Well if you Burnish before a big Mushroom grows, you do not have problem. I do it when stoping play, take all of 30 seconds.
Best hand tool for fixing mushroomed tip?
- Thread starter FeelDaShot
- Start date
Well if you Burnish before a big Mushroom grows, you do not have problem. I do it when stoping play, take all of 30 seconds.
I'm saying that cutting across the layers like that isn't good.
Layered tips suck anyway, the way they de-laminate after the tip top piece grows smaller and smaller then pops off. Cutting across the layers doesn't help that problem. In my experience, and I've done probably 30 layered tips or so, is they come apart anyway; helping them do that isn't what I'm looking for.
The same with some of the shapers. Players scrap up, instead of down, against the layers and they separate right where the tip meets the cueball.
The shapers that you spin the tip in are better for all tips, but especially for layered tips. They don't damage the lamination as much.
Jeff Livingston
dendweller
Well-known member
I've had a joe porper mushroon grazer for while. If a lathe isn't an option, it's pretty good.
I never use a knife on my tips. Maybe a razor blade once in a while. For mushroom tips I like to use fine sandpaper to take it down even with the ferrule. Then I use extra fine sandpaper to smooth everything up afterwards. This way you can get it even all the way around. After I'm done I burnish the tip by wetting it and toning it with a piece of soft leather. Smooth, clean and perfect after I get done. Same for the ferrule and shaft. You would never know I even touched them when I'm finished. I guess I'm old school but it still works. I've done exactly this for players like Dennis and Warren and they bring me other cues with new tips for the same treatment.
I have one, and it's my go to tool. Just have to avoid pushing too hard or you'll twist the tip off. Works great.My go too if Mushroom is more then new dollar bill can burnish.
Joe Porper TTPTB Burnisher
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As Joe Porper is out of biz might be tough find.
Tool work well if used correctly, like I said I use tool, or new dollar bill following play.
Why you have mushroom size of Portabella Mushroom. You should have attacked problem earlier.
I use one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Right-Carvin...KDHYKS8/ref=pd_lpo_3?pd_rd_i=B00KDHYKS8&psc=1 Razor sharp. I use masking tape on the ferrule just to be safe. Works great. Buff/burnish after. Done
I use that with my lathe to trim tips. Beats the crap out of ANY razor blade I have used in the past. Seems to hold up as well, did about 50 tips since I started using that tool and it seems to be holding strong. I used to have a new razorblade every other tip or so.
If people payed more attention to the start of Mushroom, they could get it under control before it grew into something like an Appitizer.
SSDiver2112
Escott Cues
Thanks for this. Just ordered one and some whetstones. I wasn’t happy with how the razor blades worked and handled. This should be much easier to control I think.
I could have a million dollar shop full of tools and not be able to fix a mushroom. Why? Because I’m helpless, the tool is secondary to the person using it.
I’ve seen miracles with razor blades and other primitive tools. It’s the artist not the paint brush.
Useless as ever,
Fatboy
I’ve seen miracles with razor blades and other primitive tools. It’s the artist not the paint brush.
Useless as ever,
Fatboy
Be careful. This thing will cut you just looking at it. SHARP. Great tool. I've got this one and one a little bigger. Shaves the side of a tip like its not there.
The old timer that first started showing me what he thought was proper maintenance,on the first "real" or expensive cue I was ever exposed to showed me this when I was in high school,in the form of a plain jane Meucci Original. They were just 125.00 then,and in that price range it was that,or early D series McDermott for entry level cues for the most part.
He sat down,and wiped a little spit on the sides,and wrapped a piece of smooth gray cardboard from a matchbook around it,and with his left hand,he used a back and forth motion,and rolled the shaft on his leg until it got warm and did the job. He then burnished the shaft with a fresh dollar bill.
Later on,I met an older man that no kidding would sit down and using the leather on his omnipresent dress shoes,would deal with the problem by pushing his shoes together,pushing his tip down between the shoes and twist the shaft in a slow,controlled motion but rolling his hands like he was starting a fire. He said he was shown that by Bill Stroud? He did this on ivory ferrules without leaving evidence.
If those that use the Porper tool above get good results,I'm happy for ya. It wasn't for me.
My personal burnisher is a piece of a well worn black leather wallet my late dad carried for 20 years,and it's been in my case for 25 since then.
That being said,I can't remember the last time I used it on my own stuff,because I can just stick it in the lathe and trim it right,so I never leave the house with a mushroom.
Cardboard done right works 100% of the time. Make sure whatever you use is either white,or gray so it doesn't stain if overused,and ink free. The old matchbook covers actually had a oil/wax content,and helped it along,kinda like the ear/nose oil treatment. Tommy D.
He sat down,and wiped a little spit on the sides,and wrapped a piece of smooth gray cardboard from a matchbook around it,and with his left hand,he used a back and forth motion,and rolled the shaft on his leg until it got warm and did the job. He then burnished the shaft with a fresh dollar bill.
Later on,I met an older man that no kidding would sit down and using the leather on his omnipresent dress shoes,would deal with the problem by pushing his shoes together,pushing his tip down between the shoes and twist the shaft in a slow,controlled motion but rolling his hands like he was starting a fire. He said he was shown that by Bill Stroud? He did this on ivory ferrules without leaving evidence.
If those that use the Porper tool above get good results,I'm happy for ya. It wasn't for me.
My personal burnisher is a piece of a well worn black leather wallet my late dad carried for 20 years,and it's been in my case for 25 since then.
That being said,I can't remember the last time I used it on my own stuff,because I can just stick it in the lathe and trim it right,so I never leave the house with a mushroom.
Cardboard done right works 100% of the time. Make sure whatever you use is either white,or gray so it doesn't stain if overused,and ink free. The old matchbook covers actually had a oil/wax content,and helped it along,kinda like the ear/nose oil treatment. Tommy D.
The best tool by far for trimming a mushroomed tip is the Porper Mushroom Grazer. Some suggestions for success though. The blades will dull with use and it doesn't work near as well, and it is easier to make a mistake, if the blade gets dull. They sell replacement blades for it so replace your blade as soon as you can tell it is no longer cutting quite as well as it did when it was new. If you are the clumsy type, the careless type, the type that tends to always try to rush things, or totally not a detail oriented type, this may not be the tool for you. There may be a slight learning curve if you aren't generally a natural with tools but it won't take long at all until you are a pro and can trim the tip absolutely perfectly (true lathe quality) in just seconds. The key points to remember at first is to go real slow, and never let the blade go below where the ferrule is, and you will be fine. Until you are sure you are comfortable and proficient you can also put a piece of tape around the ferrule. It also works perfectly for trimming down a newly installed tip.
To reduce the mushroom and keep it off of my tip I simply burnish the tip's side on a pool table cloth. The simple process is to rub the side of the tip on the table bed, under the rail, with a sideways motion (about 12" each way) while rotating the shaft. This takes away any excess leather and burnishes the tip's side. Of course I do this under the rail so it does not damage the playing surface. If you do this periodically it only takes about 15 seconds and does a great job.