A tip for grip?

You can't remember who told you? Please try. I would like to know who came up with that idea.

I don't remember. But, as to who came up with that idea, I imagine quite a few have over the years. Chalk is very abrasive. It stands to reason that rubbing it across the tip is going to wear it down. I don't understand you seeming to be surprised by it. ?? Ever seen pictures of what the chalk can do to a ferrule? Those have been posted on here several times over the years. When the chalked is drilled down onto the tip all the time, it wears the end of the ferrule right down with the tip. And you end up with a conical ferrule.
 
I'd like to know who else here believes that chalking is mainly responsible for wearing their tips down. Anyone else?
 
I'd like to know who else here believes that chalking is mainly responsible for wearing their tips down. Anyone else?

Not going to answer the question I posed to you about what you think wears it down, huh?
 
Not going to answer the question I posed to you about what you think wears it down, huh?

My tips wear down from a combination of impact wear and from my shaping them. They flatten fairly often and I shape them fairly often.

I'm curious to find out if anyone else believes that the act of chalking the tip is the main reason for tip wear.
 
My tips wear down from a combination of impact wear and from my shaping them. They flatten fairly often and I shape them fairly often.

I'm curious to find out if anyone else believes that the act of chalking the tip is the main reason for tip wear.

This would be my first assumption: the vast majority of wear comes from impact and shaping. Chalking may very well depend on how you chalk: a rookie chalk grinder may have a far higher impact on the life of the tip. But typical chalking, does it wear to any noticable degree? Maybe we can get Dr. Dave to do a technical analysis by rubbing a box of chalk through a tip and measure before and after :thumbup:
 
My tips wear down from a combination of impact wear and from my shaping them. They flatten fairly often and I shape them fairly often.

I'm curious to find out if anyone else believes that the act of chalking the tip is the main reason for tip wear.

If you are shaping it, especially on a regular basis, of course that will have the most impact on wearing it down. I never shape mine. (almost never, have had the same shaper for 20 years and used it maybe a dozen times over the years.) Earlier you asked about hard tips, and not shaping them, that is what I have been referring to. My tips last about a year. Very hard LePro tips. Quality isn't what it used to be on them, and my installer says he only gets a few out of box that are really the good ones anymore. The rest he just sticks on the house cues.
 
I usually shape my tips 1-2 times, one at first when I begin to play then after a while when the tip has settled and I trim the sides and take it down for my preferred playing size,after that it´s just a bit of scuffing if needed. The shape on the tip stays the same, I guess it´s due to my style of play.

If the tip doesn´t shape well I usually give it some more chances but if it not holds up - in to the bin and put a new one up.

My tips stay in shape for a long time, I do however try out new tips, hardness because I sell them - like to know what separates them. - they usually play the same after a while.
I like to break them in by play and also to pound at them with some breaking - like them trimmed down pretty good also, close to where I get 2 tips out of 1 (high layered tips).

Chrippa
 
I have no idea how a leather tip can maintain it's shape throughout it's entire life to where it never needs to be shaped, even as it wears down.

Never heard of it. Don't understand it.

Maybe if you never hit center ball??
 
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Fran, do you mean you need to reshape the "curve" on you tips after you have played with it? Or do you mean that you need to scuff it up to take more chalk?

After a tip is "broken in" for me I usually just need to scuff them, no reshaping, if I feel the need of putting out the "sandman" to trim it down it´s more to do with "I need to do something", but if so I just trim them lover - not changing the curve sort of speak.

Chrippa
 
I have no idea how a leather tip can maintain it's shape throughout it's entire life to where it never needs to be shaped, even as it wears down.

Never heard of it. Don't understand it.

Maybe if you never hit center ball??

I seldom hit actual center ball. I stay very close to the vertical center, but rarely need to hit actual center ball. So, the actual end of my tip doesn't get hit very often.
 
Maybe if you never hit center ball??

Well I'm biting. That's what I thought earlier when you said your tips go flat.

You see for me I'm spinning the ball to some degree most of the time. No disrespect but the best pool players I've seen up close usually only really spin the ball when in trouble It's rare to be more than 1 tip out. Sure they can go further out when they need to but as you know they're kicking themselves if its required. too risky

Don't beat me up too much. Haven't played pockets for a realllllllyy long decade (s)
 
I know my tip is need of replacement, but will this cause any sort of miscue problems at this thinness?

ZrGdp47l.jpg

Just my opinion, but that's pretty much what my tip looks like, and I love it like that.

I also rarely miscue.

I think Corey has gone on record saying he prefers it when his tip is down to the ferrule.
 
Well I'm biting. That's what I thought earlier when you said your tips go flat.

You see for me I'm spinning the ball to some degree most of the time. No disrespect but the best pool players I've seen up close usually only really spin the ball when in trouble It's rare to be more than 1 tip out. Sure they can go further out when they need to but as you know they're kicking themselves if its required. too risky

Don't beat me up too much. Haven't played pockets for a realllllllyy long decade (s)

Actually, I am a spin player, but I'm not afraid of the center of the ball when it's necessary. I agree with Buddy Hall's philosophy: "If you're going to play 9-ball, you have to know how to play all over the cue ball."

I think tips harden with age which is consistent with what leather does over time. Have you ever tried to play with a shaft that's been sitting around for a year or more? The tip feels like a rock.

I think that if you play a lot of pool, the tip will wear at an even faster rate, because over the first few months on a cue it is at it's most receptive part of it's life --- before it starts to harden. When I was playing a lot, I was replacing the tip every 2-3 months.
 
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maybe using that old Taiwan chalk

I'd like to know who else here believes that chalking is mainly responsible for wearing their tips down. Anyone else?

no, that's ridiculous.....maybe using that old Taiwan chalk that had sand in it. ;)
 
Just my opinion, but that's pretty much what my tip looks like, and I love it like that.

I also rarely miscue.

I think Corey has gone on record saying he prefers it when his tip is down to the ferrule.

Yes, I have heard of the occasional player who likes a low tip. But I will say this, if you have gotten used to this type of tip, you may be working harder at the table than you need to, and not realizing it.

If you're Corey Duel, not a problem. I'm sure he could handle it. Sigel used to like a tip that you could hardly see and was flat as a pancake. Not sure if he feels that way currently.

Mika has very specific requirements for his tip specs. He replaces them as soon as they no longer meet his specs, which is frequently.
 
For players that rarely if ever shape their tip after the initial install (such as myself), there's only two things that could be slowly removing the tip - the chalk, or the impact of the cue ball.

Which do you think is more likely? I say the chalk. My tips last a long time but chalk is definitely abrasive and I see no reason to believe that chalk couldn't slowly sand away a tip.
 
Yes, I have heard of the occasional player who likes a low tip. But I will say this, if you have gotten used to this type of tip, you may be working harder at the table than you need to, and not realizing it.

If you're Corey Duel, not a problem. I'm sure he could handle it. Sigel used to like a tip that you could hardly see and was flat as a pancake. Not sure if he feels that way currently.

Mika has very specific requirements for his tip specs. He replaces them as soon as they no longer meet his specs, which is frequently.

Here's a pic of mine. Had it for over a year, and it hasn't been shaped once. Granted, if I actually played every single day, I probably would have replaced it already. But for me, it's held up very nicely and still plays great.

u85-npVYIhbhLxQNO5cM.png
 
Here's a pic of mine. Had it for over a year, and it hasn't been shaped once. Granted, if I actually played every single day, I probably would have replaced it already. But for me, it's held up very nicely and still plays great.

u85-npVYIhbhLxQNO5cM.png

Do you not have cleaning products in your home?
 
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