Shaft Cleaning?

If its a maple shaft I use the magic eraser very lightly dampen and dry right away.
With a LD shaft, Predator or OB I use a almost dry Magic eraser and have to
dry immediately after because any wood that gets wet to any degree raises the grain
of the wood.
With a spliced shaft you really have to be careful because of all the glue in the shafts.
OB shafts are like a magnet for chalk so keeping them from not bluing at all is almost
impossible.Make sure you seal them after the cleaning or chalk will go in the pours
twice as fast.
If I use a OB shaft or Predator I practice with beige chalk to help prolong the shaft
staying clean visually.

oops dual post sorry.

I've tried the magic eraser and I can't stand what it did to my shaft. After I used it I could feel the grains of the wood. I would recommend staying away from it.
1) I start out with Q-Clean to get the chalk and dirt off. Then use a damp rag to get the Q-Clean off. Then a dry rag to get rid of any extra moisture.

2) After that like someone previously said I let it sit for about an hour.

3) I use a 1500-2000 to smooth it out and burnish it.

4) I go over it with a couple coats of cue silk and it comes out perfect.

The Q-Clean is nothing but powdered bleach, someone said to stay away from bleach but I've been using that stuff for over 7 years on my shaft and its fine.

I would like to know what is in the cue silk cause they hammer you on the price of it and I'm sure there is something else that is the same that I could probably get for much cheaper I just don't know what is in it. If someone knows what that stuff is made of I would like to know.

Hope this helps.

Just get the Magic eraser and make it damp very very little ( almost dry) and do a
2-3 inch section and dry right away and do this all the way down the shaft until
you get to the part that is sealed then stop.
After that you can use those multi colored magic papers which are good and
go through the steps( I think there's 4 steps ). My final step is I use a piece of leather
and the one side that isn't shiny is the side to use. Give it a few quick strokes which
seals the wood a little more and your good to go.

Magic eraser=awesome for household cleaning but murder for shafts.

how I clean my shaft

suds that rascal up...never use anything rough on it (don't want to hurt it)...gently wash it........rubbing with long strokes

rinse that baby off completely.......don't need any remnants hanging around.........dry it all the way around it and up and down the shaft

keep it away from my balls...don't need moist balls

...

never use alcohol on it

never use alcohol on your shaft...

Now a drink before you start cleaning your shaft.....that's a different story:thumbup:

I would like to know what is in the cue silk cause they hammer you on the price

Click to expand...

Next time you are at the pharmacy or Wal Mart, look for a ladies hair care product that contains an ingredient, Dimethecol (sp).

I bought a large bottle of Pantene, others have used Bio Silk.

For a few dollars, you can get a life time supply as opposed to a little bottle for 6 bucks.

Put a little of the Cue Silk on your finger and have a sniff. Smells like perfume.

don't let your wife watch you cleaning your shaft

my wife got down on one knee..

got her face real close while I was going back and forth on my shaft..

it was getting a little rough just under the tip....

so I worked back down to the other end...

then when I was coming back towards the tip ....

my hand slipped off....

she was so pissed...

I couldn't understand why she got so cock eyed....

take away....be careful

bcsnave said:

my wife got down on one knee..

got her face real close while I was going back and forth on my shaft..

it was getting a little rough just under the tip....

so I worked back down to the other end...

then when I was coming back towards the tip ....

my hand slipped off....

she was so pissed...

I couldn't understand why she got so cock eyed....

take away....be careful

Click to expand...

I was laughing so hard - I almost couldn't read my wife the payoff line!

Cleaner

I BEEN USEING FAST ORANGE PUMICE HAND CLEANER FOUR EVER. PUT ON CLEAN RAG RUB ON SHAFT !1.99 FOR 16 OZ.TRY IT U WILL B HAPPY. RUB DOWN WITH NEW RAG & PIECE OF LEATHER.CLEAN AS BRAND NEW! BEST THING I HAVE EVER FOUND TO CLEAN SHAFT & I TRYED THEM ALL!:thumbup:

Half of the posts seems to refer to sanding your shaft.
I would make a clear distinction between cleaning and sanding your shaft!
I use kitchen paper that is slightly wet to clean my shaft. That seems to take most of the dirt off.
If i need the shaft to be slicker, then i use some sort of sandpaper. I have found that the green Q smooth is more than corse enough to take away the dirt and grime the paper wan`t get.
Having said that, even the green Q smooth does take some wood away, but compared to other types of sanding products like the Tiger shaft smoother or 1000, 1200 or 2000 grit sandpaper, It`s much kinder to your shaft.
To clean the ferrule i have found that the Aramith cue ball cleaner works very well.

gesan said:

I was laughing so hard - I almost couldn't read my wife the payoff line!

Click to expand...

Glad you have a sense of humor...you know some people on here get all bunched up....if you know what I mean.:wink:

Dont do it.

Black-Balled said:

Dont do it.

Click to expand...

As long as your ferrules are clean, all is forgiven.....:thumbup:

Kim Bye said:

Half of the posts seems to refer to sanding your shaft.

I would make a clear distinction between cleaning and sanding your shaft!

I use kitchen paper that is slightly wet to clean my shaft. That seems to take most of the dirt off.

If i need the shaft to be slicker, then i use some sort of sandpaper. I have found that the green Q smooth is more than corse enough to take away the dirt and grime the paper wan`t get.

Having said that, even the green Q smooth does take some wood away, but compared to other types of sanding products like the Tiger shaft smoother or 1000, 1200 or 2000 grit sandpaper, It`s much kinder to your shaft.

To clean the ferrule i have found that the Aramith cue ball cleaner works very well.

Click to expand...

What's kitchen paper Kim?
Paper towel?

For years now I've used a fresh piece of paper towel with a touch of orange hand cleaner. The little bit of grit in the hand cleaner acts as a light abrasive and some buffing takes out the chalk. The key thing is making sure it is all buffed off and it will clean the shaft and give it a slick feel.

I almost prefer to have the shaft with no sheen and not worry about the discolouring that buries into the wood. I used to spend time every week cleaning, sealing and waxing but it would always tend to become sticky half way through a match.

The q-smooth works great, but instead i use a 3M fine foam pad, easier to hang on to and you can conform it to the shaft with more leverage.

Obviously the best way to do it involves a lathe, but a quick effective way is using a touch of Orange hand cleaner after a light scuff with the 3M pad, then buffing with a clean paper towel so you can see clearly how much dirt is being removed. It's astonishing how I've noticed certain pool halls I frequent can make your clean shaft look extremely dirty after just one session.

As a professional like yourself Kim you may disagree, but I've been in the wood finishing business for 15 years and this seems to be the best lathe free way to accomplish a slick clean shaft if you don't mind the sheen being taken off. I'd also recommend a sealer from time to time if you play in a humid atmosphere to avoid it absorbing moisture.


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Call me lazy, but I didn't bother reading the whole thread. I use to use the cleaners, magic erasers, sandpaper and everything else that I once read. Then I realized if you take the chalk of the tip and wipe down the shaft prior to going in the case it will stay clean and none of the above mentioned 'cleaners' are required.

be1163 said:

Call me lazy, but I didn't bother reading the whole thread. I use to use the cleaners, magic erasers, sandpaper and everything else that I once read. Then I realized if you take the chalk of the tip and wipe down the shaft prior to going in the case it will stay clean and none of the above mentioned 'cleaners' are required.

Click to expand...

I put my shaft in the case with the cue tip up.

be1163 said:

Call me lazy, but I didn't bother reading the whole thread. I use to use the cleaners, magic erasers, sandpaper and everything else that I once read. Then I realized if you take the chalk of the tip and wipe down the shaft prior to going in the case it will stay clean and none of the above mentioned 'cleaners' are required.

Click to expand...

Exactly. And put the shaft in the case tip up


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