Dust your hands when shooting pool?

abs

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I gave up using talc and just play bareback with no additives. At this point, I don't even know why I ever started using talc. It feels slightly better to use talc for about the first rack, but then it gets a bit messy.

The rooms I play in tend to get hot, and I tend to get hot when I play, so any perspiration turns the talc to mud and it's just too much of a problem to go wash-up and re-talc several times during a match.

As an aside, I also hate playing a lot of people who use talc because they just put on more than they'll need in their lifetimes and then smear it all over the damn table.
 

worktheknight

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think you will get a ton of answers and just depends on how your hands react to a situation.

My wifes hands sweated a lot and when she tried a wrap less cue or a leather wrap, she stopped using here little talc bag. Possibly, for her, the irish linen wrap caused friction or something??

Myself, many people don't like this, but, I myself just keep some scotch brite and run along the shaft, giving it a quick ultra lite sanding and smooth to go. I have never used talc.
Just make sure you don't use steel wool, I've heard a few horror stories over the years when a couple people thought the green kitchen scotch brite pad was steel wool, not good !!!!!!!!!
 

wixo3

welp
Silver Member
My hands sweat like nobody's business, not just when playing pool. i definitely prefer a wrapless cue because a linen cue tends to feel "hotter" in my palm. I use baby powder when i shoot but always wipe my hands down with a towel after I apply the powder to keep it off my shaft and the table.
 

bdorman

Dead money
Silver Member
Oh happy day! The bar where I play finally got rid of the talc cone. OMG, what a mess. You'd of thought someone had changed a baby's diapers on the pool table...or a bunch of babies.
 

ENGLISH!

Banned
Silver Member
I'm in the very muggy humid New Orleans area. The temp recently was 101 with a dew point of 80. Many A/C units struggle to keep temps down at times. I have over the years gone to the powder block for just a touch, but in general never really liked using powder.

Recently perhaps due to an increase in age with maybe a lack of tightness of the skin I have been noticing an increased need for some of that white stuff & on a more repetitive basics.

So, I just bought a shooting glove with no finger tips. I would NEVER have considered it in my younger years. However, I like it.

I would recommend that everyone give one a try.

Good Luck & Shoot Well,
Rick
 

slide13

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
No, I don't like stuff on my hands like that. I prefer to play natural but this time of year my hands do get sweaty and if it's a particularly hot or humid day I'll get out my Molinari glove over resorting to powder. Actually like the glove quite a bit in those conditions.

Also keep a towel handy to wipe my hands often.
 

TX Poolnut

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I never use talc. I wash my hands and shaft before I play. I don't sweat when I play so it's not a problem.
 

M.G.

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
To be frank - do you have all your eggs still in your basket?

Wash hands beforehand (and every 1-2hours if needed), use separate microfibre cloth regularly for hands and shaft when hot, make sure your body is properly relaxed and breath evenly and deeply (use training for that), don't move fast, don't grip tight - ever. Use an open bridge.

Make sure your shaft is properly maintained. Never ever burnish it to hell, that way there's no room for tiny air "bubbles" between your hand and the wood and it feels hot and sticky fast. Use Renaissance wax and never ever beeswax.

Don't touch the shaft needlessly or hold your cue by it.

Talc makes everything worse and simply destroys a pool table - it's not nice to do for all the other players. If you've played on a properly maintained carom table you know what I mean.

Bad habbit, never to been seen in Europe!

If anything fails - use a glove, they are cheap.

Cheers,
M
 

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have not used any powder in years, but the smell always reminds me of when I first started playing, seems everyone used it in my room then. Now every time I smell the stuff it brings me back to those days.
 

ceebee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I quit using Talc, about 10 years ago. I poo-pooed gloves, but one day in a different Pool Room, I bought a glove. Wouldn't do without one.
 

Kimmo H.

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I prefer using glove too. No mess, smooth stroke and they are affordable. Took me a few days to get used to but as I did it really works wonders.
 

fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
I do not have a problem with sweaty or sticky hands, if I did I would use a glove. I also keep my shaft in very nice condition, everyone who tries my cue always asks if its a brand new shaft. I clean it frequently and occasionally burnish it with well used 1000 grit sandpaper.
 

sciarco

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I also like the glove at first i didn't but now i'm used to it and works great especially in humid conditions.
 

Colonel

Raised by Wolves in a Pool Hall
Silver Member
Ummmm, no. Talcum powder has no place near pool cues or balls more importantly through transference. Use one of those cute little gloves if you're having issues
 

BobTfromIL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Put me down for a glove, wish they would remove the talc cone from our winter room. Don't see why you would ever need it in AZ in the winter, just makes a mess.
 

Donny Lutz

Ferrule Cat
Silver Member
cone not talc

Put me down for a glove, wish they would remove the talc cone from our winter room. Don't see why you would ever need it in AZ in the winter, just makes a mess.

The cones are made of chalk. It's the baby powder that has talc in it. Possibly the worst thing one can breathe in a pool hall after cigarette smoke...
 
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