Tips On Tip Pads

mchnhed

I Came, I Shot, I Choked
Silver Member
Tip Pads

.15”
.31”
.62”
Red
Black
White
Clear

Which and Why?
(I know it’s a lot to ask, Newbie Alert!)

Thank you
 

Wilk

Registered
The first six you listed are all just to protect the ferrule (at least originally). They do tend to soften the hit, or soften the tip a bit, but this is a little subjective feel wise. Obviously the thicker the pad the greater effect this may have. However it is still a bit subjective as large pads behind a elkmaster would have a little effect, but large pads behind a phenolic tip would have a large effect. (and be really weird). Material is way more important than color, but most of what you listed are just basic cloth fiber colors. Black Carbon fiber is a different story, not common at this point and would stiffen the hit in most cases.

Clear is mainly for look. It would have very little effect on a soft tip, but could actually soften a hard tip depending on ferrule material.

Pads were introduced to prevent cracking ivory ferrules. In most cases today they are either for looks, to keep things from getting into the hollow portion of LD shafts, or basically to keep people from compromising the ferrule during tip replacements.

With that said they are part of the spring/damper created between the shaft, ferrule, pad and tip. The compression and rebound of each material will affect what is called the hit/feel. Changing the softest or hardest material in the chain will have the largest effect and anything in between should be hard to distinguish. I would highly doubt that 90% of players would actually know which material is needed to change the hit in the way they intend and just change the tip to harder or softer as it is the part they understand.

Beware that current shafts usually do have warranties that are voided by compromising or changing these pads out.

I won't touch that subject I have already said enough to bring the wolves out when I said hit or feel.
 
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Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
Wilk, enjoyed your post....Me/Wife/Stroud/wife used to party together back when he lived in Colorado Springs.

Only thing I learned, after playing with ivory ferrules for over 55 yrs is this. The GOOD tips back in the day had the dark orange colored backing and allowed the player to wear the tip down further (Champion tips). But, it also protected the ivory from a bad miscue.

6 Weeks after Fatty died, I did a (audio/video) interview with his X wife Evelyn in Dowell IL at her home. She told me a trick with cue tips that Rudolph did. He of course was a large man and sweated allot and carried allot of Cash in his pants pockets, BUT he also, at the bottom of his pockets, had a few tips (curing) that would absorb his sweat and natural body oils, and he would intentionally handle then to cure em. Ev said they would be in his pockets for months on end before usage.

Because Champion Tips were coveted back in the sixties and early seventies I did this. And I did have a home lathe and did tips and shaft work for decades, so I had a trick, but it was VERY important.

When I got a new tip with a backing I'd remove the backing, I'd face the backing to the ferrule separate from the tip, next day face the tip to the backing, next day cut it, bevel it (mushroom) as those tips sides eventually stood up (flush with the side of the ferrule) during the break in period. Couple more side touch ups in the first two weeks and good to go.
 
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