Help needed I want to refinish an old Dufferin one piece

rbpwrd240

Sponsored Player
Silver Member
As the title states I want to refinish one of my old dufferin cues so I can leave it at my local watering hole.

My goal here is to:

Take out the dents
Add a slghtly longer tapper and bring down the tip diameter
possibly replace the ferrule
Add a tip
Refinish the clear coat


Here is my plan to complete these steps please add input and correct me if my plan is wrong.

Take out the dents
I figured I would sand through the clear coat on the cue starting with 220 grit and working my way to around 1500 grit. Then I would add drops of water slowly to the dents over several days to swell the wood back outand sand down any over swelling.

Add a slightly longer taper
I am considering shucking the cue up into a lathe at work and working on the taper and trying to remove the slight wobble it has. Any input here on how to chuck this up and how to remove the slight wobble is appreciated.

Possibly replace the ferrule
The ferrule on this cue is able to be pulled off. It isn't a capped ferrule so I was thinking I could just glue it back on or I could replace it with a westing house micarta ferrule that I have laying around and sand it down on the lathe to match the cue but I would leave a cap on it since I like a solid hit.

Add a tip
For the tip Im using an emerald tip I have lying around and I would use the rapid cue top sander machine I already have to get a true flat top, Iv used it before and although its probably the worst way to do a tip I do have it on hand. I was just going to use a gorilla glue super glue pen as an adhesive for the tip feel free to let me know your preferred super glue.

Refinish the clear coat
On this topic I am not real sure what to use to put a good solid clear coat back on the cue, any input on your preferred clear coat is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
 
Last edited:

ideologist

I don't never exaggerate
Silver Member
As the title states I want to refinish one of my old dufferin cues so I can leave it at my local watering hole.

My goal here is to:

Take out the dents
Add a slghtly longer tapper and bring down the tip diameter
possibly replace the ferrule
Add a tip
Refinish the clear coat


Here is my plan to complete these steps please add input and correct me if my plan is wrong.

Take out the dents
I figured I would sand through the clear coat on the cue starting with 220 grit and working my way to around 1500 grit. Then I would add drops of water slowly to the dents over several days to swell the wood back outand sand down any over swelling.

Add a slightly longer taper
I am considering shucking the cue up into a lathe at work and working on the taper and trying to remove the slight wobble it has. Any input here on how to chuck this up and how to remove the slight wobble is appreciated.

Possibly replace the ferrule
The ferrule on this cue is able to be pulled off. It isn't a capped ferrule so I was thinking I could just glue it back on or I could replace it with a westing house micarta ferrule that I have laying around and sand it down on the lathe to match the cue but I would leave a cap on it since I like a solid hit.

Add a tip
For the tip Im using an emerald tip I have lying around and I would use the rapid cue top sander machine I already have to get a true flat top, Iv used it before and although its probably the worst way to do a tip I do have it on hand. I was just going to use a gorilla glue super glue pen as an adhesive for the tip feel free to let me know your preferred super glue.

Refinish the clear coat
On this topic I am not real sure what to use to put a good solid clear coat back on the cue, any input on your preferred clear coat is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,


You're planning to do this on a lathe?
 

whammo57

Kim Walker
Silver Member
As the title states I want to refinish one of my old dufferin cues so I can leave it at my local watering hole.

My goal here is to:

Take out the dents
Add a slghtly longer tapper and bring down the tip diameter
possibly replace the ferrule
Add a tip
Refinish the clear coat


Here is my plan to complete these steps please add input and correct me if my plan is wrong.

Take out the dents
I figured I would sand through the clear coat on the cue starting with 220 grit and working my way to around 1500 grit. Then I would add drops of water slowly to the dents over several days to swell the wood back outand sand down any over swelling.

Add a slightly longer taper
I am considering shucking the cue up into a lathe at work and working on the taper and trying to remove the slight wobble it has. Any input here on how to chuck this up and how to remove the slight wobble is appreciated.

Possibly replace the ferrule
The ferrule on this cue is able to be pulled off. It isn't a capped ferrule so I was thinking I could just glue it back on or I could replace it with a westing house micarta ferrule that I have laying around and sand it down on the lathe to match the cue but I would leave a cap on it since I like a solid hit.

Add a tip
For the tip Im using an emerald tip I have lying around and I would use the rapid cue top sander machine I already have to get a true flat top, Iv used it before and although its probably the worst way to do a tip I do have it on hand. I was just going to use a gorilla glue super glue pen as an adhesive for the tip feel free to let me know your preferred super glue.

Refinish the clear coat
On this topic I am not real sure what to use to put a good solid clear coat back on the cue, any input on your preferred clear coat is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

This is not an easy task for one that is unfamiliar with cue building and repair techniques .............. if you want a nice cue from this, you should seek professional help.............. other wise, you need a lot more information than you have....... I suggest that you read the archives of "ask the cumaker"..... all of them... and watch all the Youtube information on cue building and repair


Kim
 

rbpwrd240

Sponsored Player
Silver Member
May use a lathe and I am not interested in buying a new cue but working on this one. I already have a set of playing cues with old growth shafts etc. This is a fun project for me.

Okay what kind of clear coat do you guys prefer to finish the cue with. I dont see most of this as very tough to do except for maybe the ferrule and changing the tapper.
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
May use a lathe and I am not interested in buying a new cue but working on this one. I already have a set of playing cues with old growth shafts etc. This is a fun project for me.

Okay what kind of clear coat do you guys prefer to finish the cue with. I dont see most of this as very tough to do except for maybe the ferrule and changing the tapper.

You have a lathe that can hold a house cue ?
Has a router mounted for tapering ?

The UV finish on Dufferin cues are pretty thick. You're gonna need to razor blade to take the finish off then sand .

Any good auto clear coat will do.
 

PoppaSaun

Banned
Chucking the cue in the lathe will depend on what tooling and chucks you have available.

You don't need a router to taper the cue, but you'll need to make sure the cue is supported and held well. Once everything is secure, you can change the taper easily with emery cloth.

For the refinish, just grab some sandpaper and sand it down. A friend recently put an oil finish on his cue and it is beautiful. He didn't use a lathe.

You'd get more and better information calling your local furniture restoration company than you will get from the cnc jockeys here.
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
Chucking the cue in the lathe will depend on what tooling and chucks you have available.

You don't need a router to taper the cue, but you'll need to make sure the cue is supported and held well. Once everything is secure, you can change the taper easily with emery cloth.

For the refinish, just grab some sandpaper and sand it down. A friend recently put an oil finish on his cue and it is beautiful. He didn't use a lathe.

You'd get more and better information calling your local furniture restoration company than you will get from the cnc jockeys here.

How much wood can you take out with emery paper ?
House cues have one angle from tip to the bottom. Hence the shaft part gets fat really fast . My practice have been if I need to take out more than 1/4 MM of wood, I use live bits .
Never mind that this house cue he mentioned is likely warped . They are not famous for being straight . It's the nature of the beast.
He might as well lay it down and use a hand planer . Then sand spin it .

I tried using sand paper on UV finish once. Once.
Have you tried it ? They're not exactly thin.
 

deadbeat

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I tried the sandpaper on a dufferin once as well, never do that again. I had another that was straight and it got the router on the lathe.
 

PoppaSaun

Banned
How much wood can you take out with emery paper ?
House cues have one angle from tip to the bottom. Hence the shaft part gets fat really fast . My practice have been if I need to take out more than 1/4 MM of wood, I use live bits .
Never mind that this house cue he mentioned is likely warped . They are not famous for being straight . It's the nature of the beast.
He might as well lay it down and use a hand planer . Then sand spin it .

I tried using sand paper on UV finish once. Once.
Have you tried it ? They're not exactly thin.

I've done it. It was some work, but not that bad. If you start with aggressive grits, it doesn't take that long.

The bigger point is that a guy comes on here and instead of giving useful advice, y'all basically try to brag about your equipment.

If he had live tooling and a cue lathe, he wouldn't be asking about other methods.
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
I've done it. It was some work, but not that bad. If you start with aggressive grits, it doesn't take that long.

The bigger point is that a guy comes on here and instead of giving useful advice, y'all basically try to brag about your equipment.

If he had live tooling and a cue lathe, he wouldn't be asking about other methods.
He asked how to fix the slight wobble.
Routers are common items these dats.
Heck, you can get one for $30 at Harbor Freight.
You can hose clamp it and whale away on a lathe.
 

rbpwrd240

Sponsored Player
Silver Member
I was a bit thrown off by all the less than positive advice from the start of the thread. I do have access to a rather large lathe at the metal fab shop where I work. I don't know if we will be able to chuck it in the way I would like to without damage so it may just be a hand job for now. I understand most of the principles needed for this job and I know about how I want the taper. Not super small but a little longer.

I am positive I can sand through the uv coating.

How would one go about trying to remove the slight bend, simply just sand the side that is bent out is my guess.

Thanks for those helping.
 

captainjko

Kirk
Silver Member
I was a bit thrown off by all the less than positive advice from the start of the thread. I do have access to a rather large lathe at the metal fab shop where I work. I don't know if we will be able to chuck it in the way I would like to without damage so it may just be a hand job for now. I understand most of the principles needed for this job and I know about how I want the taper. Not super small but a little longer.

I am positive I can sand through the uv coating.

How would one go about trying to remove the slight bend, simply just sand the side that is bent out is my guess.

Thanks for those helping.
2 things....
1--- I chuckled out loud at "hand job".... Yes I'm nearing 50 years old and still tend to laugh at such...
2--- If you sand just the side that is bowed out, you will end up with a mess...
 

Mcues

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was a bit thrown off by all the less than positive advice from the start of the thread. I do have access to a rather large lathe at the metal fab shop where I work. I don't know if we will be able to chuck it in the way I would like to without damage so it may just be a hand job for now. I understand most of the principles needed for this job and I know about how I want the taper. Not super small but a little longer.

I am positive I can sand through the uv coating.

How would one go about trying to remove the slight bend, simply just sand the side that is bent out is my guess.

Thanks for those helping.

Depending on what you mean by slight bend I would seek somebody with a lathe, taper bar and routing capability. Of course you could try on your big lathe and single point...good experience on what not to do. :)

Mario
 

cnyncrvr

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was a bit thrown off by all the less than positive advice from the start of the thread. I do have access to a rather large lathe at the metal fab shop where I work. I don't know if we will be able to chuck it in the way I would like to without damage so it may just be a hand job for now. I understand most of the principles needed for this job and I know about how I want the taper. Not super small but a little longer.

I am positive I can sand through the uv coating.

How would one go about trying to remove the slight bend, simply just sand the side that is bent out is my guess.

Thanks for those helping.

Personally I didn't see any "Less than positive advice" given to you. What I saw was people explaining that what you want to do while not impossible is certainly not an easy task, especially for someone who has never done the kind of work required in such an undertaking.

You are asking a group of people who produce products that sell for not normally hundreds of dollars but usually thousands, people who have invested tens of thousands of dollars in machinery, tools, materials and various odds and ends so they can produce these products. These people have also invested thousands of hours learning their trade and by doing so have made all the mistakes and learned from them what they are by their comments hoping to help you avoid.

As I said what you want to do is not impossible but you have to remember that in the blink of an eye you can turn that prized cue of yours into nothing more than some kindling wood for the fireplace.

With that said, the best advice I can give you is to spend some money and buy the Cueman cue building and repair DVD's they will at the very least give you a wealth of knowledge that you will most certainly need to tackle this endeavor.
 

rbpwrd240

Sponsored Player
Silver Member
You guys are blowing this out of proportion I feel. I have about 30 duffrins and I want this to be a fun project. Im not looking to build a cue of a life time just my first one. Lets start with east questions.

Can anyone explain how to remove the slight wobble both with a lathe and without.

Thanks.
 

PoppaSaun

Banned
You guys are blowing this out of proportion I feel. I have about 30 duffrins and I want this to be a fun project. Im not looking to build a cue of a life time just my first one. Lets start with east questions.

Can anyone explain how to remove the slight wobble both with a lathe and without.

Thanks.

With a lathe you may be able to cut the wobble out using, as Joey said, live tooling. This will result in a smaller diameter.

Without a lathe you may be able to clamp the cue over something (like a racquetball) so it is bent away from the natural bend. Likely won't work well. May work, but will likely return over time. Will likely make things worse.

It's a fool's errand to attempt to remove a wobble in most cases.
 

rbpwrd240

Sponsored Player
Silver Member
Gotcha,the wobble is minimal. It rolls strait but I can see in the tapper its barely there.
 
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