??? Best Shaft Cleaning Methods ???

OldHasBeen

OldHasBeen

Tom Ferry
I have always used very hot water & Ajax cleanser to first clean my shaft before making it slick. I have some of the new Slick-Stix stuff and wonder if there is some better ways out there to clean it before using the Slick-Stix.

??????????????????

TY & GL
 
Shaft cleaning and prep

OldHasBeen said:
I have always used very hot water & Ajax cleanser to first clean my shaft before making it slick. I have some of the new Slick-Stix stuff and wonder if there is some better ways out there to clean it before using the Slick-Stix.

??????????????????

TY & GL
Click to expand...



I used extremely hot water, not getting it near the ferrelle or joint. I use tan chalk, that helps alot. I follow up with 1500 grit sandpaper followed by 2000 grit. Before someone comes back with the sandpaper scare, trust me 2000 grit sandpaper is nearly nothing.

I then follow it up with Formbys wood conditioning oil. Usually about 2 drops on a paper towel. I follow it with a dry paper towel.

Works well, especially if done often enough that the shaft stays in pretty good shape. If I get one in terrible shape I go ahead and use straight bleach on a paper towel and then use a softscrub. Then I go back to the above techniques.

The key is using the wood conditioning oil last, IMO. It seems to keep the shafts clean and resistant to the chalk.

My technique,

Ken
 
OldHasBeen said:
I have always used very hot water & Ajax cleanser to first clean my shaft before making it slick. I have some of the new Slick-Stix stuff and wonder if there is some better ways out there to clean it before using the Slick-Stix.

??????????????????

TY & GL
Click to expand...

There's this product on the market called "The Magic Erasure" by Ajax - Mr. Clean. It looks like a white brick, but smaller. It's in the cleaner section at the market. You wet it a little and wipe your shaft down and it will take just about every chalk and dirt mark out of it. But don't wet it too much because you'll raise the grain of your shaft too much.

Do a search on the CCB about it, it's awesome. And be prepared to burnish the shaft afterwards. You will be pleased.

Okay, here's the thread: http://www.billiardsdigest.com/ccbo...d=allposts&Main=172250&Search=true#Post172250

Barbara
 
Last edited:
There's three (3) pages on this same subject starting here ---
http://www.azbilliards.com/vbulleti...?t=12438&page=1

I avoid ANYTHING abrasive.
I avoid Magic Eraser® because my (old) package indicates it's NOT recommended on bare wood.
I also avoid cue specific products since thay are mostly nothing more than common ingredients re-packaged at a much higher price.

Troy
OldHasBeen said:
I have always used very hot water & Ajax cleanser to first clean my shaft before making it slick. I have some of the new Slick-Stix stuff and wonder if there is some better ways out there to clean it before using the Slick-Stix.

??????????????????

TY & GL
Click to expand...
 
powdered bleach

Heya,
I use PCC's Q-clean with a small amount of warm water to make a paste out of it. It works great for getting all the chaulk residue from the cue and from the ferrule. If it's a 'serious' cleaning (depending on how much you play and how often you clean) I might hit it with 1500 sandpaper afterwards and then burnish. I know the stuff is basically repackaged powdered bleach sold at a higher price but it lasts quite a while. I've found it on eBay for half the cost of what Muellers sells it for. I play everyday and one bottle lasts me months. Can't stand a sticky cue.
 
Do a search for this topic. I haven't been here long, but I've seen this subject several times already.
 
Troy said:
There's three (3) pages on this same subject starting here ---
http://www.azbilliards.com/vbulleti...?t=12438&page=1

I avoid ANYTHING abrasive.
I avoid Magic Eraser® because my (old) package indicates it's NOT recommended on bare wood.
I also avoid cue specific products since thay are mostly nothing more than common ingredients re-packaged at a much higher price.

Troy
Click to expand...

Right. Harsh products will weaken the cues shaft which encourages warping and alters the shafts harmonics. This will change the hit.

The best recommendation is to take your cue to a cuesmith that DOES NOT use filler products on cue shafts as this can result in a nightmare later on (a topic by itself). Once done by a professional, you can preserve that nice look for a long time if cared for properly.

If you want to clean your cues shaft without a cuesmith, then here is the second best thing as we found;

1. Clean the shaft first with a petroleum based product that evaporates quickly. This will remove unwanted wax and dirt from the shaft (you may not use wax, but other players do and your shaft picks it up from the table and sticks to the chalk).

2. With a small amount of dish soap and warm water (not hot) clean the shaft quickly then rinse. Skip this step the next time you clean.

3. Dry completely with a towel or blow dry (not to close with the dryer) and then wait for about 10 minutes.

4. Repeat step # 1

5. Using a 1600 grit paper, burnish the shaft.

6. Using a dry towel, remove excess grit

FYI. We developed our cleaner based upon some forum info. we got right here. Many said that lighter fluid seemed to work pretty well. We tried it and it did work better than most other methods. After we determined how it cleaned, we then developed a super clean and super distilled petroleum version to use as the base for our cleaner. Important, you only want to clean the surface. One culprit is wax as it acts as a lubricant to unwanted particles and when you burnish they become more easily seated in the shaft and are are abrasive. Soap and harsh chemicals usually do not break down the wax to help remove it. Keep in mind that a somewhat darker shaft is a good thing (without the dirt) and the oils from your hands strengthen the wood, so it is recommended that you put nothing on your cue shaft that blocks these oils. Use only products that filter and allow oils only to pass on your cue shaft.
 
Just what we all need -- more vastly overpriced cue specific products.
4 ounces of "cleaner" for ONLY $7, and/or 10 grams of "wax" for ONLY $20. What a bargain.

Troy
pete lafond said:
We developed our cleaner based upon some forum info. we got right here. Many said that lighter fluid seemed to work pretty well. We tried it and it did work better than most other methods. After we determined how it cleaned, we then developed a super clean and super distilled petroleum version to use as the base for our cleaner.
Click to expand...
 
You guys would laugh at what I use...baby wipes...then I burnish with a clean towel. Works fine for taking off dirt and slicking up a shaft.

Shorty
 
Shorty said:
You guys would laugh at what I use...baby wipes...then I burnish with a clean towel. Works fine for taking off dirt and slicking up a shaft.

Shorty
Click to expand...

hey whos laughing? that works good, so do clorox wipes.

i use your method only i use hooters wipes, whenever i go i just LOOK at those beautiFUL hooters and ask for a couple more wipes and they always bring a hand full, and i just throw them in my pouch.

they also work good to clean your bridge hand and dry imediatly so you can do while your opponent shoots ( if you let him) and you dont even have to leave the table.

boy its amazing all the benifits of hooters. :D
 
Troy said:
Just what we all need -- more vastly overpriced cue specific products.
4 ounces of "cleaner" for ONLY $7, and/or 10 grams of "wax" for ONLY $20. What a bargain.

Troy
Click to expand...

Didn't mean to offend you. I should not have included product info., just shaft cleaning info. To comment on your post, these products are unique in that they were developed and tested specifically for cue shafts by more than one large chemical company and are not of-the-shelf ingredients. The Conditioner is not wax and not silicone, though much slicker, derived from a base used in an aerospace technology. It was developed to enable chalk and other grit to fall off your stick while allowing the oils from your hand to penetrate which is great for your cue and achieve super slick. This is not a home grown or re-packaged product and manufacturing costs are high. Margins are real slim on these products. Pool hall prices are more tolerable as you will see. This is a passion for us, not a gimmick to sell high ticket items. Our intentions are to direct what small profits to support billiards. Not everyone buys high performance products, we understand this. Again, I will refrain from product mention within my posts. Well appreciated.
 
merylane said:
hey whos laughing? that works good, so do clorox wipes.

i use your method only i use hooters wipes, whenever i go i just LOOK at those beautiFUL hooters and ask for a couple more wipes and they always bring a hand full, and i just throw them in my pouch.

they also work good to clean your bridge hand and dry imediatly so you can do while your opponent shoots ( if you let him) and you dont even have to leave the table.

boy its amazing all the benifits of hooters. :D
Click to expand...

In a league I play, my home bar is directly attached (with a connecting door inside) to a Hooters.

This is GREAT info...I might just move in there! :D

~Chris
 
Qnut said:
In a league I play, my home bar is directly attached (with a connecting door inside) to a Hooters.

This is GREAT info...I might just move in there! :D

~Chris
Click to expand...

boy id like to moooove in there too!!!!
 
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