowly unscrews with firm hits.

Please provide some feedback as to the possible problem, the possible solution/fix, where to go, and anything else u feel can help. Also I'll say I would have already sent everything to the cue maker Dan Dicola but I've recently heard he doesn't do anything cue related anymore. Thanks in advance guys n gals look forward to hearing from u all
 
Slightly moisten the bottom of the shaft , where it faces the face of the joint. Then put the cue together and see if it still has a rattle. Try it, noticed that the small rattle that my cue has , never rattles when I do that little trick, and also the hit feels better. Too add, this will make the cue a little harder to take apart , when breaking it down.
 
well....you could have an a joint buzz, ferrule or tip glue issue, joint glue problem, cracked joint or threads in the shaft problem. take another shaft and shoot with it to see if the buzz goes away, if it doesn't then it is in the butt. If it is the A joint then you have to decide if the cue is worth the money it will cost to repair it. The handle has to be cut off and redone. It is not a cheap process and depending on where the problem is (forearm or handle) you may end up with a destroyed cue. Sorry for the news.
 
Chip Roberson said:
Slightly moisten the bottom of the shaft , where it faces the face of the joint. Then put the cue together and see if it still has a rattle. Try it, noticed that the small rattle that my cue has , never rattles when I do that little trick, and also the hit feels better. Too add, this will make the cue a little harder to take apart , when breaking it down.
Click to expand...

I imagine it is a little hard to take apart when you are creating a hydrolock sceneriao. :eek: Just be sure to break the cue down holding the forearm and not the handle area so you dont create an A joint problem ie...buzz or rattle
 
A rattle is usually a loose weight bolt. Tap the cue on the floor and you may hear it.
A buzz is generally a problem at the 'A' joint where the glue is detaching from the pin. This will show up if you hold the cue by the bottom of the handle and tap the forearm against the palm of your hand. A buzz will resonate throughout the handle.
If you hear a loud banging sound then that would be your opponent hitting his head repeatedly against the side of the table after you've made a lucky shot. :smile:

P.S. The 'A' joint is where the prong attaches to the handle (immediately above the wrap).
 
Tramp Steamer said:
A rattle is usually a loose weight bolt. Tap the cue on the floor and you may hear it.
A buzz is generally a problem at the 'A' joint where the glue is detaching from the pin. This will show up if you hold the cue by the bottom of the handle and tap the forearm against the palm of your hand. A buzz will resonate throughout the handle.
If you hear a loud banging sound then that would be your opponent hitting his head repeatedly against the side of the table after you've made a lucky shot. :smile:

P.S. The 'A' joint is where the prong attaches to the handle (immediately above the wrap).
Click to expand...

This is sometimes how i show people the noise but I believe it's only when the shaft is screwed on so I'd have to lean towards it being a shaft problem. Idk about a local repair guy the poolhall I used to work at changed hands n then More recently closed down n I've been playing at drexeline n Bob the owner does tips n small stuff i don't think he repairs much but I imagine he's a good person to ask n I will next time I see him but as far as money I bought the cue for 800$ and the friend who sold it to me sold it for cost n had it in the case for 1200 so idk what it's worth now I mean Dan Dicola stopped making cues so theoretically his value went through the roof but again I'm not interested in fixing this to sell for money It's my playing cue and if I can get it fixed for less than I guess 4-500 I will n continue to play with it for a long long time and I doubt I'd ever sell it maybe I'd pass it down to my son or something along those lines so fixing it has nothing to do with profit margin.

Anyway thanks for the replies n I did read another similar thread awhile back n I think some of u guys wrote the same stuff so I appreciate not biting my head off for not "reading first" lol even tho I did actually read it but yea it's breaking my heart n fruterating the hell out of me thinking it's potentially time to retire my cue but I'll keep praying it's something fixable and hopefully i get it straightened out. Thanks again
 
I've never had this problem but just a suggestion, wrap some of that plumber's teflon tape on the joint screw and see if that helps.
 
barrymuch90 said:
This is sometimes how i show people the noise but I believe it's only when the shaft is screwed on so I'd have to lean towards it being a shaft problem.
Click to expand...


Checking to see if there is a problem with the 'A' joint should be done with the shaft off. When done as I mentioned a noticeable buzz will be felt and heard.
There is seldom any problems with the shaft at its butt (the joint), however a loose ferrule will sometimes emit a clicking sound when struck.
Whenever I would have sex with my first wife she usually grunted. :)
 
Tramp Steamer said:
A rattle is usually a loose weight bolt. Tap the cue on the floor and you may hear it.
A buzz is generally a problem at the 'A' joint where the glue is detaching from the pin. This will show up if you hold the cue by the bottom of the handle and tap the forearm against the palm of your hand. A buzz will resonate throughout the handle.
If you hear a loud banging sound then that would be your opponent hitting his head repeatedly against the side of the table after you've made a lucky shot. :smile:

P.S. The 'A' joint is where the prong attaches to the handle (immediately above the wrap).
Click to expand...

This just happened to me with my break cue. I noticed it was making a funny sound when I broke. I started tapping all along the cue and noticed it was only on the butt end. Long story short - the weight bolt was loose.
 
I had alost the exact same thing happen to my cue, a Schuler, if I held just the butt section below the wrap and lightly tapped the forearm against the heel of my other hand you could hear the rattle.

After asking some questions on the cue makers section I was told it was probably the A joint. I sent the cue to Jacoby and had it back in about 3-4 weeks as good as new, couldn't see any signs of work being done on it, and that was 2-3 years ago... the rattle never came back. If I remember correctly they charged me around $200.00
 
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