I also thought he added a bolt in the A joint and cue can be Xrayed to see if that exists so Ive heard
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A story I heard was there is bolt and he bought them in a hardware store.
Nothing unusual about that for that time period.
There was just little to nothing being made specifically for cue makers back then.
The makers of that era had to be very creative.
Today you can buy all the parts you need to build a cue if you have the skill and equipment.
A side note on Balabuska.
I heard in person Gus Szamboti say that George taught him a lot about cue making but not everything.
He said he had to figure out some things on his own.
I would say Gus did just fine doing that.