Eating Crow doesn't taste nearly as good as I thought.. (Alcohol and shafts)

xidica

xidica

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Oh Dhakala, the enlightened one who only serves to bash others on this forum and link them to Wikipedia articles that the "Zen Master" has googled to attack others; you have proven another lost soul wrong...

Regardless, if the cue feels sticky, I burnish it to polish and smooth it. I love blue patina and myself am not particularly anal about a small amount of grip when the shaft slides through my fingers. I feel that a shaft which is *excessively* slick just doesn't feel right to me, and to keep it that way just wastes time I could spend pocketing balls. Don't get me wrong I keep my shafts smooth but don't care about getting chalk out of the shaft. It just adds character ;)
 
D

Dhakala

Banned
An excellent rationalization of laziness.

The Middle Path was articulated very well by Ann Landers:

"A home should be clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be comfortable."

Same goes for cues.
 
Inzombiac

Inzombiac

...
Silver Member
well I can say, as the newest pool noob here, I'm learning a lot about Do's and Don't of cue maintenance... but here's another question:

Seeing how humidity played a large part in the warping of PlynSets cue, do most cue cases protect against this sort of thing? Because ATM I have a cheapo to hold my buddy's cue so it doesn't get any worse than it is, but from what I've seen, alot of folk have really elaborate cases. Is all that just for show or are you paying for protection?
 
P

PlynSets

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm going to have some interesting news on this very subject here hopefully in the near future. It turns out might shafts aren't warped nearly as bad as I thought they were. It might be that the PIN in the butt of the cue is slightly bent, making it look like the shafts are warped! When I roll them on the table by themselves their is an ever so slight "bow" to them, but that's pretty typical of all shafts. I'm going to have the pin replaced, the joint faced, and the joint collars for all 3 shafts lightly surfaced, and then have the cue rewrapped and I'll let you guys know how it works out. In theory everything should be back in line again, which would mean that alcohol wasn't the cause of this, but rather not using joint protectors and some instance I'm not aware of where my cue case was banged pretty good.

DJ
 
D

Dhakala

Banned
PlynSets said:
I'm going to have some interesting news on this very subject here hopefully in the near future. It turns out might shafts aren't warped nearly as bad as I thought they were. It might be that the PIN in the butt of the cue is slightly bent, making it look like the shafts are warped! When I roll them on the table by themselves their is an ever so slight "bow" to them, but that's pretty typical of all shafts. I'm going to have the pin replaced, the joint faced, and the joint collars for all 3 shafts lightly surfaced, and then have the cue rewrapped and I'll let you guys know how it works out. In theory everything should be back in line again, which would mean that alcohol wasn't the cause of this, but rather not using joint protectors and some instance I'm not aware of where my cue case was banged pretty good.

DJ
Click to expand...

A fast (~3 mins.) refacing, gratis, eliminated a half-inch wobble in my son's cue. It now rolls without a sliver of daylight showing beneath it.
 
Dead Money

Dead Money

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've used alcohol on my sticks for 10+ years. No sense changing it now. This is even worse........my main playing stick lives in the trunk of my car 24/7 except when I am playing with it.
 
rackem

rackem

SUPPORT CLUB MEMBERSHIP
Silver Member
PlynSets said:
I'm going to have some interesting news on this very subject here hopefully in the near future. It turns out might shafts aren't warped nearly as bad as I thought they were. It might be that the PIN in the butt of the cue is slightly bent, making it look like the shafts are warped! When I roll them on the table by themselves their is an ever so slight "bow" to them, but that's pretty typical of all shafts. I'm going to have the pin replaced, the joint faced, and the joint collars for all 3 shafts lightly surfaced, and then have the cue rewrapped and I'll let you guys know how it works out. In theory everything should be back in line again, which would mean that alcohol wasn't the cause of this, but rather not using joint protectors and some instance I'm not aware of where my cue case was banged pretty good.

DJ
Click to expand...

DJ, I would suggest taking a look at the shaft and butt of your cue by spinning not rolling them seperately on a flat hard surface like the rail of your table. Get down at eye level and you should be able to see just what is off. For a professional opinion, I am sure Dave Whitsell would be happy to look at it. He is at Quality billiards in Santee.
 
D

Dhakala

Banned
Inzombiac said:
Seeing how humidity played a large part in the warping of PlynSets cue, do most cue cases protect against this sort of thing?
Click to expand...

No. Most cases allow ambient air to circulate pretty freely, despite marketing hype about "tubes sealed against moisture". They're open at the top, right?

Some cases, notably Fellini and "It's George" brands, seal hermetically. They trap the ambient air in the case and hold it until the case is opened again. If the humidity at your destination is not significantly different from the point of origin's, then there is no significant change to induce warpage.

It really takes days-long exposure to very high or low humidity to induce warpage at normal temperatures. If you bake a cue in a car on a sunny day, it will lose moisture and warp much faster. Cold weather, however, does not drive moisture out of a cue very rapidly.
 
Snapshot9

Snapshot9

son of 3 leg 1 eye dog ..
Silver Member
What I do ...

My cuemaker told me never use anything but a wood POLISHER on the shaft, not a wax, conditioner, or anything but a polisher.

I used scrathies for years, but quit. I use a little sandpaper only in emergencies only, and only lightly.

To clean: I use 'Orange' by Kroger, biodegradable and all natural.
I spray on paper towels, and clean good, including ferrule, but not tip.
I dry off with paper towels.
I use Pledge wood polisher on paper towels on shaft, not ferrule or tip.

I do this every 2 weeks at least, usually once a week as I do not like
blue rings on my ferrule (and yes, I prefer new chalk, not half used.).
I developed this habit as preparation to play in a tournament.
 
Colin Colenso

Colin Colenso

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Nothing I've tried makes the shaft as slippery and as long lasting slippery as Pete LaFond's Slipstic.

The only reason I don't use it more is that when practicing I often move the balls around with the shaft, but when I have slipstic on the shaft the balls slide off the cue so much it makes it difficult to move the balls with the shaft.

But whenever I have to play matches and the conditions are a little humid, I'll put slipstic on my shaft.

It would make sense for me to use slipstic all the time, but an old dog doesn't like to learn new tricks.

Colin
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top