love it! this is truly one of the best threads on the forum. i wish you success, you certainly have attention for details. what does the waterslide thing mean? is it your logo?
My first tip install
- Thread starter SSDiver2112
- Start date
love it! this is truly one of the best threads on the forum. i wish you success, you certainly have attention for details. what does the waterslide thing mean? is it your logo?
SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
Many of us remember these from our adolescent model building days.
Waterslide decals are images printed on thin clear sheets. Soak them in water and the decal slides off the paper onto the cue.
gotcha. i vaguely remember having decal parts when i built corvette models as a kid, but didn't know the terminology.
what's your next build?
SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
Need to finish the matching joint protector for the turtle cue first.
After that I have not fully decided. I have an early 1900 Brunswick butterfly I am in the middle of converting. I think it needs something in addition to where it is now, so it has been put aside for a while as I think on it. I have another Dufferin Ebony as well as some other old full splice cues I can use as blanks.
Now that I am done with these last two cues, I can turn my focus to developing ideas for them. I need to perfect the butterfly jig since my idea for the Ebony cue will need it.
Someday in the future I would like to get a gun drill to be able to core more than 5-6 inches as well as try cutting v-groove points. I have a long way to go before I can say I grok this stuff.
Looking Good!! You will keep learning as long as you build cues. There are always little tricks to learn how to make things a little better or a little easier. I really liked watching the needle on the dial indicator barely vibrate!
Hu
very impressive results you have had. and a wonderful new hobby or profession. my hats off to you.
but you said in the beginning on how your new tip gives a full tip difference in english. can you explain how that is possible?
and how any different tip can add a noticeable difference in english hitting the cue ball in the same spot at the same speed.
but you said in the beginning on how your new tip gives a full tip difference in english. can you explain how that is possible?
and how any different tip can add a noticeable difference in english hitting the cue ball in the same spot at the same speed.
SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
Here is the joint protector for the cue. Best I could do with the scraps left over.
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SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
Thank you for the great compliment. I am incredibly proud of the cues I have made so far, but I don't think I am at that level yet. I am striving to reach that level and honored that anyone would consider my cues being worth or having the potential to be worth a considerable amount. This last one is priceless to me for personal reasons and will not be sold.
This is coming from someone who is about 3 steps behind you in cue building but from someone who has been playing for almost 40 years - fine tune your building processes for consistency (consistency creates efficiency) and start learning the very intricate details of how to build a cue to someone's specs. Pick a cue and build a cue to meet its specs, don't worry about looks, build it to match specs.
SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
I finally figured out what the Brunswick butterfly was missing, so I’ve been working on that. It is in the resting stage before I tackle the top coat. Will post later on.
While waiting on that I decided return to my cue and finally make the shaft for it. I wanted to switch to a flat 3/8-10 pin. This meant new tools of course and I have to remove the 5/16-14 pin from my cue.
Very scary putting a torch to my beautiful cue! I wrapped the joint with a wet towel to protect the rings and finish. At first it didn’t want to let go, and I forced myself to stay calm and patient. Eventually the heat got down to the end and the pin slowly started moving.
Re-bored the hole and set the new pin. I went with an aluminum pin to drop a little weight.
I do not have a taper bar so I had to do multiple offset cuts to get a pro taper. I just added a simple purpleheart ring to the shaft. It has a phenolic insert for the pin threads
A new pin means new joint protectors.
To be continued…
While waiting on that I decided return to my cue and finally make the shaft for it. I wanted to switch to a flat 3/8-10 pin. This meant new tools of course and I have to remove the 5/16-14 pin from my cue.
Very scary putting a torch to my beautiful cue! I wrapped the joint with a wet towel to protect the rings and finish. At first it didn’t want to let go, and I forced myself to stay calm and patient. Eventually the heat got down to the end and the pin slowly started moving.
Re-bored the hole and set the new pin. I went with an aluminum pin to drop a little weight.
I do not have a taper bar so I had to do multiple offset cuts to get a pro taper. I just added a simple purpleheart ring to the shaft. It has a phenolic insert for the pin threads
A new pin means new joint protectors.
To be continued…
You’re getting seriously good. Nice workmanship… great combos
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SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
… continued
Ok here they are. I went with a simple design to get as much Thoya burl as I could. It seems the end gain of the Holly got a more off white tint with the finish.
Ok here they are. I went with a simple design to get as much Thoya burl as I could. It seems the end gain of the Holly got a more off white tint with the finish.
SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
Finally took some pictures of the shaft. I made a few shafts from pre-tapered blanks already. This was the first one made from a square blank. This makes my cue nearly complete. I would like to make an extension soon as well.
I have been enjoying playing with this cue.
I have been enjoying playing with this cue.
Outstanding
.
Cord
Active member
Dude. That holly and ebony one is gorgeous, but this ... this is something else.
It's absolutely beautiful. Not nearly enough green cues around. But what's more - rock up with this on APA league night, and every 30+ divorcee who catches sight of it will be up in your bizness. You may have just found a lucrative niche market, esp in S FL!
Looks beautiful,
What kind of finish is that?
SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
Thank you. Max epoxy base and Solarez top coat.
SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
Bringing a 100-year-old cue back to life.
I was looking for an old cue with green in it to use as a blank for a project. When I first saw this cue online, I thought it had green veneers based on the pictures. Once I received it, I started to have doubts.
I did a light pass to see the veneer preserved below the first layer. Yep, that is blue under there. From here this cue took a different direction and I had to come up with a new idea for the green one which became the turtle cue, so I am not unhappy with that.
I am still learning how to better plan for the final weight of the cue. This was a 16oz cue originally. The bulk of the cue is Philippine Mahogony, which is lightweight. Then I picked Spalted Tamarind, another lightweight wood for the butt along with Yucatan Rosewood for the rings. I know a little better for next time, but I did manage to get it to 18.3oz.
Once I got the new butt assembled and tapered something about the cue seemed off. I loved the restored look of the old cue an I loved the look of the new butt. However, they seemed visually disjointed. After a while I put it aside to work on other things, hoping something would come to me eventually. After nearly a year of picking it up, still having no idea, and then putting back down to ignore again, I finally got an idea to try. What about abalone shell dots in the rings? There is a hint of blue in most of them to tie in with the butterfly and they will be both at the butt and the joint. I think this was the missing touch needed.
Of course, I have never done inlays before so I got some dots, a new tool, and did a few experiments. After a positive outcome I decided to give it a try. Worst case if I failed would be to cut off the butt and do something else.
With this happy success I added the rings to the joint, dotted them, and set the pin.
The entire butt is complete finally. I do still have to make the shaft, so that should be soon.
Thanks for lookin!
I’ll put some more pictures in the next post
I was looking for an old cue with green in it to use as a blank for a project. When I first saw this cue online, I thought it had green veneers based on the pictures. Once I received it, I started to have doubts.
I did a light pass to see the veneer preserved below the first layer. Yep, that is blue under there. From here this cue took a different direction and I had to come up with a new idea for the green one which became the turtle cue, so I am not unhappy with that.
I am still learning how to better plan for the final weight of the cue. This was a 16oz cue originally. The bulk of the cue is Philippine Mahogony, which is lightweight. Then I picked Spalted Tamarind, another lightweight wood for the butt along with Yucatan Rosewood for the rings. I know a little better for next time, but I did manage to get it to 18.3oz.
Once I got the new butt assembled and tapered something about the cue seemed off. I loved the restored look of the old cue an I loved the look of the new butt. However, they seemed visually disjointed. After a while I put it aside to work on other things, hoping something would come to me eventually. After nearly a year of picking it up, still having no idea, and then putting back down to ignore again, I finally got an idea to try. What about abalone shell dots in the rings? There is a hint of blue in most of them to tie in with the butterfly and they will be both at the butt and the joint. I think this was the missing touch needed.
Of course, I have never done inlays before so I got some dots, a new tool, and did a few experiments. After a positive outcome I decided to give it a try. Worst case if I failed would be to cut off the butt and do something else.
With this happy success I added the rings to the joint, dotted them, and set the pin.
The entire butt is complete finally. I do still have to make the shaft, so that should be soon.
Thanks for lookin!
I’ll put some more pictures in the next post
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