Strange construction in this cue in several ways....
Unknown pawn shop find
- Thread starter HQueen
- Start date
Strange construction in this cue in several ways....
" looking at the cue,
and the bottom of the butt cap-
" has seen ALOT OF PLAY"
Would be nice to send pics to
Jerry Rauenzahn…
"Jerry has done a lot of repairs of all kinds of cues over the years-
He may have an idea
In the old days, butt plates were not necessarily threaded, or glued.. They were held in place with the weight bolt, that's all. As long as it was snug, it was fine. One of my Palmers and Joss cues can attest to this.
All the best,
WW
Yes, that was common. I have several old cues like that, including my block letter Joss cues.
But this cue does not even have that....no weight bolt.
I am guessing this was made by some dude in his garage, or an overseas copy of a Balabushka/Gus
Too many "not quality" things here, as well as obvious influence from their construction styles.
Really cool piece to have, especially if you got it cheap. Clean it up and enjoy it
Too many "not quality" things here, as well as obvious influence from their construction styles.
Really cool piece to have, especially if you got it cheap. Clean it up and enjoy it
Can you show us the Phillips screw that is used to secure the butt cap?
The reason I ask this, is, the description you use, "not the usual machine thread screw into the weight bolt," does not describe how the butt cap is secured. It describes typically how the rubber bumper is secured to the weight bolt, and the butt cap.
All the best,
WW
Yep, I see what you meant now. Actually that screw is almost as big as some weight bolts. To be honest, it's a bit hard to tell if it goes in far enough to hit the wood part of the cue. But I see the lighter part of the screw as well.
Can we see the bumper on the other side? That would be the side that is exposed. And can you tell us if it started out as black or slightly brown/red?
All the best,
WW
The screw definitely goes into the tenon. I’ll take pictures of the bumper tomorrow, it’s in my shop. The bumper barely extends past the bottom of the buttcap, possibly worn down through the years or maybe it was like that originally.
I bought this cue to restore and sell. As a cuemaker I have no interest in playing with it as I only play with cues I make.
I bought this cue to restore and sell. As a cuemaker I have no interest in playing with it as I only play with cues I make.
That's what I see at the moment.
I would fix up that butt cap fastening arrangement as part of the re-do.
.
The OP just said the screw does go into the tenon, which, although looks kind of short to do that, I guess we take his word for it. I don't think a bumper would hold a buttcap on the tenon, as nothing would be holding the buttcap on the tenon.
I tend to agree with you now that it's probably not a Joss, but I'm not sure who else did piloted 5/16 X 18 pins. And Joss always did weight bolts, even if light aluminum. I'd be curious as to how this is some dude in his garage, given the spliced points. That would be a pretty talented dude. Having said that, I've had conversations in my local pool room with a guy with a lathe in his garage that builds a few cues. It can be done.
All the best,
WW
I have a feeling the builder did not make the splice. But that does not mean much. GB built many great cues and never built a splice as far as anyone knows.
If you look at the end of the butt cap it is relieved for the bumper. The bumper is wider than the bore through the butt cap. Hence, screwing the bumper to the tenon would help hold the butt cap on, though not a great way to do it. It could easily move.
Yep, I see where the bumper goes into the buttcap. But, I don't see how that puts any pressure on the tenon the keep the buttcap in place. Also, we haven't seen that this is a threaded bumper to twist in. There could be some things we don't know, such as, is the screw long enough to go in the tenon? Also, is the buttcap to tenon fit so tight that nothing else was necessary? Don't know. Sometimes, even double coated tape, activated and dried with solvent can hold everything together.
Agree the blank could have come from elsewhere. Though, if a garage project, that is a pretty nice looking joint and pin. I have a feeling, if redone, proper cap and aluminum bolt put in, this may be a pretty nice looking cue, with those nice boxes in the sleeve. Even if it aint a George or Gus, and time has taken a toll, it looks like someone made an effort.
All the best,
WW
There's probably a thin metal washer embedded into the rubber bumper (may have some rubber over it keeping it from being seen). Most of this type are that way. The screw head is bottoming out on that while the remaining rubber at the bottom of the bumper pushes against the inner delrin shoulder pulling the bumper tight towards the tenon.
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" Looking at the tenon with the grooves cut for glue-
I think the butt cap was intended to be glued on to the cue-
BUT-
its Delrin-
And " WE" know nothing really sticks to Delrin-
Making me think that the cue could be from a hobbyist type ????
The screw for the bumper looks to hold the bumper on, ONLY- "TO ME"
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just a wild thought: could this be one of the Prather cue building kits from the late 80's/early 90's?