Shaft sanding!!

Shooter08

Runde Aficianado
Silver Member
This just sounds like a bad idea to me. I don't want anyone sanding any shafts on my cues unless they built it.
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
This just sounds like a bad idea to me. I don't want anyone sanding any shafts on my cues unless they built it.

Just maker sure they use a 6" long high grit paper .
When someone starts using 2" wide low grit paper is when you start seeing sanding grooves in your shaft.
 

vacation

Living Good.
Silver Member
Just maker sure they use a 6" long high grit paper .
When someone starts using 2" wide low grit paper is when you start seeing sanding grooves in your shaft.

That's the impression I've been under. I've watched instruction/repair videos from multiple cue builders/supplies and they all sand cues, but at very high grit. If I recall correctly (and please correct me if I'm wrong), Hightower instructs 400 and 600 when cleaning/sealing. I've been doing this for sometime, but I also didn't spend a fortune on equipment. Dry winter hands is also a plus for shooting!
 

PocketPooler

...............
Silver Member
1500 grit light while spinning. Follow up with 3000 micromesh. Seal. Repeat as needed. Works perfect.
 

Shooter08

Runde Aficianado
Silver Member
I thought I read a post here where a guy ran into the respected builder of his cue years later and was asked, have you ever sanded the shafts? He said no and the builder told him "thank you" or something to that extent, like people were ruining his cues by sanding the shaft.
 

WildWing

Super Gun Mod
Silver Member
Sanding is for reducing the diameter of a shaft, not for cleaning it. If you constantly clean with sandpaper, you're going to keep doing it, and end up with something resembling a needle.

For cleaning a shaft, rub a damp paper towel over the shaft, some prefer denatured alcohol, some don't, it's up to you. Follow up with a shaft sealer of some type, Q Slick works good, or a sanding sealer. Then finish up with either Q papers or micro cloths, or the equivalent to get the right smoothness. Some prefer to finish with wax; I don't need it. Up to you.

Then, stop doing what everybody does, chalking with your bridge hand. It just dumps chalk dust onto your bridge hand, which transfers the chalk dust onto your shaft over time. Chalk with the other hand, keeping the shaft relatively clean.

Other methods work, but stop sanding your shafts. It's not necessary. Adopt better habits.

All the best,
WW
 
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Shooter08

Runde Aficianado
Silver Member
I never thought of it before, but maybe my shafts don't get to dirty because I have never chalked with my bridge hand. I don't think I could if I wanted to, would be to unnatural.
 

mortuarymike-nv

mortuarymike-nv
Silver Member
You should really think that statment over.

I never thought of it before, but maybe my shafts don't get to dirty because I have never chalked with my bridge hand. I don't think I could if I wanted to, would be to unnatural.


I never chalk with my bridge hand either.
But my bridge hand does rest on the tables chalk, dirt , grime, impregnated cloth .

Never had the palm of your bridge hand turn black from playing on a dirty table ?
 

Sloppy Pockets

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
That's the impression I've been under. I've watched instruction/repair videos from multiple cue builders/supplies and they all sand cues, but at very high grit. If I recall correctly (and please correct me if I'm wrong), Hightower instructs 400 and 600 when cleaning/sealing. I've been doing this for sometime, but I also didn't spend a fortune on equipment. Dry winter hands is also a plus for shooting!

Can't say much about shaft sanding, but I really love your avatar. I'm a huge Gracie fan from way back. Seen her live in 1970, 9 months pregnant and still out there belting out tunes and strutting her stuff while we all expected her to drop the kid at any time. I was tripping pretty heavy on Orange Sunshine and kept trying to climb into the huge bass bins to hear the music better. Best concert I ever (partially) remember. Lol
 

TATE

AzB Gold Mensch
Silver Member
This just sounds like a bad idea to me. I don't want anyone sanding any shafts on my cues unless they built it.

Actually sanding can make the shaft last longer if you do it right and lightly. When shafts are machined and turned, there are many microscopic fibers and tears in the wood. When moisture from your own sweat and humidity get into these fibers, the shaft will be rough because the moisture "raises the grain". In woodworking, the idea is to get rid of these fibers. To do that we "raise the grain", sand it off, raise the grain again, and sand it off. Then moisture will no longer make the surface bumpy.

Generally speaking, clean the shaft with water or alcohol, let it dry completely, then sand it with 600 or finer grit (dry). Do it a couple of times. When that's done, use something like wax or silicone to seal it, use parchment paper as I do. I did this to my shaft only every three or 4 years and I play a lot.

Here's a cleaning thread I did some time back - definitely worth a read:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=188985
 
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beerpressure

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've only ever owned a cheap cue that came with the shaft shiny and impossible to make a closed bridge with. It needed to have the shiny coating of lacquer sanded off to be playable.

Do "good" shafts come already smooth and ready to play? I want to buy a new cue but don't want to have to sand it to make it playable.
 

neonlight

Registered
Shafts get sticky and bumpy. Just like tires on a car wear down. The shaft is a tool. Like a sharp chisel. The chisel needs to be sharpened to work as intended. Your shaft needs to be sanded/polished to achieve optimum performance. A 1200 grit will remove imperceptible amounts of wood. I have a Josh shaft which is 30 yrs. old. I have sanded it as needed. It is essentially the same diameter as when first purchased. I was a tool and die guy. I know how to measure to .00001". So I know what I'm saying here.
Again, the shaft is a tool to get a job done. It is not a painting to be viewed and never touched. If you do wear it down buy another one!
The smoother the shaft the smoother the stroke. Simple physics.
 

vacation

Living Good.
Silver Member
Can't say much about shaft sanding, but I really love your avatar. I'm a huge Gracie fan from way back. Seen her live in 1970, 9 months pregnant and still out there belting out tunes and strutting her stuff while we all expected her to drop the kid at any time. I was tripping pretty heavy on Orange Sunshine and kept trying to climb into the huge bass bins to hear the music better. Best concert I ever (partially) remember. Lol

I've always thought I was born in the wrong era. Sounds like a good time!
 

mortuarymike-nv

mortuarymike-nv
Silver Member
Cues

I've only ever owned a cheap cue that came with the shaft shiny and impossible to make a closed bridge with. It needed to have the shiny coating of lacquer sanded off to be playable.

Do "good" shafts come already smooth and ready to play? I want to buy a new cue but don't want to have to sand it to make it playable.


Hi.
Its a whole different world, from a cheap cue that have some kind of clear coat over the shaft ...

The way I do my shafts, I don't know if you can get a smoother non sticky non greasy feel.

If you are buying a solid maple shaft then it can be taken down to what size you want.

Everyone has a different personal opinion on which cues they like and which ones they don't.

If you would like some help in getting a decent cue feel free to pm me and I will do what I can to get you into a cue for what ever your budget is or at least I can try.

You really need to be able to know if the cue you think you might like if the shaft can be taken down to the size you like best.

There is allot of cues that the shafts are resin reinforced or laminated or cored and all kinds of different stuff done to them that they cannot be made smaller for different reasons ..................
 

Sealegs50

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I thought I read a post here where a guy ran into the respected builder of his cue years later and was asked, have you ever sanded the shafts? He said no and the builder told him "thank you" or something to that extent, like people were ruining his cues by sanding the shaft.

You may be referring to a post I made recently. The cuemaker was Dan Janes. He wasn't asking a general question. He noticed when running the shafts through his fingers that they appeared to have the original taper. So he said (IIRC), "You haven't sanded these shafts, have you?". When I said "no", he responded with "thank you".

I believe my post also provided a comment from Laurie Franklin, who I called soon after buying a South West cue in 1991. I asked about care of the shafts. She told me that if she ever heard of me taking sand paper to the cue, she would take it away from me. Several years later, on an occasion when I sent the cue back for retipping, she asked me what finish I used on my shafts because they had a great feel to them. I told her that was my hand oil. Nothing else.
 

BmoreMoney

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I know, I know but I like using the green scrubbies while playing and once in a while I'll use the little q perfect sand papers.
 
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