The elusive Balabushka gold glitter wedding band ribbon rings

LGSM3

Jake<built cues for fun
Silver Member
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the material doesn't and never did exist in the form in which it appears on the cue. The diagonal crossed lines are indicative of what was possibly a woven material that has been removed. Ironically removing that horizontal stranding would certainly help with not having to align a seam on the others side. Possibly a case of accidental/convenient cool design
 

rhinobywilhite

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am with you. who has a solution?

As an aside, I took a wooden dowel of the correct diameter and used a panto graph to cut .020 slots in it. I think I cut them .030 deep. I then used gold foil to cover the entire ring after it was parted from the dowel. I used a needle to press the foil into the slots.

It is not perfect but looks pretty decent. I think if the slots were dyed with a magic marker, then the foil installed. it would be much easier to see where you need to add a little more foil. The gold on maple can be seen but if the area was black, it would be easier to spot voids.

I also tried a knurling tool on brass but was not happy with the results.

I contacted several ribbon companies and sent pictures of the bands to see if they had or could manufacture something similar. Problem there is they want a substantial order before proving prototype samples.

The color changing bands are still a big puzzle to everyone.

George is probably still laughing at all of us.
 

skins

Likes to draw
Silver Member
George used short and full splice blanks. I have yet to see an x-ray of a full splice with an a-joint trim ring. If there is a ring above the wrap, it has always been in a shortie.

JV

At least one exsits. I think it was Pete that told me the story of a cue George made for someone that insisted the full splice cue to stay in tact but still have an indexed ring above the wrap. George built a two piece split ring where the seams were undetectable.

That said the glitter bands were obviously able to be used on full splice forearms.
 

flyvirginiaguy

Classic Cue Lover
Silver Member
My vote would be for a colored metal foil wrapping of some kind.
The picture posted, to me, shows a straight edged joining seam. Where the red arrow is shown below.

KBbX6fU.jpg
 

cubswin

Just call me Joe...
Silver Member
On higher end balsa fishing lures, they often foil baits. Usually making a scale pattern with the end of a socket wrench or other handy tool. Not really sure that is helpful, but something to consider that he took a foil material and added the pattern.
 

bstroud

Deceased
I hate to blow up everyone’s bubble but when I last visited George he told me the rings were from candy wrappers the he got from the store just down the block from his house.

I think he was telling me the truth. That would explain the seam.

Bill Stroud
 

ideologist

I don't never exaggerate
Silver Member
I hate to blow up everyone’s bubble but when I last visited George he told me the rings were from candy wrappers the he got from the store just down the block from his house.

I think he was telling me the truth. That would explain the seam.

Bill Stroud


Having seen a sample strip of this material, I can say that's impossible. It's a thicker material than foil. At least 2mm thick plastic
 

skins

Likes to draw
Silver Member
Having seen a sample strip of this material, I can say that's impossible. It's a thicker material than foil. At least 2mm thick plastic

I have pics of it as well and I think the only way it could have been from a thin candy wrapper is if it was then covered in flexible clear plastic then backed.

Many have searched for the answer and the closest I've heard was that someone who was in manufacturing at the time was shown the material and were pretty confident they knew the machinery it was manufactured with. Unfortunately they said those machines were decommissioned and scraped many years ago. I dont remember if they said they knew what the material was manufactured for though.
 
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classiccues

Don't hashtag your broke friends
Silver Member
If the seams were "undetectable" and the cue wasn't made for the person spouting the information, and George kept secrets like a vault, how would anyone know?

Just a thought....


But it is definitely something that could have been done if someone wanted to. Either by cutting a groove, which is what I would suspect in Georges time, or by turning the whole handle down sliding the rings on then sliding a cored handle piece over the long tenon. Which would seem like a huge waste of time, IMHO, and more complicated in Georges time for a small shop owner.

JV

At least one exsits. I think it was Pete that told me the story of a cue George made for someone that insisted the full splice cue to stay in tact but still have an indexed ring above the wrap. George built a two piece split ring where the seams were undetectable.

That said the glitter bands were obviously able to be used on full splice forearms.
 

skins

Likes to draw
Silver Member
If the seams were "undetectable" and the cue wasn't made for the person spouting the information, and George kept secrets like a vault, how would anyone know?

Just a thought....


But it is definitely something that could have been done if someone wanted to. Either by cutting a groove, which is what I would suspect in Georges time, or by turning the whole handle down sliding the rings on then sliding a cored handle piece over the long tenon. Which would seem like a huge waste of time, IMHO, and more complicated in Georges time for a small shop owner.

JV

Undetectable? I used that word in a more untrained eye way. Of course it could be detected. The one who told me could see it. I'm sure it didnt stand out though. From what I understand I don't think George would have done it if he couldn't make it look good.

That said how hidden the seams were might depend on what elements were used in the ring. I was told it was a two piece split ring. A groove similar to what George did for his gold glitter bands would have been done. I think it was an ivory (or white phenolic) and ebony (or black phenolic) indexed block ring. The splits could have either been done somewhere in the black blocks or, if they lined up, where the white and black blocks met or both depending how things lined up with the ring. Either way I can see how it could be done to look like a it was a one piece ring....

If a silver ring was used then that may have been tough to hide.
 

cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Having seen a sample strip of this material, I can say that's impossible. It's a thicker material than foil. At least 2mm thick plastic

Maybe what was meant by George is the fancy boxes candy came in.
 

cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Undetectable? I used that word in a more untrained eye way. Of course it could be detected. The one who told me could see it. I'm sure it didnt stand out though. From what I understand I don't think George would have done it if he couldn't make it look good.

That said how hidden the seams were might depend on what elements were used in the ring. I was told it was a two piece split ring. A groove similar to what George did for his gold glitter bands would have been done. I think it was an ivory (or white phenolic) and ebony (or black phenolic) indexed block ring. The splits could have either been done somewhere in the black blocks or, if they lined up, where the white and black blocks met or both depending how things lined up with the ring. Either way I can see how it could be done to look like a it was a one piece ring....

If a silver ring was used then that may have been tough to hide.
That would be easy enough with slot rings. You would need two rings to cut and make one perfect split ring.. But any solid ring would be tough to cut and make it look good.
 

JC

Coos Cues
Whatever the answer is you can bet it's more simple than complex. People got by back in the day with what they could imagine to use.

About the only material that was as good or better back then was the wood itself.

JC
 

WildWing

Super Gun Mod
Silver Member
My vote would be for a colored metal foil wrapping of some kind.

I'm with you on this one. I've long thought it was a piece of glittery crepe paper, which could be had in any color or color combination you wanted from a hobby store. This was back in the day when kids did art projects with crepe paper.

Ideologist mentioned that the material seemed too thick when Bill Stroud mentioned a candy wrapper. Whether crepe paper, which is my theory, or candy wrappers, that can easily be explained by George cementing a few layers together to make them rugged enough, and enough thickness to put into a groove.

All the best,
WW
 

skins

Likes to draw
Silver Member
I'm with you on this one. I've long thought it was a piece of glittery crepe paper, which could be had in any color or color combination you wanted from a hobby store. This was back in the day when kids did art projects with crepe paper.

Ideologist mentioned that the material seemed too thick when Bill Stroud mentioned a candy wrapper. Whether crepe paper, which is my theory, or candy wrappers, that can easily be explained by George cementing a few layers together to make them rugged enough, and enough thickness to put into a groove.

All the best,
WW

It's more like a thick plastic strap found on womens shoes though the material did come in wider strips. Maybe George cut the width to size and maybe it came in different widths. The gold, or combo red/green (depending on how the light hit it) material is under a thicker layer of clear plastic. If it was some sort of candy wrapper it would have had to have had clear plastic poured over it or similar process to make it what it is.

I've heard someone who worked in the manufacturing industry back then was shown this material and knew the process it took to produce. They knew the machines that would have made it but said that those machines were scraped long ago. They couldnt confirm what the material was used for though.

The mystery continues....
 

LGSM3

Jake<built cues for fun
Silver Member
It is grosgrain ribbon.....period, end of story. I've obtained miles (multiple rolls) of gold grosgrain from multiple suppliers. I've applied some of that ribbon to blanks and finished over it. Its definitely the same thing however his was gold with a bit of other iridescence that i've not been able to find.
 

Chopdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It is grosgrain ribbon.....period, end of story. I've obtained miles (multiple rolls) of gold grosgrain from multiple suppliers. I've applied some of that ribbon to blanks and finished over it. Its definitely the same thing however his was gold with a bit of other iridescence that i've not been able to find.

Stuff like this?

6cb9fffa6b8241ce14ba46fd877d1abda35fb6f65f720b96c1a7a34cec18c887.jpg


goldlurex3.8.jpg


italian-metallic-gold-and-black-striped-grosgrain-ribbon-0.625-325105-11.jpg


51EoYpigNpL._SX425_.jpg
 
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