How do you center your tips?

RickLafayette

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
For those members that install your own tips, and assuming you don't have a lathe, how do you center your tip when gluing it to the ferrule? Do you do it by eye, as I do, or have you come up with some clever way of centering it?

I didn't post this question in the "Ask a mechanic" thread because I figured they all use lathes and have the tip centering attachments.
 

deadbeat

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tape some toothpicks around the ferrule, they should flex enough to allow the large tip to be held down and should center it fairly well.
 

Duane Remick

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
GET A FIRM PIECE OF HOSE SAME SIZE AS YOUR FERRULE- SLIP THE HOSE OVER YOUR FERRULE-THEN Put the Glue on the ferrule-slide the tip into the hose-right onto the end of the ferrule"
"You can put a slot on the end of the hose in case tip is larger diameter than the ferrule
 

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
Buy 14mm sized
And do it by hand
Cut it down like dennis dieckman shows on the vid
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Wrap Scotch Magic tape around the ferrule until it is the same diameter as the tip. That protects the ferrule and gives a good guide to center the tip. After gluing with super glue gel, I usually add one more layer of tape slightly farther up the ferrule so it is also around the extra glue and the base of the tip. I then press and turn the tip with my thumb before clamping the tip against the ferrule.
 

WildWing

Super Gun Mod
Silver Member
Buy oversize tips, whether 15 or 14 mm. Use gel super glue, which allows you some time to center the tip on the ferrule. Put the glue on the ferrule (my preference), then turn it around a couple times gently to make sure the tip or tip pad is covered with glue. Then, just keep turning the shaft around in your hands with good lighting and make minor adjustments, and press down a bit. Wipe off excess glue as you go, so you don't have to fight it later. When you have a bit of overlap all over the tip to ferrule, you're fine, let it sit a bit before sanding. No need for tape, toothpicks, knives, swords, or flux capacitors for centering a tip.

All the best,
WW
 
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nine o nine

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'd like to know why it's so important to have a tip perfectly centered when gluing a new one on. Provided the tip is proud of the ferrule all around it's going to be trimmed to match the ferrule and shaping tip's curvature will now center itself. Am I missing something? Mitch
 

Kim Bye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'd like to know why it's so important to have a tip perfectly centered when gluing a new one on. Provided the tip is proud of the ferrule all around it's going to be trimmed to match the ferrule and shaping tip's curvature will now center itself. Am I missing something? Mitch

It`s not that important for tips that are flat and needs to be shaped, but for tips that allready have a dome shape and especially if they are quite thin, centering the tip means you can keep more of the tip as you dont have to make a new dome shape to compensate for a badly centered install. The break and jump tips from Mezz are a good example, they are pre-shaped and much thinner than say a Taom or White Diamond tip.
 

RickLafayette

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Thanks for all your responses. There's some good suggestions and I appreciate all of them. My tips are usually 14mm when new and my shafts are 11.75. I also replace tips for a few select team mates and their ferrule diameters differ.
For those that thought I was replacing tips the same size as the ferrule, such as when one pops off, I wasn't talking about that circumstance and should have been more clear.
Thanks again.
 

DynoDan

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My Willard tipping tool was certainly money well spent. It includes a 13 & 14 mm nylon holder that you push the tip into, and then automatically centers to the shaft when inserted in the machine (trimming accessory also). I have to butt the shaft joint against a wall though to keep pressure against the tip while the glue dries. Probably installed a hundred tips over the years, and never had one come off while playing (or vigorously twisting the burnishing tool on the softer/mushroomed ones).
Problem is, since re-tipping is so easy with the machine, I tend to use the sanding/shaping tool too often (rather than a tapper), and thus my tips don’t last very long (‘double-edged sword’).
 

Ty Arnold

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Unique products makes a tip centering tool. Others do too but most are very similar in design.
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
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Silver Member
That's a good method that does not require special tools and is more or less how I do tips. I would add three things:

When putting the gel glue on, I mostly do it with a single drop in the center of the ferrule or tip and then press the tip on. The idea is to squeeze the drop out evenly so that it wets both surfaces completely and there is no trapped air. I fear that if I dab glue on one or both surfaces there will be valleys in the glue and air will get trapped and then flattened when the tip is pressed, leaving large voids.

For pressing the cue down on the tip while the glue is setting, I use a makeshift clamp such as the distance between a countertop and the floor where I can carefully wedge the cue in for steady pressure.

When shaping the tip, I like to put tape around the ferrule to protect it. To protect the shaft you can wrap it with paper before taping the ferrule.
 

Runner

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I use popsickle sticks (or wood coffee stir sticks) and rubber
band them on the shaft, leaving about half an inch above the ferrule..
flexible enough to bend out slightly... works well. I also do 14mm tips,
leaves a little to trim down.. and I tape off the ferrule so I don't have to
clean off any glue.

$.02
 
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