help with leather wrap

cammel8

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am doing my first leather wrap today and i need some help. First off i need a template for the ends. I know there are metal templates out there but i dont have a choice to wait. A customer that I have done a lot of work for came to me last night. Apearently, his 5 year old got a hold of his stick and unraveled the irish linen. He needs a new wrap and wants leather. I have a piece here that I bought to "practice" with and he likes it. I told him I have never done one before, but he does not care. And he truly does not care, he is not one of those people that says he doesnt, but he realy does. Im pretty sure i could have talked him into a duct tape wrap if i tried.

I am making a fixture for cutting the seems based on a couple designs i have found on the internet. And i have found a few in depth videos that should help too.

Anyway, he needs the cue back by tomorrow morning for a tourney he is in so i have one day to get it done. As i said, the customer does not care what it looks like, but I do. Every one who sees it will be looking at it as my work. And if i dont like the way it comes out i will redo it once i buy a real template, but I want to put my best possible work out there with what i have available to me now. So first question is, does anyone have a printable template that i can use to get the radious right for the end cuts? Short of that, does anyoe know of a way to do it without template?

My second question is, because it was irish linnen, do i have to cut deeper/build up the groove to accomidate the leather+glue thickness?

I know a majority of the answers will be wait until i get a little practice, and trust me, i will practice on a junk cue today before i do his, but short of that any help or suggestion anyone could give would be appreciated.

Thanx in advance!!!
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
My second question is, because it was irish linnen, do i have to cut deeper/build up the groove to accomidate the leather+glue thickness?
By asking that question, I think you need to convince him to take linen for now.
You don't practice on someone's cue.

This is one of those, you'd be happy ( later on ) you turned it down.


Buy 20 pieces of cheap leather from Atlas and practice .
 

cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Speaking of practice blanks. I have a few hundred blanks that have little flaws in them that in some instances will make a wrap, but not always, so I culled them out. If anyone wants practice blanks I will supply them for $2 each plus shipping. They will be random patterns.

As for the original questions. You don't want your first wrap job to be one for a client. Pass this job on to someone with experience or buy yourself some time to practice. As far as the groove goes, yes it is easiest to sand the groove a little deeper if need be.
 

cammel8

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
By asking that question, I think you need to convince him to take linen for now.

Not really an option. When I say i have done a lot of work for him I mean A LOT of work. There is no one else within a couple hours of here that can do it for him let alone in one day. I cant leave him high and dry like that. If I dont do something 2 things will happen. 1.) he will do something himself, and since everyone knows I do ALL of his cue work, they will assume i did it anyway and it will still end up hurting me in the long run, because god only knows what this backwoods hick will do. I would rather if it is going to be associated with me anyway, control what hapens. 2.) I could loose a lot of business. He owns a pool bar and allows me to set up and fix cues durring weekly tournees.

So like i said not an option to turn him down or wait. Besides i already gave him my word i would do something. I cant do irish linen, because I used up the last little bit i had on a cue last week and my order of the new stuff wont be here till monday.
 

cammel8

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Speaking of practice blanks. I have a few hundred blanks that have little flaws in them that in some instances will make a wrap, but not always, so I culled them out. If anyone wants practice blanks I will supply them for $2 each plus shipping. They will be random patterns.

Are they full size but just have blemishes?
 

cammel8

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As for the original questions. You don't want your first wrap job to be one for a client. Pass this job on to someone with experience or buy yourself some time to practice. As far as the groove goes, yes it is easiest to sand the groove a little deeper if need be.

Normaly there is one other local guy he could take this to, but he is out of town, so i am it for this guy.
 

FLYINGSNAIL

Koo Cues
Silver Member
Joeyincali giving you best advice and Cueman /Chris is offering a very good price and help on those practice leathers. My advice to you Practice, Practice, Practice.... Practice make perfect. Dont want to make a mistake on customer cue.:D:D
 

cammel8

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am going to practice before i do his, however not doing it isnt an option. So besides people stating the painfully obvious and equally unobtainable goal of "dont do it", which i have already stated is NOT an option, is there any help that can be given on the job at hand. Because with help or not, i have to this today. And, although i am sure i can figure some thing out on my own that will pass as acceptable, i would rather have some help from someone who has done it before. Like i said this is happening, so now it just a matter of will it be by blind luck and youtube or will it be some what guided by help from some one with experience.

And please dont take this as me being a dick or not appreciating the fact that practicing a lot would help the process, however, i am under a time restraint, and have very little options remaing. Also remember this job only has to work until monday at which time i can put irish linen back on the stick until i have more expierience and am more confident with leather.
 

cuejo

Cue Repair tech
Silver Member
The easiest way for you to make your own template would be to make a paper template of the actual handle and transfer to his leather.
You may have to trim the leather a bit depending on how it stretches,
But really it would be absolutely better to do a linen until you could get the correct template and seaming guide....
Atlas has the nicest template I've seen, but if you don't plan on doing many leather wraps you would not benefit from getting the wrap magic.
Just remember that leather is pretty easy, after the first handful you do.
 

scdiveteam

Rick Geschrey
Silver Member
Hi,

When making the wrap fit in elevation to the step groove you alway want to go a little lower than you think because if you don't the wrap will end up high on the cue.

The glue does add a little elevation so you must take that into account.

Also the quality of the wrap and how it is processed concerning thickness uniformity has a big factor in the end result.

Wraps that have a little more stretch to them are much easier to nail a even contour on both end steps as they must fit up 90 degrees to the seem. If you have to trim that area to be square you have not mastered how to use the wrap fixture. If you don't use the correct blade and hold it at 90 degrees to the cut things will get funny also.

After cutting both sides there should only be one razor line in the handle.

If you have not done a ton of wraps don't do one on a customers cue. You will only open up a can of worms.

Wraps are very hard to master and it take a lot of trial and error to master it.

JMO,

Rick
 
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GBCues

Damn, still .002 TIR!
Gold Member
Silver Member
If you use the search function here and in "Ask the Cuemaker" you will find a lot of information. There has been a lot of discussion on this topic over the last couple of years. By using the search function, you get the benefit of multiple cuemaker's suggestions and experiences.
Gary
 

Onecrazyplayer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hey

Listen to some of these guys! You don't want to try to put your name on the line when you don't have a idea on how to wrap a leather on a cue. In the long run you XXXX it up your going to piss off one person and it's going to cost you some money. You might end up buying that cue for what ever the customer wants for it!
I had a great knowledge on on to do wraps. When I did the hardest wrap of all a thin python wrap for my 1 st time not going to lie it was kind of easy but I had a clue. You can practice on old cues that are trash but in the long run don't take the job unless you know what your doing. Just my 2 cents!

Good luck
 

jazznpool

Superior Cues--Unchalked!
Gold Member
Silver Member
I am doing my first leather wrap today and i need some help. First off i need a template for the ends.

Actually, a template is helpful but not a must for the ends. Concave and convex ends are not a necessity. Your ends will need to be parallel though. Best of luck to you with your first install. Martin
 

aplusbilliard

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There is an option. Most cue repair guys have a couple cues in their arsenal. Your customer will be more than happy to use your cue for the weekend then play with his after you've hacked it up. You know what tip he plays with already so take 20 minutes and put it on your cue and clean the shaft up.

From experience DO NOT let him take that cue to a tournament with less than perfect work. 50 people will see it and will tell 50 more before the end of the weekend killing business for you and costing you tons more than a wrap job.

Do what you want but remember is your name and reputation on the line.
 

KJ Cues

Pro Cue Builder & Repair
Silver Member
I am going to practice before i do his, however not doing it isnt an option. So besides people stating the painfully obvious and equally unobtainable goal of "dont do it", which i have already stated is NOT an option, is there any help that can be given on the job at hand. Because with help or not, i have to this today. And, although i am sure i can figure some thing out on my own that will pass as acceptable, i would rather have some help from someone who has done it before. Like i said this is happening, so now it just a matter of will it be by blind luck and youtube or will it be some what guided by help from some one with experience.

And please dont take this as me being a dick or not appreciating the fact that practicing a lot would help the process, however, i am under a time restraint, and have very little options remaing. Also remember this job only has to work until monday at which time i can put irish linen back on the stick until i have more expierience and am more confident with leather.

Oh the webs we weave.
You've already lost this client, you just haven't gone through the motions yet.
Your first mistake was in not being totally upfront and honest with him.
"Sorry Sir, I don't do leather wraps and I feel it would be a mistake to experiment on your cue."
So now, you'll fill that void by attempting the wrap and convince him that selecting you for the task was also a mistake.
Somehow, you've let him believe that this was within your capabilities when in fact, it's not.
Ironically, you'll both deserve the outcome. Honesty is the greatest tool you'll ever own.
Acknowledging your limitations is not a weakness, it's the truth.

KJ
 

cammel8

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Oh the webs we weave.
You've already lost this client, you just haven't gone through the motions yet.
Your first mistake was in not being totally upfront and honest with him.
"Sorry Sir, I don't do leather wraps and I feel it would be a mistake to experiment on your cue."
So now, you'll fill that void by attempting the wrap and convince him that selecting you for the task was also a mistake.
Somehow, you've let him believe that this was within your capabilities when in fact, it's not.
Ironically, you'll both deserve the outcome. Honesty is the greatest tool you'll ever own.
Acknowledging your limitations is not a weakness, it's the truth.

KJ
Actually I told him straight up that I refused to do it because of the fact that I had never done one and I didn't know how to do them other than what I had seen in videos. He didn't care and said well practice on mine I don't care. I still refused. He ended up being and begging until I finally gave in. As a side note, I did the wrap. Took me a couple practices till I was comfortable enough to do his. For my first I'm really impressed. For the most part, you couldn't see the seam at all. There were a couple flaws in my job but nothing anyone else would have noticed. There was one part of the seem I wasn't happy with so I filed it with black epoxy I made with die then sanded it. All in all I was really happy with the job. He was e ecstatic with it. Loves it. Couldn't be happier. Even when I tried to show him the mistake he couldn't see it.

I'm actually happy this happened. Not so afraid of leather wraps. They are way easier than I thought. I really need to thank one cue maker that helped me a lot over the phone. I don't know if he wants me saying his name or not but he knows who he is, and thank you so much. I'll send the pick of the fixture I made as soon as I can.
 

cuejo

Cue Repair tech
Silver Member
Actually I told him straight up that I refused to do it because of the fact that I had never done one and I didn't know how to do them other than what I had seen in videos. He didn't care and said well practice on mine I don't care. I still refused. He ended up being and begging until I finally gave in. As a side note, I did the wrap. Took me a couple practices till I was comfortable enough to do his. For my first I'm really impressed. For the most part, you couldn't see the seam at all. There were a couple flaws in my job but nothing anyone else would have noticed. There was one part of the seem I wasn't happy with so I filed it with black epoxy I made with die then sanded it. All in all I was really happy with the job. He was e ecstatic with it. Loves it. Couldn't be happier. Even when I tried to show him the mistake he couldn't see it.



I'm actually happy this happened. Not so afraid of leather wraps. They are way easier than I thought. I really need to thank one cue maker that helped me a lot over the phone. I don't know if he wants me saying his name or not but he knows who he is, and thank you so much. I'll send the pick of the fixture I made as soon as I can.


Post pics of the wrap too :)
 

cuemaker03

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am doing my first leather wrap today and i need some help. First off i need a template for the ends. I know there are metal templates out there but i dont have a choice to wait. A customer that I have done a lot of work for came to me last night. Apearently, his 5 year old got a hold of his stick and unraveled the irish linen. He needs a new wrap and wants leather. I have a piece here that I bought to "practice" with and he likes it. I told him I have never done one before, but he does not care. And he truly does not care, he is not one of those people that says he doesnt, but he realy does. Im pretty sure i could have talked him into a duct tape wrap if i tried.

I am making a fixture for cutting the seems based on a couple designs i have found on the internet. And i have found a few in depth videos that should help too.

Anyway, he needs the cue back by tomorrow morning for a tourney he is in so i have one day to get it done. As i said, the customer does not care what it looks like, but I do. Every one who sees it will be looking at it as my work. And if i dont like the way it comes out i will redo it once i buy a real template, but I want to put my best possible work out there with what i have available to me now. So first question is, does anyone have a printable template that i can use to get the radious right for the end cuts? Short of that, does anyoe know of a way to do it without template?

My second question is, because it was irish linnen, do i have to cut deeper/build up the groove to accomidate the leather+glue thickness?

I know a majority of the answers will be wait until i get a little practice, and trust me, i will practice on a junk cue today before i do his, but short of that any help or suggestion anyone could give would be appreciated.

Thanx in advance!!!

Maybe you should have a competent cue repair professional handle the job.
 
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