Can I get a quote on a plain jane, painted black wrapless butt (no shaft).

I

Impact Blue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So after getting a big 'hell no' from a couple of cuemakers here, I'm openly asking for a quote at getting a butt made, radial pin, without a shaft. I have LD shafts that I play with, and am not needing anything special on that end. Maybe a metal beauty ring at the joint, black phenolic, but that's it for now.

I am looking for something of quality that feels neutrally balanced, tapered to spec (a slim handle, I should have measurements later tonight), and finished nicely. Not looking for rare, figured, or exotic woods. Just dense, straight grained, but good hitting maple (or anything else that you might recommend) will suit me fine, preferably without a weight bolt. Standard length, just under 19 oz with a 3.8oz shaft. Also, if you think painting the cue takes away from feel of a cue, please let me know if a merry widow would be a better option. I really like the idea of a stealthy, black cue, with a deep clear finish though.

You're welcome to post or PM prices and turnover times. Thanks guys. Still learning so much in these maker/review threads.
 
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Hell no? That's almost as ridiculous as refusing to fit a predator or OB shaft to a cue....
I don't get why a cuemaker would refuse this.
 
Sheldon said:
Hell no? That's almost as ridiculous as refusing to fit a predator or OB shaft to a cue....
I don't get why a cuemaker would refuse this.
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I agree Sheldon but there are many cue makers whom believe that their cues are so tuned and at the apex and to make any changes to their model would be sacrilegious. If they stay in business long enough they will learn that everyone doesn't have the same tastes in how they want a cue to hit. I can't for the life of me understand how a cue maker can call himself a "custom cue maker" if he only builds his cues to his own specs.

Dick
 
I'm with you on this, for sure.
I guess it depends on your definition of "custom".
Many people don't seem to take it literally.
 
The only reason I can see for refusing is if the cuemaker doesn't want to use black paint in his guns. That could be a pain getting them cleaned properly before they could spray clear. I know a lot of body men have a separate gun they use strictly for clear coat and other guns they use for colors.
 
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cuesmith said:
The only reason I can see for refusing is if the cuemaker doesn't want to use black paint in his guns. That could be a pain getting them cleaned properly before they could spray clear. I know a lot of body men have a separate gun they use strictly for clear coat and other guns they use for colors.
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he didnt ask me
i dont use a gun to shoot black paint :thumbup:
my auto supply guy hooked me up
this one was done with auto black out of a spray can
then cleared over it
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=197844
 
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brent if you don't fix this guy up I will make that cue if someone hasn't already volunteered.....but I will defer to you as you are my senior....lol.....old fart.....anyway I have some very good expensive dye that will make maple look like ebony.....why not use that?????? Why paint? brent does paint help protect the wood......???? I know the dye I use sinks in at least a 1/16 of an inch on a brush coat and much much deeper when I dip and pressurize it.....anywho......to the object poster if brent will make this cue for you can't go wrong.............


on second thought Paint would give that deep phenolic look.....dye will still reveal the grain in the wood.....purple heart dyed black wouldn't be bad though.....I may try this tomorrow.....
 
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Sheldon said:
Hell no? That's almost as ridiculous as refusing to fit a predator or OB shaft to a cue....
I don't get why a cuemaker would refuse this.
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Sheldon, I think you should build it, I bet he will come!!!!:smile:
 
cuesmith said:
The only reason I can see for refusing is if the cuemaker doesn't want to use black paint in his guns. That could be a pain getting them cleaned properly before they could spray clear. I know a lot of body men have a separate gun they use strictly for clear coat and other guns they use for colors.
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I don't think you would have to use a gun to spray the black. Indian Ink can be applied with a brush and it will soak in and look like Ebony when clear is applied. Doing it in this manner will not leave any wave to the surface of the wood and once dry it will not run when finish is applied.

JIMO
 
I use india ink to doctor old phenolic....the dye i use is an india ink based dye.....it comes in a powder form and boy its strong.......If you can afford to use just india ink it will be blacker than night in a cave......but india ink likes to mix with epoxy so you kind of have to clean the excess off before you start do sealers or clearcoat......at least thats been my experience.....maybe I just have bad luck...


.............I just saw manwon you stated after it dries.....I second that notion....let it sit for a day.....
 
I had to remove the OP from my ignore-list so I could get some insight as to what all the hub-bub was about. Nobody's bothered to 'quote' the OP so I couldn't read what he was asking. That's the way it works.
I never said I was politically correct, just honest.

So here's my response. I WOULD NOT entertain any notion of building this cue and it has nothing to do with personality conflicts. Please re-read what he's asking. Maple cue, neutrally balanced, slim taper to specs, 19oz. and no wght. bolt. Good luck with that. I see a 15oz cue unless you use a really, really big bumper.

I will admit though that the thread has offered some interesting sub-topics.
One being the difference btwn a cue-maker and a 'custom' cue-maker.
To respect the OP's sovereignty, I won't hijack his thread to address these sub-topics but will start a thread to address each of those that I find interesting and worth discussing.

Offering a cordial response to the OP for having invaded his thread, painting the cue will not take away from the hit, or 'feel' of the cue. Hit doesn't care about color, which would be cleared over anyway.
However, according to the late Ray Schuler, too much finish can stifle the hit. I agree.
Rattle-can black with a clear-coat and you're good to go.
 
KJ Cues said:
I had to remove the OP from my ignore-list so I could get some insight as to what all the hub-bub was about. Nobody's bothered to 'quote' the OP so I couldn't read what he was asking. That's the way it works.
I never said I was politically correct, just honest.

So here's my response. I WOULD NOT entertain any notion of building this cue and it has nothing to do with personality conflicts. Please re-read what he's asking. Maple cue, neutrally balanced, slim taper to specs, 19oz. and no wght. bolt. Good luck with that. I see a 15oz cue unless you use a really, really big bumper.

I will admit though that the thread has offered some interesting sub-topics.
One being the difference btwn a cue-maker and a 'custom' cue-maker.
To respect the OP's sovereignty, I won't hijack his thread to address these sub-topics but will start a thread to address each of those that I find interesting and worth discussing.

Offering a cordial response to the OP for having invaded his thread, painting the cue will not take away from the hit, or 'feel' of the cue. Hit doesn't care about color, which would be cleared over anyway.
However, according to the late Ray Schuler, too much finish can stifle the hit. I agree.
Rattle-can black with a clear-coat and you're good to go.
Click to expand...

I am just a player... but also thought, just after reading the request, that maple was too light to make the cue without a weight bolt.
I wish everybody was as honest as you were here and hadn't had to learn from my own experience that a one-piece BE maple cue can't be 19oz without a significant (2-3oz) weight bolt added.
I am afraid great balance requires great wood selection.
 
manwon said:
I don't think you would have to use a gun to spray the black. Indian Ink can be applied with a brush and it will soak in and look like Ebony when clear is applied. Doing it in this manner will not leave any wave to the surface of the wood and once dry it will not run when finish is applied.

JIMO
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Craig you are correct. Everyone knows that I've used the India ink on more than a few cues. I'd like to also add that Brents suggestion is wonderful as well...a simple can of spray paint works great. I've used the Krylon black satin with wonderful results. Keeps you from having to run the black through your clearing guns. After clearing over the Krylon its flawless...even a deeper black than the ink.:smile:
 
Mayb I'm not reading this right, but I don;t think he is asking for the butt to be 19oz's, he said, " Standard length, just under 19 oz with a 3.8oz shaft"
so to me, the weight of the butt would be 19 less his 3.8 oz shaft ( that he is supplying because he has so many of them) would giive you a butt weight of 15.2 oz's.... no???

Walter
 
Cuetips said:
Mayb I'm not reading this right, but I don;t think he is asking for the butt to be 19oz's, he said, " Standard length, just under 19 oz with a 3.8oz shaft"
so to me, the weight of the butt would be 19 less his 3.8 oz shaft ( that he is supplying because he has so many of them) would giive you a butt weight of 15.2 oz's.... no???

Walter
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Correct, and everyone else's responses are still correct. Getting a all maple butt, with a slimmer taper, and no weight bolt at 15.2 oz isn't going to be easy. You would need some very dense, heavy maple, and even then I don't know if you would hit that mark.
 
Cuetips said:
Mayb I'm not reading this right, but I don;t think he is asking for the butt to be 19oz's, he said, " Standard length, just under 19 oz with a 3.8oz shaft"
so to me, the weight of the butt would be 19 less his 3.8 oz shaft ( that he is supplying because he has so many of them) would giive you a butt weight of 15.2 oz's.... no???

Walter
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thats what i thought he meant also :thumbup:
19 total with his shaft
if it's going to be painted black, other woods would work for wieght requirements
like jc said, purpleheart would probably be perfect

and he also said PREFERABLY without weight bolt
not mandatory
 
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Impact Blue said:
Snip . . . Not looking for rare, figured, or exotic woods. Just dense, straight grained, but good hitting maple (or anything else that you might recommend) will suit me fine, preferably without a weight bolt. ...
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He also didn't say that maple was a requirement. He's open to recommendations. The man wants a plain black cue. Won't someone build it for him?
 
KJ Cues said:
I had to remove the OP from my ignore-list so I could get some insight as to what all the hub-bub was about. Nobody's bothered to 'quote' the OP so I couldn't read what he was asking. That's the way it works.
I never said I was politically correct, just honest.

So here's my response. I WOULD NOT entertain any notion of building this cue and it has nothing to do with personality conflicts. Please re-read what he's asking. Maple cue, neutrally balanced, slim taper to specs, 19oz. and no wght. bolt. Good luck with that. I see a 15oz cue unless you use a really, really big bumper.

I will admit though that the thread has offered some interesting sub-topics.
One being the difference btwn a cue-maker and a 'custom' cue-maker.
To respect the OP's sovereignty, I won't hijack his thread to address these sub-topics but will start a thread to address each of those that I find interesting and worth discussing.

Offering a cordial response to the OP for having invaded his thread, painting the cue will not take away from the hit, or 'feel' of the cue. Hit doesn't care about color, which would be cleared over anyway.
However, according to the late Ray Schuler, too much finish can stifle the hit. I agree.
Rattle-can black with a clear-coat and you're good to go.
Click to expand...

I will say the strangest part of this text is that I have never spoken to you before, let alone asked you directly for a quote on a cue. Secondly, if all-maple construction isn't possible at 15 oz, then you could probably suggest something else like other reputable cuemakers have done via PM, as I was clearly open to suggestion:

Impact Blue said:
Not looking for rare, figured, or exotic woods. Just dense, straight grained, but good hitting maple (or anything else that you might recommend) will suit me fine, preferably without a weight bolt.
Click to expand...

I understand that many of the things a customer could ask would not be advisable or even entertained solely based on the reputation of an artist's work, but I think an actual dialogue, one that EXISTED, would be the start of good customer service.

TL;DR: Why am I on your 'ignore list' if we have never spoken before? Save us the drama.
 
BHQ said:
thats what i thought he meant also :thumbup:
19 total with his shaft
if it's going to be painted black, other woods would work for wieght requirements
like jc said, purpleheart would probably be perfect

and he also said PREFERABLY without weight bolt
not mandatory
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Thanks Brent! I was trying to remember how I know you! it was actually a year ago I was trying to help you with that spreadsheet for your cue expo last October. Wow...time flies.

Anyway, yes, the operative word is PREFERABLY. And if remedial math serves me, or perhaps I should have put it plainly for some, I would like the butt construction to fall around 15-15.5 oz without a shaft.
 
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