Purchased cue blank, how do I store it?

Ģüśţāṿ

Ģüśţāṿ

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The title pretty much says it all. I purchased a beautiful cue blank at SBE this past weekend. While I'm figuring out exactly what I want done to it and who will build it, I would like to know know the best way to store it. Is it best to hang it, lay it on a flat table frequently rotating it, or some other way?

Thanks!
 
K

KJ Cues

Pro Cue Builder & Repair
Silver Member
Being a blank, we would assume that the maker of the blank used woods of proper moisture content.
If it is bare wood that hasn't been sealed, seal it, particularly the ends.
Hang it somewhere that has stable humidity. That's all there is to it until you're ready to use it.
 
ideologist

ideologist

I don't never exaggerate
Silver Member
Ģüśţāṿ;5851071 said:
It is currently bare wood. What would an ideal product to seal it with. Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

Anchorseal or wax on the ends
 
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Yotehntr

Yotehntr

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Need to see some pics... after seeing them I may be willing to store it for you
innocentwhistle.gif
 
T

Thomas Wayne

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yotehntr said:
Need to see some pics... after seeing them I may be willing to store it for you
innocentwhistle.gif
Click to expand...

Hanging is fine, as is standing it perfectly upright. Regardless of previous advice, and assuming it is sufficiently oversize, do NOT seal it. You want it to do as much moving around ("warping") as it can while it's still big enough to re-center and re-cut. If you seal it up tight it's more likely to move AFTER the next cut or two - which may mean it's now too skinny to correct the centering properly.

Keeping a cue straight - butt OR shaft - is all about running a race between the wood wanting to move and the cuemaker cutting it down to size. The wood's goal is to contort into the shape it where it's most comfortable, and the cuemaker's goal is to engineer a "tie" right at the finish line of this race. In other words, the cuemaker wants to be taking his final light passes on the butt / shaft just at the same time that the wood has found it's most comfortable, relaxed state.

If you seal it up in its oversized condition you will inhibit the natural aging process, and during the next cut-down it will experience a greater shock at suddenly being exposed to ambient humidity. With butts this is less dramatic, of course, due to the shorter sections and the splicing techniques, but it still can be a factor.

If this advice runs counter to what other cuemakers have told you, consider this: top makers of fine furniture - I'm talking about the Tage Frids and Sam Maloofs of the world - would NEVER seal up various components during the build process. Wood is going to move, and it's impossible to prevent that natural occurrence. By allowing it to do all it's moving DURING the build process (instead of sealing it up tight until the very last cut) you can manipulate the process such that the wood is pretty much done moving right about the time you're done taking the last few finish cuts.

You're safe giving it a light coat of shellac or solvent-based sanding sealer to keep dust and crud out of the pores - both allow a fairly free flow of humidity into and out of wood, But applying Anchorseal, which is meant primarily for freshly cut wet or 'green' wood would be a mistake - as would wax, IMO.

TW

 
BarenbruggeCues

BarenbruggeCues

Unregistered User
Silver Member
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Thanks for saving me the typing time.
I've had this very discussion with several builders after my shaft dipping experiment and decided it was not only a waste of time and money, but counter productive in the end goal I am trying achieve.
I was going to suggest a rattle can of Bullseye but you did that also. If you stand it on end in the house, do not use any outside walls for a prop. A minimal angle to keep it from falling over is all that is required.
Almost forgot.....once a month you must look at, give it a kiss and hug and tell it you haven't forgotten about it. ;)
 
ideologist

ideologist

I don't never exaggerate
Silver Member
Thomas Wayne said:


You're safe giving it a light coat of shellac or solvent-based sanding sealer to keep dust and crud out of the pores - both allow a fairly free flow of humidity into and out of wood, But applying Anchorseal, which is meant primarily for freshly cut wet or 'green' wood would be a mistake - as would wax, IMO.

TW
Click to expand...


I was figuring just the ends, and my post is dumb enough to not communicate that.

I've seen ebony split at the ends when moving across the United States, that's why I wax it up now on the ends
 
P

pdcue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ideologist said:
I was figuring just the ends, and my post is dumb enough to not communicate that.

I've seen ebony split at the ends when moving across the United States, that's why I wax it up now on the ends
Click to expand...

I also wax the ends of ebony - but, ebony is an entirely different animal - IMHO

Dale
 
JoeyInCali

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
pdcue said:
I also wax the ends of ebony - but, ebony is an entirely different animal - IMHO

Dale
Click to expand...

You wax your ebony butt?
Barabeem!:D

I saw a friend's high end ebony crack on his display rack years ago. He didn't even notice it.
The maker replaced the cue.
 
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BarenbruggeCues

BarenbruggeCues

Unregistered User
Silver Member
I guess I'll be the naysayer but the only time I ever leave wax or anchor seal on ebony is before I start working it. Only 2 reasons I can think of that ebony will have or develop butt crack :rolleyes:........
worked before completely dry....
too much heat when worked.....
I want my ebony (and why not every other wood) to be exposed during the build. That way I know what I'm dealing with.
Disclaimer.....my shop does not have the swings of hi to lo RH and hot to cold.
 
JoeyInCali

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
BarenbruggeCues said:
I guess I'll be the naysayer but the only time I ever leave wax or anchor seal on ebony is before I start working it. Only 2 reasons I can think of that ebony will have or develop butt crack :rolleyes:........
worked before completely dry....
too much heat when worked.....
I want my ebony (and why not every other wood) to be exposed during the build. That way I know what I'm dealing with.
Disclaimer.....my shop does not have the swings of hi to lo RH and hot to cold.
Click to expand...

Sissy!!!!!
 
K

KJ Cues

Pro Cue Builder & Repair
Silver Member
Ģüśţāṿ;5850969 said:
The title pretty much says it all. I purchased a beautiful cue blank at SBE this past weekend. While I'm figuring out exactly what I want done to it and who will build it, I would like to know know the best way to store it. Is it best to hang it, lay it on a flat table frequently rotating it, or some other way?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Here's what we don't know :

Is it Full-splice or A-jointed ?

Where was it made or who made it ? (knowing who could be a clue as to where).

Where are you located ? (assuming the blank is with you).

When was it made ? Has it been sitting around for yrs or was it made yesterday ?

What are the diameters top & bottom ?

What is it's current moisture content ?

When do you think you might get around to having it completed ?

Until these questions are answered, everyone is running on assumption.
Including me and that's something that I really hate to do.
Until these unknowns become knowns, your best bet is to seal it and hang it.
That will put the blank into limbo until you decide what you want to do.
If you don't want to seal the body, that's fine. It likely already is.
Confirm that the ends are sealed because if damage should occur, that's where it will happen.
Your biggest concern going forward is wild swings in humidity. Try to avoid them.
Given the various responses so far, are you confused yet and are you any further ahead ?
 
T

Thomas Wayne

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
KJ Cues said:
Here's what we don't know :

Is it Full-splice or A-jointed ?

Where was it made or who made it ? (knowing who could be a clue as to where).

Where are you located ? (assuming the blank is with you).

When was it made ? Has it been sitting around for yrs or was it made yesterday ?

What are the diameters top & bottom ?

What is it's current moisture content ?

When do you think you might get around to having it completed ?

Until these questions are answered, everyone is running on assumption.
[...] ?
Click to expand...

Speak for yourself - after 40 years of doing this, I am not "running on assumptions".

TW

 
R

Renegade_56

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'd say figure out where the blank will end up being used (cuemaker, location) and just get it there in time to let it normalize to that atmosphere. As long as it's stored stress free I wouldn't think hanging would make much difference.
 
L

louieatienza

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Renegade_56 said:
I'd say figure out where the blank will end up being used (cuemaker, location) and just get it there in time to let it normalize to that atmosphere. As long as it's stored stress free I wouldn't think hanging would make much difference.
Click to expand...

Now that's a sensible response.
 
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