The Finishing Conundrum

JC

Coos Cues
I believe it's all but impossible to assess a finish via photos. You need to see it, touch it and feel it to know it's quality.

And then you need to see it again in a few years.

JC
 

Michael Webb

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Sweet. Thanks Guys.
I'm a sprayer but what I've learned is,
We take all the time needed to construct our cues. But the finishing always seemed like it's rushed.
Why? I just don't know. Anxious maybe.
I started in 91, started building in 94. Leonard Bludworth talked me into building. Bare with me a bit.
95 I bought a bench top Pantigraph. Thank God I only did a few cues with floating points. Not for me but I kept the first and play with it til this day. The finish, yup sprayed. But thin coats. To much to fast will come back to haunt you.
So this, ebony, uncored. Malacite and ivory rounded nasty inlays, Aluminum rings.
Lmao. I have never polished it since it was finished. To this day, you still can't feel anything. I didn't even buff it to post pictures.

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Michael Webb

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This one, there's a story. There's always a story.
Customer gets his cue. Thank you!
Customer and wife one nite get drunk at the pool room. Wifey, tries to make him jealous. IT WORKS, she gets tagged. She takes his brand new cue and treats it like a bat.

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When they showed me. I literally started laughing.
They said. What the hell is so funny?
I said.
Look at my finish. It didn't pop. That's friggin awesome.
Moral to the story on finish.
What's the rush?
 

Michael Webb

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As Cue makers, Craftsman or what ever you want to call yourself. CUEOLOGIST practicing the art of Cueology. How's that sound?
We search for our methods that we can be confident using and live by. It's not in stone because the search never ends. So with that being said, auto finish is great, but it really doesn't like wood. So just like UV finish, it needs a (buffer) if you will that likes and sticks to wood and that the finish will stick to that.

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Happy Cue making. There's no compromise. You either love it or you don't.
 
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JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
As Cue makers, Craftsman or what ever you want to call yourself. CUEOLOGIST practicing the art of Cueology. How's that sound?
We search for our methods that we can be confident using and live by. It's not in stone because the search never ends. So with that being said, auto finish is great, but it really doesn't like wood. So just like UV finish, it needs a (buffer) if you will that likes and sticks to wood and that the finish will stick to that.

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Happy Cue making. There's no compromise. You either love it or you don't.

Damn!
Those ebony or most dark exotics are a pain to deal with.
I hate doing them but, you have to deal with them.

I use two coats of epoxy and two spraying sessions of auto clear.
Not quite as great as yours Mike but I'm getting there.
 

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Dave38

theemperorhasnoclotheson
Silver Member
Solarez UV gloss with the vinyl ester sealer. The Purpleheart was the nicest curly I've seen.
Dave
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QMAKER

LIVE FREE OR DIE
Silver Member
Finish

Bob Flynn who I bought several cues from prior to getting interested in building them myself used a tung oil finish and it looks pretty good hot off the press but is softer and ages less well than some others. One cue I have played lightly with over the years and the finish is getting milky looking. Another one I have played with a lot and it's beat to hell with what I consider normal use.

Bob is in his 80s now and as far as I know cancer free so did he make the right choice? HIs cues play really well BTW, he's the one who ultimately inspired me to build full core cues. Every time I shot with the cues he made I thought yes, this is the hit I like. Thanks Bob if you read this.

JC

Thanks for the compliment JC--much appreciated. Yes, I am 81 now and,
as far as I know, pretty healthy and use the treadmill and walk my dog several times a day. I still make cues, about 12 per year, and still use the
GUNSTOCK OIL finish I first used on guitars and then read that Kersenbock also used it. Figured if it was good enough for him its good enough for me. I like it because it is safe and durable. Although I have refined my methods over the years by laying down a undercoat of about
10 layers of this CA, sanding between layers. Its not as hard as autoclear coat but I dont have to spray anything and I (as far as I know) do not have cancer or any respitory problems. Another advantage of it is that it can be easily repaired by light sanding and wipe on Birchwood-Casey gunstock oil (Wallmart).
 

Kim Bye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks for the compliment JC--much appreciated. Yes, I am 81 now and,
as far as I know, pretty healthy and use the treadmill and walk my dog several times a day. I still make cues, about 12 per year, and still use the
GUNSTOCK OIL finish I first used on guitars and then read that Kersenbock also used it. Figured if it was good enough for him its good enough for me. I like it because it is safe and durable. Although I have refined my methods over the years by laying down a undercoat of about
10 layers of this CA, sanding between layers. Its not as hard as autoclear coat but I dont have to spray anything and I (as far as I know) do not have cancer or any respitory problems. Another advantage of it is that it can be easily repaired by light sanding and wipe on Birchwood-Casey gunstock oil (Wallmart).

Great to hear that you are doing well Bob. I still have the break and jump cue you made for me. You inspired me to make full length core cues. Thank you sir.
 
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