Carbon Fiber Shaft Cleaning Question

My theory is that you’re simply cleaning the skin oils, grime, gunk and chalk residue the stick accumulates over time and not actually compromising the material of the shaft. I clean my Revo with the REVO Wipes it came with or Isopropyl Alcohol (90%) with a soft towel per Predator recommendations. I haven’t personally second guessed the practice.


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I clean mine before each session with 90% rubbing alcohol and have only noticed blue from chalk coming off.

Any if the alcohol wipes are fine, or lens cloths, or fine microfibre cloth will work. Just don't use anything that is abrasive. Keeping the cue chalk off the shaft is the most important aspect of it staying clean.

When the Revo first came out I was talking to the Predator guy at an APA event and I
asked him about cleaning the Revo because the Predator wipes could be a little pricey.
He told me they nothing but alcohol wipes. You can get a whole box of those, about 100
or 200, something like that, at your local CVS or Walgreens for like $1.98, which is much
better than $3 or $4 a wipe, or whatever they're charging now. The Predator wipes look
cool, might be a good way to impress a chick, but the medical alcohol wipes are just as
functional and much more cost effective. I always carry a Predator wipe with me, I take it
out like I'm about to open it and clean, but when she leaves I put it away and open up an alcohol pad.

You can buy a bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol at any drug store. It is the same thing on the predator wipes.
Predator says no water. They also say no powder. Some powders have abrasive material that can scratch the finish.

cue4me said:

I recently started playing with a Revo. I have cleaned it a couple of times with a water dampened cloth and the cloth came up with bluing on it, like a wooden shaft. When I used alcohol on a cloth, the cloth came up black. It appears the alcohol is removing some of the coating from the shaft, or else why the change in color? After reading the various threads about CF shafts it appears that some of you are very familiar with the properties of CF. What will happen long term with continued use of the alcohol to clean the shaft? If there is a potential problem with continued alcohol use for cleaning the shafts are we looking at a matter of years or decades for the problem to manifest itself?

Thanks for any input.

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Get some of these. Cheap alcohol wipes for glasses.

What is the problem with a wet towel if you dry it off right away?

I don't own a revo but I have shot archery for years and I have always used acetone to clean the carbon shafts for fletching. I would assume there's not much difference in the carbon of the arrow shafts and the cue shafts but I'm no expert by a long shot.

Bob Jewett said:

You have to be a little careful at some of the drug stores. I've had trouble finding the alcohol wipes and the clerk has directed me to the water/soap wet wipes. Look for alcohol content. There are also medical wipes which are thick and smaller and probably designed for injection prep and not cleaning.

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At least your shaft will never get infected. There's nothing worse than an infected shaft

Tin Man said:

What is the problem with a wet towel if you dry it off right away?

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Nothing wrong with that at all.

the wipes that you buy in the stores are usually 70% as opposed to the 90% that predator uses. Does it matter if its only 70%?

My understanding is the finish on the shaft is what is most important to protect (that outer layer is actually quite thin as well, per the pics online). Rubbing alcohol cleans my shaft with minimal pressure being applied. I do a little hand test to make sure nothing is on the shaft, then I gently wipe the shaft with the alcohol. I normally give it a second pass with the alcohol and get a tiny bit more chalk off the shaft. I have logged hundreds of hours on my revo thus far and have never had any black come off the shaft. Perhaps the table you play on has old felt and is a bit dirty and you transfer that to your shaft from your hand? Does your hand look black after a session? (Always blue for me, but we play on blue felt with blue chalk pretty much everywhere)

pinkspider said:

the wipes that you buy in the stores are usually 70% as opposed to the 90% that predator uses. Does it matter if its only 70%?

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91% dries faster. I think it is used in applications where water cannot be used (Computer cleaning and such). Seems like 70% would work fine for the shaft. I think it is primarily used for killing infection and bacteria and stuff. (Works better on skin than 91% alcohol for a disinfectant)

Anyone thinking about cleaning their carbon fiber shaft with alcohol I suggest you check the manufactures website first. I have the Becue Prime M and after seeing these responses I lightly cleaned with rubbing alcohol. I should checked the Becue website first as they say to never use alcohol on their shafts. I don't believe it caused any permanent damage and I quickly went over with water and bought some black polish from pepboys.

From the Becue official website:

For the daily cleaning of the becue shafts it is recommended to use a cloth simply soaked in water and neutral soap.
Avoid solvents, alcohol or any other aggressive product.
Carbon fiber, unlike wood, is not absorbent, and therefore does not absorb dirt like a wooden shaft, but remains only trapped in surface microporosities, and for a thorough cleaning (twice a year), to remove grease, dirt and sweat, we recommend using a 1500/2000 grid sandpaper, then wipe a cloth soaked in water and neutral soap, and finally give a pass of specific black polish.

Prairie dog said:

Get some of these. Cheap alcohol wipes for glasses.

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I was not aware that Zeiss made ANYTHING cheap. :thumbup:

Maniac

FWIW

There is a thread from early last year about this issue with the Revo... "Revo black marks on rails"

One poster also noticed it with his Cynergy.

I had just received my Cynergy at the time and could not get any black transfer when I cleaned it with one of their supplied 75% alcohol wipes, so there was no apparent loose residue from the factory on the surface of the shaft. After playing with it for 1-1/2 years I cleaned it for the second time just now and still get no sign of black, blue or any kind of transfer when using a second wipe.

This doesn't surprise me because I always shoot with a black spandex glove, so any dirt or 'rub off'' that would have occurred would likely have been absorbed into the glove during stroking.

When I apply chalk I carefully paint it onto the tip and unlike many players I only chalk up once per shot, and since Blue Diamond is on the sticky side I don't see any on the glove or table.

The care instructions in the Cynergy box also says to never use baby powder, hand chalk, talc or other treatments and that polishing or sanding the shaft voids the warranty.

From my casual reading about CF bicycle frames it is apparent that variations with the fabric/filaments, resins and techniques can be used to alter certain properties of the resulting material.