cueball2010
Active member
I have a great idea. What if we take those Silica Gel packs and throw them in our pool cue cases? that would keep things nice and dry... right?
How to stop wood shaft warping.
- Thread starter cueball2010
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Rusty in Montana
Well-known member
Yes they would , for my first true Sneaky Pete cue I got I made a cue case out of 2" PVC pipe with a glued on cap on one end and a clean out adapt on the other that obviously has a screw on plug . I've had this for many years now and for the most part no moisture has gotten into it had I been thinking when I made it , I'd of covered the inside of the pipe with some cloth like polar fleece , or I could still and sew tubes for the butt and the extra shafts to keep them protected .
Must've got tripped up. Desiccant might work in a stable climate.
pool noodle would make a good liner.
cueball2010
Active member
Desiccant the same as silica gel ball packs?
As far as I know yes. I could be wrong.
Yes shafts can warp because of humidity. Moisture also exacerbates other causes of warping that you have no control over including the proper aging process or lack there of before & during manufacturing process. Shafts also can have grain pattern stresses some of which can be hidden and over time they will warp. Cue makers mitigate these reasons with their wood selection and manufacturing processes. Control you have is keeping the shafts straight with proper storage out of the sun and mitigating extreme temperature changes, There are stories of people keeping cues in their cars with absolutely no problems but why take the chance.
I don't think that's what you want. I think you want to keep the moisture content about what it is now. If the silica gel desiccant is effective, it will reduce the humidity below "normal".
This guy talks about wood warping from a general carpenter's viewpoint, but it's good background.
It helps if you don’t leave a cue leaning against the wall for years also. A reformed hustler/bar owner I knew left an ignored Balabushka leaning in the corner of his office. When I pulled it out to examine, it was like the trick cue from the ‘Shot in the Dark’ movie!
I kept 2 Schon shafts in this case from 82 to 2016 or 17 when I sold the cue. Shafts were perfectly straight when sold.
As far as those silica gel pacs, I don't see them doing much of anything. Keep in mind that everytime you would open your case, there would be all new fresh air to try and get the moisture out of. Some little sealed pkg, that stays sealed maybe, but a cue case that is opened and closed, no way. Not only that, once those packets build up with moisture, you need to dry them back out.
While I use JB cases now, I think it's more the quality of shaft wood and how you store them than what you do about moisture.
You can't really control the moisture.
As far as those silica gel pacs, I don't see them doing much of anything. Keep in mind that everytime you would open your case, there would be all new fresh air to try and get the moisture out of. Some little sealed pkg, that stays sealed maybe, but a cue case that is opened and closed, no way. Not only that, once those packets build up with moisture, you need to dry them back out.
While I use JB cases now, I think it's more the quality of shaft wood and how you store them than what you do about moisture.
You can't really control the moisture.
Iwishiwasrich
Well-known member
I left my thoughts on this in the" how to clean my shaft every day " thread
Wood doesn't move only coz the environment is wet, it can be dry too
You people with your dry packs mightt be drying what shouldnt be drier.
You people with your dry packs mightt be drying what shouldnt be drier.
dont use wood, ai
dont use wood
dont use wood
Maybe I’m just lucky but I don’t think I have been. Instead, I just bought cues that were well made because I have never
had a cue shaft or cue butt I’ve owned, or presently have, warp. My Palmer cue is almost 60 years old and still straight as a taut string. My Runde Schon was completed in early 1985 and could pass for new and still perfectly straight. All of the ivory joint cues in my case are straight without wiggle or wobble and the newest cue in my case was completed over 10 yrs. ago.
If you deal with a quality cue maker, which I obviously must have based on how my pool cues have aged but remained
straight over the years, you shouldn’t have any problems unless you’re careless with how you carry & store your cues
I haven’t experienced any problems with warping or inlays/rings raising or any other issues. Buy quality and you will
not be disappointed, however, I suppose there is always the possibility it could happen with any cue maker. However,
my experience convinces me if the cue maker takes their time, the cue should turn out great. All of my custom cues, after being started, took 12-15 mths. to complete with every single cue maker I’ve used. Again, all my cues remain straight.
had a cue shaft or cue butt I’ve owned, or presently have, warp. My Palmer cue is almost 60 years old and still straight as a taut string. My Runde Schon was completed in early 1985 and could pass for new and still perfectly straight. All of the ivory joint cues in my case are straight without wiggle or wobble and the newest cue in my case was completed over 10 yrs. ago.
If you deal with a quality cue maker, which I obviously must have based on how my pool cues have aged but remained
straight over the years, you shouldn’t have any problems unless you’re careless with how you carry & store your cues
I haven’t experienced any problems with warping or inlays/rings raising or any other issues. Buy quality and you will
not be disappointed, however, I suppose there is always the possibility it could happen with any cue maker. However,
my experience convinces me if the cue maker takes their time, the cue should turn out great. All of my custom cues, after being started, took 12-15 mths. to complete with every single cue maker I’ve used. Again, all my cues remain straight.
I have had cue makers tell me upright or lying flat. Doesn't matter. It does seem like most store upright but to my knowledge there's no hard data to support upright is any better than lying flat. I can state from my own experience that I've always stored lying flat and have shafts 40 years old that are laser straight.
That's interesting. I don't doubt you. Having said that, a shaft lying flat is not exactly even pressure on the shaft unless it is a perfect conical taper, which few are. But if it's worked for you, that's all that matters. Another theory with shaft straightness that I can vouch for is the older shafts tend to stay straight, as they didn't cut down maple trees as early as they started to in the late 80s, when cue buying turned crazy high.