two new elk master 13mm tip boxes in a row very hard / old?

S

sbrownn

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<posting for a friend>

He ordered one new box from Amazon, another one I ordered from an established billiards shop. Both were 13mm, both boxes were very hard possibly old / stale? The second box the tips are much shorter in height also.

Any feedback / ideas what is going on here? Are all elk masters now NOS?

TIA
 
They are leather and they have a shelf life. It will get hard but I'm not sure you can save them.

It needs to be soaked again or moisturized. LOL

These are great tips and and the "go to" before the cheaper layered stuff.

There were older guys that would soak them in their special concoction.
 
smiling_Hans said:
They are leather and they have a shelf life. It will get hard but I'm not sure you can save them.

It needs to be soaked again or moisturized. LOL

These are great tips and and the "go to" before the cheaper layered stuff.

There were older guys that would soak them in their special concoction.
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Didn't ask how leather gets old. Did ask if all elk master tips are NOS these days and if others have been receiving shipments of boxes that have been arriving in very hard new condition?
 
sbrownn said:
Didn't ask how leather gets old. Did ask if all elk master tips are NOS these days and if others have been receiving shipments of boxes that have been arriving in very hard new condition?
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They are hard tips but how hard.

Try to bite it. If it puts a mark on it then its all good. If not, then its probably done as a tip.
 
I ordered a 10 pc box from Amazon. The closest billiard store has closed and I haven't tried ordering from them as they are doing on- line sales now. I used to go to the local shop in Toronto years ago and go thru the box of Elk and Blue Diamonds to pick out the ones I wanted. I used to bounce them on the counter and listen to the sound. If they sounded papery I passed on them till I got ones that had a little denser sound. I'll see how these are when I get the delivery
 
George the Greek said:
I ordered a 10 pc box from Amazon. The closest billiard store has closed and I haven't tried ordering from them as they are doing on- line sales now. I used to go to the local shop in Toronto years ago and go thru the box of Elk and Blue Diamonds to pick out the ones I wanted. I used to bounce them on the counter and listen to the sound. If they sounded papery I passed on them till I got ones that had a little denser sound. I'll see how these are when I get the delivery
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Be sure to lightly bite them.

Some can get hard like phenolic.
 
sbrownn said:
<posting for a friend>

He ordered one new box from Amazon, another one I ordered from an established billiards shop. Both were 13mm, both boxes were very hard possibly old / stale? The second box the tips are much shorter in height also.

Any feedback / ideas what is going on here? Are all elk masters now NOS?

TIA
Click to expand...
Didn't they change the manufacturing for a more consistent tip? I know for a while the QC was kind of crap, then they changed something in the process. Harder tips are more than likely pressed which would improve them and make them more consistent.
 
boogieman said:
Didn't they change the manufacturing for a more consistent tip? I know for a while the QC was kind of crap, then they changed something in the process. Harder tips are more than likely pressed which would improve them and make them more consistent.
Click to expand...
Don't know about Elk's but they quit using stomach leather on the Triangles. Shoulder leather is the best part of the hide.
 
I just got the Elk Master tips delivered by Amazon. I did my little bounce test and they all sounded the same as far as I can tell. I took off the old tip and put one on and I'll see if it's any good. Worst comes to worst I'll keep them for the 4 one piece house cues I have and go see the local cue guy and put a new tip on my break and playing cue.
 
i got 50 plus year old tips on some of my shafts and cues, and they hit well. so maybe they get a little harder but do not become unplayable.

when i got soft tips i would bounce the cue on the floor for ten or 15 minutes to compress it before i shaped it, and that always seemed to work so they didnt expand outward.

unless i got a new shaft i always put on my own tips and shaped them.
you still have to play with a new tip for a time to get your mind to acclimate to it.
 
why is everyone explaining how and why leather tips get hard in this thread when I didn't even ask this? just wondering if anyone has ordered a box of elkmasters lately and / or if anyone knows if they are only NOS these days?
 
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