2 dot Bludworth?

sfmc-x1

I Sell Out.
Silver Member
Picked this up recently. Little concerned when i saw the second dot.

First question: What is it?
Glue relief?

Second question: Why is it there?
???

It also got me pondering the differences between Leonard & Donald's work.

As I read in the archives, there were differences in the sizes of the Blud dot... Leonard smaller, Donald larger? Is this true?

Was there a difference in the location of the dot signifying which of the two made the cue. ie: higher, lower, centered?
I've seen this on other Bludworth cues in relation to the #E ring, and butt cap.

Did Donald hand sign all of his cues?

Was there a standard ferrule on all Bludworth shafts if Ivory wasn't requested, or were they all ivory?

Leonard hasn't visited the forum since July of last year, can he or Donald still be contacted?
 

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Last edited:
Maybe it's because the black dot wasn't centered in the ring so he made a new one.
 
It's a Bludworth.
Even without the dot I can identify this cue by the ring-work.
The silver rings are aluminum and the black ring at the bottom of the shaft
is thinner than the black ring above it.
Very few CMs do that.
A sure-fire way to tell is to measure the pin.
IIRC, .348" dia x 11.445 TPI.

The second dot......well, we all make mistakes.
 
Is it a dot? Looks almost like a finish bubble. Is that a break in the finish? Did someone finish over bad finish?
Joe
 
You may be on to something Joe because the only area on the alum ring that's lifted
is in the area of the 'black dot'.
It doesn't appear to be anywhere else on that ring.
Notice also the finish separation in that area on the butt-cap.
However, I think the dot is deliberate and not the lifting of finish.
It's outline is too perfect.
Which now causes me to believe that this is not a mistake but rather something
that was done with intent.
Say a previous owner had his/her initials engraved on a dot that was inlaid into the cue.
Next owner doesn't want the initials, has them removed and the area patched.
Who knows, could be a million things.
 
I don't know, KJ. It looks to me like he missed his location, rotated to a new spot and made his new hole. He then filled the mistake with a black inlay so it wouldn't be seen and used his typical red for the logo.

It is Leonard though, so it could be anything! Lol!
 
In all honesty Royce, it could very well be as you suggest.
The black dot is centered to the Snakewood window like the red dot is.
But the fact is that I've got enough alligators in my swimming pool already
and wasn't looking to add any more.
Like I said, we all make mistakes.
 
In all honesty Royce, it could very well be as you suggest.
The black dot is centered to the Snakewood window like the red dot is.
But the fact is that I've got enough alligators in my swimming pool already
and wasn't looking to add any more.
Like I said, we all make mistakes.

It isn't centered in the black ring that is below the aluminum. I believe there is a black ring below the aluminum, and then a cap on the very end.

Kelly
 
This is one of my father's earlier cues, back when a guy named Kim was working for him. I know this because in 1992, I started putting a .032 black washer between the silver washer and the wood, so it would stand out more. Since then, I have always used the black trim ring, unless custom ordered differently. From looking at the joint rings, I know this cue was built around 1990-92, because earlier cues would have the snakewood rings to match the inlays. We standardized the joint rings so the shafts would all be interchangeable around that time.
As far as the 2nd hole for the logo. It looks like it was too close to the silver, so it was filled in with black glue. That's not something I nor my dad would ever do. It's too easy to just cut it off and do it right.
I know that my date is close because we quit using the 3/8 phenolic sheet for the butt caps when my dad found the phenolic tubing. Our ferrules have always been standard unless a customer wanted ivory. My dad started pressing on his around 2000, but I have always, and still, thread my ferrules. The location of the red dot logo has always been centered in the ring.99% of our red dots have been done by hand, except in the rare occasion that I inlay it with my CNC mill. My dad bought this cool gun drill press that worked really good, but being done by hand meant that they all weren't the exact same. The red dot that my dad and I have used through the years has always been the same size, and in about the same place. However, the cues built by McDermott did have a bigger dot.
I sign a cue if a customer requests it, if I build one that I think is really cool, or I also may sometimes sign a cue that I build for myself.
I am sure that my dad will collaborate my assessment of this cue. I hope the info was helpful.
Thanks, Donald
donaldbludworth@yahoo.com
 
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