Luthier work is amazing. I've been studying videos of how they restore finish chips. I'm going to try it on cues. I've always been skeptical that a small chip requires a complete refinish.
Can you straighten a warped shaft?.....Manwon can!
- Thread starter tduncan
- Start date
What are you gonna use for a finish to restore the chips?
If somebody has a nice finishing/refinishing set-up they may be able to refinish a cue with less time and effort than repairing a chip all the way through a finish. Of course if a cue or most particularly a musical instrument has great value, a tiny repair may hold value much better than a refinish. Refinishing a tiny area, a few inches, is likely to reveal itself over time. Repairing just the chip might require hours over several weeks or months. Worth it on an instrument with a value in six figures, not on a cue worth a few thousand.
I had an auto body shop. A man took me to look at his Studebaker from the twenties or thirties. It had a damaged fender and was in factory black. He wanted to know what it would cost to fix the fender and paint it. I told him $3500 back in the mid-eighties. I told him if he did the hand sanded needed to spray the car black I would fix the fender and paint it for $800. Repairing a chip so it can never be seen is a lot like that paint job on the car. A ridiculous amount of time and labor. It isn't that it can't be done, it is the question of if it is practical. Chances are pretty good you will find another repair or two needed while working on that chip too.
When somebody comes in wanting a tiny chip repaired and you quote several hundred dollars they think you are crazy. You will probably lose money on the job on the labor bill. Speaking of autobody work, I fixed a quarter sized dent on a pick-up with eighty-four miles on it. Took a bath on that one. Perfect was barely good enough and it was a white truck.
Hu
I tried diligently. I must be doing something wrong because I was unsuccessful. If someone was to make themselves an expert on this, I'd bet they could have a nice little side gig straightening shafts. I have some shafts locked and loaded waiting to ship to someone to try. 
Not 100% on that yet. Still studying. But probably start with CA.
as said it wont work on all types of bends.
but on bends you cant get out as manwon said. and his is the fastest and easiest to do. and less likely for you to f--it up
then try putting it on a table with something heavy holding it completely flat and use a hair dryer not a HEAT gun and some water or wet thing in front and steam it wet until it dries and leave the weight on it and repeat it at least once.. but some bends are there for good. do not over heat the wood. the wood has to learn. have patience!!!
for longer bends ive had success(this is my way and may not be the best way) is to hang a heavy weight on the middle of the high side of bend and support the shaft out on each end. and do what it takes to get the bend to go past the other side and then do the heat thing. and even mist it if you cant get it to go. this way it will go back in its original direction more easily after you remove stuff . and let it hang for a time that way.
for dings,, i used to use a wet cloth and a hot spoon from the stove to steam out the dent as the spoons curve concentrates it on the spot.
thanks manwon for all you do here.
but on bends you cant get out as manwon said. and his is the fastest and easiest to do. and less likely for you to f--it up
then try putting it on a table with something heavy holding it completely flat and use a hair dryer not a HEAT gun and some water or wet thing in front and steam it wet until it dries and leave the weight on it and repeat it at least once.. but some bends are there for good. do not over heat the wood. the wood has to learn. have patience!!!
for longer bends ive had success(this is my way and may not be the best way) is to hang a heavy weight on the middle of the high side of bend and support the shaft out on each end. and do what it takes to get the bend to go past the other side and then do the heat thing. and even mist it if you cant get it to go. this way it will go back in its original direction more easily after you remove stuff . and let it hang for a time that way.
for dings,, i used to use a wet cloth and a hot spoon from the stove to steam out the dent as the spoons curve concentrates it on the spot.
thanks manwon for all you do here.
I forgot to mention i am also playing with Z3 shaft that i got from friend after my old Z2 ferrule gave up. He said: "it might be little warped" I told that´s fine i see if i can do something about it. He then come same tournament and bring me the shaft and i got 1st round game. Almost half of tip was missing and it was rock hard. Also I could hit ball behind corner with that shaft.
He said. "Oh it have been couple years in closet and got worse you don´t need pay that."
Anyways match start and i cold bend it while opponent make 1st rack and then i figure out how i need roll tip so i hit balls with good part of tip.
I got bad start because shaft not yet totally straight and tip is awful. I bend it more while opponent is shooting and people are like "wtf"
Anyways i end up winning match and after match i put Elkmaster on it and go and win tournament and beat guy in final who gave me shaft.
So i give him anyways 80€ from shaft and kept it. I play it still but I need do little straightening once a month.
I don't think my technique will work on a predator shaft because of the way it's made unfortunately. Although, I've never tried it in the past if someone brought me one straight I didn't even attempt it. I don't think there is much more that can be done than you're already doing so I would just continue doing what you do. Yeah, I'm sorry I can't be more helpful.I forgot to mention i am also playing with Z3 shaft that i got from friend after my old Z2 ferrule gave up. He said: "it might be little warped" I told that´s fine i see if i can do something about it. He then come same tournament and bring me the shaft and i got 1st round game. Almost half of tip was missing and it was rock hard. Also I could hit ball behind corner with that shaft.
He said. "Oh it have been couple years in closet and got worse you don´t need pay that."
Anyways match start and i cold bend it while opponent make 1st rack and then i figure out how i need roll tip so i hit balls with good part of tip.
I got bad start because shaft not yet totally straight and tip is awful. I bend it more while opponent is shooting and people are like "wtf"
Anyways i end up winning match and after match i put Elkmaster on it and go and win tournament and beat guy in final who gave me shaft.
So i give him anyways 80€ from shaft and kept it. I play it still but I need do little straightening once a month.
