Best way to Store Cues

get a piece of wood and mount it level and horizontal in a cabinet of some sort. drill holes in the wood. hang your cue and shafts from the holes with the joint protectors to secure to the wood.

credit to Will Prout for this technique.

Watchez has it almost right, i have that set up, so to really do it right just send me all your cues and i'll be sure and keep them warm:wink:

watchez said:

get a piece of wood and mount it level and vertical in a cabinet of some sort. drill holes in the wood. hang your cue and shafts from the holes with the joint protectors to secure to the wood.

credit to Will Prout for this technique.

Click to expand...

if you dont want to send me all your cues, send some over to Will Prout, he is a good guy to hold them as well

There's nothing wrong with them being vertical in a case but the cues also need to be used from time to time. Everyone knows humidity is probably the biggest enemy but after the wood is turned the vibration and flexing of the shafts or any movement is for that matter helps to keep them straight.

plhlolelnlilx said:

There's nothing wrong with them being vertical in a case but the cues also need to be used from time to time. Everyone knows humidity is probably the biggest enemy but after the wood is turned the vibration and flexing of the shafts or any movement is for that matter helps to keep them straight.

Click to expand...

on a serious note, Humidity itself isnt a problem, its the change in humidity that destroys cues. So if you can keep them at the same temp, atmospheric pressure and % humidity you have no problems. thats harder said than done. Changes in pressure can have a big impact on how much water from the humidity your cue picks up or doesn't pick up. A cue maker friend of mine has studied this for years.

I keep mine in a controlled environment vault. thats the best way and still is not bullet proof, I have one cue that moved a lot and needs refinished now-its a $15,000 cue.

the other thing is the older the cues are the more stable they become, I have noticed 30 years old to be the magic number, its the "Greener" or younger cues that seem to have more issues. I have lots of cues from the late 60's to current.

Some are vertical some horizontal, never lean a cue(That will cause it to warp(bend) 100% of the time).

What Watchez said about Will is very good. they are both very good friends of mine and are smart guys.

Best
eric

watchez said:

get a piece of wood and mount it level and horizontal in a cabinet of some sort. drill holes in the wood. hang your cue and shafts from the holes with the joint protectors to secure to the wood.

credit to Will Prout for this technique.

Click to expand...

can I have a picture illustration?

ctran said:

can I have a picture illustration?

Click to expand...

Think if you had a gun safe -- take the top shelf, drill some holes in it. Stick the pin of the cue up threw the hole from the bottom of the shelf. On the top of the shelf, now with your pin sticking up threw the hole - put your joint protector onto the pin. Now your cue is hanging vertical, perfectally straight, using gravity to keep it straight. No lean. No warp. Do the same for your shafts. Do the same for your other cues.

They also buy dehumidifier packs you can put in a safe.

You could do it in a display case (ala Will Prout - although he has display caseS) if you wanted others to enjoy viewing your cues as well.

pogmothoin said:

My playing cue has two shafts and I was conditioning the tips when I noticed that one of the shafts, the one I rarely play, with is slightly warped. It's a maple shaft that's roughly 30 years old.

This cue has always been kept in it's case when not in use, never left in a car or otherwise mistreated. The case is stored so that the cue is never laying flat.

I checked my other cues and two other shafts have the same issue. The only thing I can think of is that my table is in my basement (dry as a bone) and perhaps moisture or humidity has taken it's toll.

Just wondering if there are steps I can take to prevent any further problems.

Thanks.

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Just curious, but was it in a decent case ? Are you the orginal owner (30 years) ??

watchez said:

Think if you had a gun safe -- take the top shelf, drill some holes in it. Stick the pin of the cue up threw the hole from the bottom of the shelf. On the top of the shelf, now with your pin sticking up threw the hole - put your joint protector onto the pin. Now your cue is hanging vertical, perfectally straight, using gravity to keep it straight. No lean. No warp. Do the same for your shafts. Do the same for your other cues.

They also buy dehumidifier packs you can put in a safe.

You could do it in a display case (ala Will Prout - although he has display caseS) if you wanted others to enjoy viewing your cues as well.

Click to expand...

so the holes should be drilled by the size of just bigger than the pin, smaller than the joint diameter, and use the joint protector to keep it attached to the top shelf, is it correct?

ctran said:

so the holes should be drilled by the size of just bigger than the pin, smaller than the joint diameter, and use the joint protector to keep it attached to the top shelf, is it correct?

Click to expand...

Correct. You could even counter sink them a bit and line it with felt so you don't mess up the joint.