advice on a laminated shaft

Dave38

Dave38

theemperorhasnoclotheson
Silver Member
I have a customer that wants me to recondition his Muecci black dot Lam. shaft. I haven't done one of those before, is there anything special for treatment? I don't want to mess up the glue used for the Laminating or anything.
Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks,
Dave
 
Dave38 said:
I have a customer that wants me to recondition his Muecci black dot Lam. shaft. I haven't done one of those before, is there anything special for treatment? I don't want to mess up the glue used for the Laminating or anything.
Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...

Make sure the ferrule is not loose.
 
Thanks for the advise, Ferrule was tight (thats the first thing I check before taking a stick) I did my usual and it came out fine. i was just concerned that special treatment was required due to the laminations.
Dave
 
Dave38 said:
Thanks for the advise, Ferrule was tight (thats the first thing I check before taking a stick) I did my usual and it came out fine. i was just concerned that special treatment was required due to the laminations.
Dave
Click to expand...

make sure you put a good sealer on yourlaminated shafts, then lightly sand & burnish...JER
 
I'm not sure to what extent your reconditioning will take you but I'd suggest you not get it too wet for any length of time. This applies to any segmented shaft.
 
Most of what I would do has already been mentioned. first I would check the ferrule for tightness, cracks, or anything noticeable & I wouldn't sand on It much at all, so not thin it out, I would use the mildest possible cleaning method that still gets the job done without soaking It, and then I would seal it off well. There's alot of in betweens there, but each one could be a thread in their selves. There's really not much difference in cleaning or restoring most laminated, but a little extra caution is not a bad idea. They are laminated and who knows what glues are used in different ones, and what effects some cleaning methods could have on each. Some may be able to withstand more then others. Greg
 
Well, I don't consider my methods one of a kind, I use a light amount of rubbing alchohol on a white cloth to get the oils and surface chalk off then if needed a sanding with 600 gritt then 1000 grit, then a coat or 2 of sealer(from CUE Components) then another light sanding with 600 then 1000, and then a burnishing at 1700 rpm followed by the 'special wax' treatment;) I must say though, The shaft felt like an octgonal shape before I even brought it home. The owner swears no one has ever touched it before, like sanding during a match etc. Now it feels smooth between the fingers, but if you rotate it, it still has the feel that it's not round. Is that normal with a Muecci, or laminate shaft???
Dave
 
Last edited:
Dave38 said:
Well, I don't consider my methods one of a kind, I use a light amount of rubbing alchohol on a white cloth to get the oils and surface chalk off then if needed a sanding with 600 gritt then 1000 grit, then a coat or 2 of sealer(from CUE Components) then another light sanding with 600 then 1000, and then a burnishing at 1700 rpm followed by the 'special wax' treatment;) I must say though, The shaft felt like an octgonal shape before I even brought it home. The owner swears no one has ever touched it before, like sanding during a match etc. Now it feels smooth between the fingers, but if you rotate it, it still has the feel that it's not round. Is that normal with a Muecci, or laminate shaft???
Dave
Click to expand...
Never use sandpaper...600 grit is way too rough for anything on a cue...
 
lams feel like octagon

yes, I have seen that a lot with lam shafts. I think the glue lines are tougher than the wood and the wood wears a little more, leaving lumps. Or maybe the wood shrinks more than the glued surfaces? I sand them slightly and with almost no sanding pad pressure to cut off the high spots and make the shaft round again, then seal, burnish, and wax. But first inform the customer what you will do and why, then let him decide if the out of round is a problem, before you try and correct it!
 
lams feel like octagon

yes, I have seen that a lot with lam shafts. I think the glue lines are tougher than the wood and the wood wears a little more, leaving lumps. Or maybe the wood shrinks more than the glued surfaces, or glued area swells? I sand them slightly and with almost no sanding pad pressure to cut off the high spots and make the shaft round again, then seal, burnish, and wax, all at high speed on a lathe of course. But first inform the customer what you will do and why, then let him decide if the out of round is a problem, before you try and correct something that the customer does not recognize as a problem!
Maybe some other cuemaker has done more experimenting with the lam shafts and knows if the type of glue used causes most of these problems?
 
Craig Fales said:
Never use sandpaper...600 grit is way too rough for anything on a cue...
Click to expand...
What would be the best alternative then? I assume a liquid, but I have always been hesitant to use liquid cleaners as it takes years to remove the moisture from the shaft wood, wouldn't this put some back?
Dave
 
Dave38 said:
What would be the best alternative then? I assume a liquid, but I have always been hesitant to use liquid cleaners as it takes years to remove the moisture from the shaft wood, wouldn't this put some back?
Dave
Click to expand...
No...assuming the shaft is used it will be well sealed...don't get it soaking wet...all I use now is Magic Eraser with SOME water...let it dry and burnish well...
 
Craig, great advice, I went shopping and bought some to try. I used it on an old bar cue shaft, and HOLY CRAP:eek: it did an awsome job with very little effort. Rep points to ya. Thanks again for sharing your secret.
Dave
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top