Not hard at all with a little practice Bud. I think just about every repair man has started out that way. Lots of guys on AZ do their own.
I have a friend that puts them on so well, you wouldn't know he didn't have a lathe.
There are lots of tools out there but seriously, you don't need to spend a ton nor do you have to have all of them.
I will do a bit of searching and post some of the best ones.
A couple of the Porper tools and a good box cutter knife is all you really need. Some sand paper and yer set.
Oh yeah, a cue top sander is a must have but they are cheap.
I used to glue the tip on and cut the excess off around the ferrule with a sharp knife. Then one of the Porper tools to cut it down even with the ferrule.
As far as ferrules, you need a lathe to do them. No way around that really.
But once you get into it, a small repair lathe is not going to break the bank. You can do tips, ferrules, shaft cleaning and much more with a simple lathe. In the course of a pool playing life time, the lathe will pay for itself many times over.
How To Tip A Pool Cue
The Laymens Guide
By Terry McGuire is a good book to start with. Google it. It has much more info in it than just tipping cues.
http://www.seyberts.com/products/Deluxe_Tip_Replacement_Kit-984-277.html
Here is a kit from Seyberts. It has all and more than you need to start. The video at the bottom doesn't seem to work for me any longer. It does show the tools in action if you can make it work.
That little Mushroom Grazer is one great tool.
Scroll down below the video to read a description of the tools.
The Porper Cut Rite Trimmer is also good, but if you use the trimmer end, be very careful on how you trim the tip or you will put a cone on the tip. There is a way of using it properly tho. The other end will put a perfect nickel shape on the tip. The burnisher is also a useful tool.
The deal is, you would use the Mushroom Grazer to take the excess off the tip, then use the Cut Rite to finish off the trim even with the ferrule. If you take care, you really don't need to use the Cut Rite at all. But, it is a good tool if you learn to use it right.
