Can I do tip replacement myself?

XxMerlinxX

XxMerlinxX

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Without a lathe or willard tipping machine or anything of that nature? I'm not opposed to getting a Porper Tip Clamp or a cutter, just didn't want to spend a lot of money on it if I didn't have to. I'll probably only be doing my own tips, so nothing elaborate is needed. I'm searching for threads on do it yourself tip replacement, but if anybody has a link handy, I'd appreciate it.
 
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I think it depends on how much you like you cue or how much you paid for it.:rolleyes: I did my cue myself and it looks good. Having a sharp razor and alot of TLC. It did take a few hours to get it perfect but time is money.
 
I did myown for years before I got a lathe. Carefully tape the shaft and ferrul and sand the tip slowly till it is the right size. Plan on spending at least 2 hours.

Larry
 
Get crazy!! But be very carefull. Before I got my lathe I used a cheap drill with a trigger lock, you will need to get a hold of a pin that fits your shaft, like I said be extremely carefull and have someone there to help you if possible.:eek:
 
Merlin, no lathe here yet.
I use a Porper Mushroom Grazer, Porper Little Shaver and Porper burnisher.
Everything well under $30, with a little practise you'll get pretty decent results. Our local cue repairman only does it for a hobby and if I want a tip done, I don't want to wait a week or 2 for it to get done, so I started doing them by hand.
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
Merlin, no lathe here yet.
I use a Porper Mushroom Grazer, Porper Little Shaver and Porper burnisher.
Everything well under $30, with a little practise you'll get pretty decent results. Our local cue repairman only does it for a hobby and if I want a tip done, I don't want to wait a week or 2 for it to get done, so I started doing them by hand.
Click to expand...

If you got nothing of the above or no razor.

Try using a CHISEL. It even can trim a phenolic breaking tip.
But need to go slow millimeter by millimeter.

Practice on a house cue before trying on your cue.
 
I got a blade for a plane and taped the top to make a handle. I also like the Porper Little Shaver. It's simple and does a nice job. One of those ferrule sanders is recommended so you get the ferrule sanded square/flat. The cruth tip lathe/shaft spinner works real good and is easy to make.

It takes time to learn it. Take your time and it's fun to do. If I had a cue maker close by when I started doing tips I probably wouldn't have learned to do it. It's too easy and too cheap to have done if you have someone close.
 
I suppose you could overhaul your cars engine with nothing more than a screwdriver and a pair of pliers from Harbor Freight ... but who would want to?

So yes you can replace your tip with a tube of super glue, an exacto blade, and a piece of sandpaper.
 
WilleeCue said:
I suppose you could overhaul your cars engine with nothing more than a screwdriver and a pair of pliers from Harbor Freight ... but who would want to?

So yes you can replace your tip with a tube of super glue, an exacto blade, and a piece of sandpaper.
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It just takes a bit of skill Willee. I have no problems replacing a tip with a tube of super glue, an exacto blade, and a piece of sandpaper. And I even own three metal lathes :eek:

Dave
 
Well, lots of people have weighed in. I have done it with minimal tools and a step better. I do it pretty close to lathe quality, but not quite. I do it better than the local guy barely nicked the ferrule on a friend's cue. So, a lathe isn't a magic pill.

The process:
1) Cut off old tip.
2) Sand excess off the top and sand new tip glue surf
3) lay a small amount of glue on the top
4) press new tip on and hold
5) Trim off excess diameter
6) Rough shape
7) Burnish

I use these tools and think I do lathe or near lathe quality.
1) Cheap razor knife.
2) Cue top sander sold all over web. Masking tape to protect the shaft from sander dents.
3) Super glue gel cheap type
4) thumb
5) Porper big shaver. To get it perfect, I finish with white Qsmooth papers.
6) PVC pipe(1/3rd of diameter) with glue on sandpaper. Buy the real sandpaper holders!
7) Ultimate tip tool with Qwax on the tip sides. I also use the Ultimate tool for the final nickel shaping.

It takes me about 30 min per shaft. This is what you are buying. A guy with a lathe can do the whole thing in like 5 min! A guy with glue and sandpaper can do a good job in like 8 hours! You decide the value of your time. Also, with all the hand tools, expect to spend some time removing shaft dents!
 
nksmfamjp said:
A guy with glue and sandpaper can do a good job in like 8 hours!
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Where do you get these Guys :confused: A Dave can do it in 20 minutes. :thumbup: Of course this clever Dave puts 13mm Elk Masters onto a 13mm ferrule using a stickem-note-wrap for alignment, so there is little or no finishing required on the side of the tip. I shape with a Willards.

Dave
 
If that is a good enough fit for you, fine. I did that too for a few years. It was ok. I was talking a 14 on a 13.
 
I was about to ask about tip size. Would trying to put 13mm tips on a 13mm ferule be too hard, should I use 14mm tips instead?
 
So is the sanpaper and glue better then a cheap lathe

I know i am opening a can of worms, but does an item like the cheap $100 ebay "lathes" [notice i used "" :)] work for just tips?? How cheap of a lathe can you buy to do say tips and ferrils????
 
nksmfamjp said:
If that is a good enough fit for you, fine.
Click to expand...

This is an important concept, that of "good enough", because I am more interested in getting the job done and hitting balls more effectively than maintaining an investment. If I owned a high-end custom cue I might think differently. Based on my experience a 13mm tip fits nicely on my Falcon if installed carefully. Done poorly it's a do-over (of course a waste of 20 minutes and a $0.75 tip :mad: ).

Tonight, for chuckles I replaced the less-than-dime-thin Elkmaster on my playing Falcon with a nice new one, using nothing but a new razor knife, a piece of sandpaper (and a nickle-shape-Willards and an Ultimate Tip Tool for a little side triming). It took me 73 minutes including 10 messing around with a no-stinking-good bottle of CA gel, a 20 minute trip to Walmart for a new-much-better bottle of CA gel, and I'll add an allowance of another 13 minutes for yaking with the wife and taking pictures etc. (wow am I a poor photographer :mad::mad:) ... or about 30 minutes work time total. The result is good enough for me. I'm sure that many would consider it a hack job, but the balls don't seem to care :thumbup:

Dave
 
i do my own tips and a few for friends every now and again. just use masking tape to limit the chances of damaging your ferrule and use the sharpest razor you can
 
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