Can a soft tip be hardened while on the shaft?

[Kim Bye]

Elkmaster tips are very soft and quality can vary alot within a box. That thing looks quite fluffy. Use a good tip tool like Last4ever, take down the tip by 1/3 and trim the sides with a new razor blade. Next time you change tip, don't get a Elkmaster if you prefer a firmer tip. Not gonna start a tip brand discussion, but something like a G2 Medium would be fine and it's not the most expensive tip out there.

 

[Tennesseejoe]

Here it is. Spreading out a little, but it appears to be playing in ok.


View attachment 740596

I prefer the side to mushroom a little like that, but that is just me. If you try to push your fingernail in the side and it makes the tip expand like an accordion, to me that is forever a bad tip.
Thanks for posting the photo.

 

[336Robin]

I prefer the side to mushroom a little like that, but that is just me. If you try to push your fingernail in the side and it makes the tip expand like an accordion, to me that is forever a bad tip.
Thanks for posting the photo.

Someone here said burnish it. So I did. This is not an Elkmaster. Its quite absorbent. I put candle wax
on the side by rubbing and then used a tool on the sides.

I can tell by looking that the sides are starting to develop, but it might need another time or two to
get them right. The camera didn't show the sides building much. it doesn't accordion like you mentioned,
but it sure is starting out soft. I don't mind as a long as it stays together.

 

[DeadStick]

Someone here said burnish it. So I did. This is not an Elkmaster. Its quite absorbent. I put candle wax
on the side by rubbing and then used a tool on the sides.

I can tell by looking that the sides are starting to develop, but it might need another time or two to
get them right. The camera didn't show the sides building much. it doesn't accordion like you mentioned,
but it sure is starting out soft. I don't mind as a long as it stays together.

View attachment 740669

That thing looks like a Chia pet. Are you chalking the sides? Drilling into the chalk?

If that’s AFTER you burnished it, I think you gotta let it go and get a higher quality tip on there.

 

[Kim Bye]

Looks like a Elkmaster or similar to me.
this is how I feel the tip should look like

 

[pvc lou]

Someone here said burnish it. So I did. This is not an Elkmaster. Its quite absorbent. I put candle wax
on the side by rubbing and then used a tool on the sides.

I can tell by looking that the sides are starting to develop, but it might need another time or two to
get them right. The camera didn't show the sides building much. it doesn't accordion like you mentioned,
but it sure is starting out soft. I don't mind as a long as it stays together.

View attachment 740669

Coat the walls of the tip with some saliva before burnishing. It's an old school trick that was known even to Minnesota Fats.

 

[336Robin]

Looks like a Elkmaster or similar to me.
this is how I feel the tip should look like
View attachment 740678

I agree. If I had a lathe it would too. If this thing plays in I'll have a guy that has one burnish it for me.

I think at this point its an experiment. Glad it's not my everyday player.

 

[Chili Palmer]

Imagine that, they make a tip tapper

Action Black Pool Cue Tip Tapper

The Action Black pool tip tapper is designed with a series of spikes at one end to perforate the tip of your cue; this helps the cue to hold chalk better. Then, by tapping the chalk into the tip, you will actually keep that chalk in your shot. This process makes it so that you are less likely to...

www.pooldawg.com

I just used a piece of wood a few weeks ago, anything solid will work. Tapping it on the ground would be a PITA, by going the route above (or a piece of wood, or a butcher knife, or anything flat) you can rotate the cue much easier as the butt is on the ground and you have the thin shaft in your fingers so it's easy to rotate, you can also get to the edges of the tip and not just the very end. I would like to see someone post a video of them tapping their tip on the concrete, sounds like fun.

Oh, and the lighter the "tool" the less chance of over tapping and making it too hard - ask me how I know.

 

[maha]

tap it a while, then spit and burnish the sides with a dollar bill and it will stay fine.
or some superglue on the sides will do the job but be careful.
play ability and looks can be two different apples.

 

[straightline]

What happens if you soak a tip in vinegar?

 

[garczar]

What happens if you soak a tip in vinegar?

Who knows or cares for that matter. Just buy a better tip. Don't waste time/effort on such a trivial thing. Only a complete pos tip would fluff like this to begin with.

 

[336Robin]

What happens if you soak a tip in vinegar?

Good question: This is what AI says:

You
will vinegar harden leather


Copilot
Vinegar is not an effective method for hardening leather. In fact, it can have undesirable effects on leather. Let me explain:

1. Myth: Some people believe that soaking leather in vinegar or alcohol will lead to stiffening.
   • Fact: This is untrue. Soaking leather in vinegar or alcohol may actually cause discoloration, drying, and cracking rather than making it stiffer1.
2. Heat Tools: Using a hair dryer or iron on leather is another misconception. While these tools might dry out the leather, they can lead to cracking and brittleness1.
3. Better Methods: If you want to harden leather, consider alternative methods:
   • Boiling water
   • Hammering
   • Baking (using heat)
     These techniques can make leather less pliable and more suitable for projects like armor, holsters, and bags1.

Remember, vinegar is not the solution for stiffening leather. Opt for better methods to achieve the desired results!

 

[straightline]

Pickling seems to rubberize stuff. Wonder how AI got the idea was hardening?

 

[336Robin]

What happens if you soak a tip in vinegar?

I play with this cue some each week and I'm breaking with it also.

The cue and shafts I play the most with, its been a long time since either were tipped but they play identical and I believe they
are well played in Elkmasters. I don't miscue with them and the Great White Chalk I use.

When these are done I'm going to try a Techno Dud. Which was an Elkmaster originally that was soaked and pressed.

Efren Plays with an Elkmaster Medium Press, so it can't be but so bad right?

 

[straightline]

I play with this cue some each week and I'm breaking with it also.

The cue and shafts I play the most with, its been a long time since either were tipped but they play identical and I believe they
are well played in Elkmasters. I don't miscue with them and the Great White Chalk I use.

When these are done I'm going to try a Techno Dud. Which was an Elkmaster originally that was soaked and pressed.

Efren Plays with an Elkmaster Medium Press, so it can't be but so bad right?

Everyone seems to like milkduds. Local cuemaker makes his own. Says the only problem is the initial odor.

 

[336Robin]

Here is the latest on this hardening the tip while on the shaft. Here is a pic of the tip.


Bob Jewett suggested a mixture of Elmers glue and 50% water and I thought about that quite a bit,
but I ended up using a shot glass poured in a small dab of coffee creamer and put the tip down in it and
left the shaft upright in it on the kitchen counter over night.

I only had enough creamer to cover the the curvature of the tip + a little bit more I really didn't want to
get the wood involved. I let it sit all night.

Next day I dried it off. it had taken up most of the creamer like a wick ( first picture in this thread) very pourous.

I put the shaft in my case upside down so to keep any moisture off of the wood.

The tip dried in a few days and was 30% harder and 50% of the sponginess of the tip was gone.

At this point I've only played it in one day. It hit good, but I'm going to try one more round after I've played it in
a little more.

Thanks to Bob Jewett for the idea, this is what I did with it. I decided to go milkdud style the first go around and take
it up slowly and its worked pretty well, because I like a tip with some give in it. I have not even come close to a miscue and
I owe that to the softness of the tip.

 

[jayman]

I have no idea what kind of tips these are, but they are soft, tall and a little poofy.

Has anyone any experience with what to add to the tip to have it play in a little quicker
and hopefully get a little harder?

Sounds Like a Triangle or LePro. If its spongy It's toast. Many triangles and LePro's come out of the box no good. Probably half or more of them fluff up like a marshmallow. But the good ones are great plying tips.

 

[garczar]

Still would never go thru all that to save one tip. just cut it off and get a good one.

 

[336Robin]

Still would never go thru all that to save one tip. just cut it off and get a good one.

I use things like this to learn things. I know a road man that likes tips that are shredded and I've never seen him miscue.
In fact he leaves dots on the cue ball. Could be soft is the best way to go and here we are chasing the rabbit with all these
different tips.

 

[straightline]

I forget what I posted previously but if the idea is to stiffen the tip, just slather super glue gel on it.
If the idea is for a tip that stays pliable, Tad used to market a non laminated tip that retained it's shape and was playble to the ferrule - ish...