Chips

lfigueroa

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Let's say you have a very nice cue :-)

Said nice cue has an ivory butt and, over the years, you've developed a few small chips in the finish, right along the bottom edge of the butt. None of these chips is very large -- the largest is like the size of two pin heads, side-by-side.

I know the right answer is to send it off to the guy who made it, to be refinished. But that guy wants a lot of money to do that; will probably want to replace the leather wrap; and then there's the whole issue of shipping, insurance, and waiting.

Besides: the rest of the finish is perfect (and the wrap is just fine) and all you want to do is seal up these really small chips to keep them from getting worse and keep the ivory from discoloring.

So what's a girl to do? What can someone do to touch up these chips until the big refinish job, somewhere down the road?

Lou Figueroa
 
lfigueroa said:
Let's say you have a very nice cue :-)

Said nice cue has an ivory butt and, over the years, you've developed a few small chips in the finish, right along the bottom edge of the butt. None of these chips is very large -- the largest is like the size of two pin heads, side-by-side.

I know the right answer is to send it off to the guy who made it, to be refinished. But that guy wants a lot of money to do that; will probably want to replace the leather wrap; and then there's the whole issue of shipping, insurance, and waiting.

Besides: the rest of the finish is perfect (and the wrap is just fine) and all you want to do is seal up these really small chips to keep them from getting worse and keep the ivory from discoloring.

So what's a girl to do? What can someone do to touch up these chips until the big refinish job, somewhere down the road?

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...

You can cover the chips with several coats of super glue...JER
 
Or you can touch it up with a little dab of clear nail polish to protect it until the refinish job. Just put the nail polish in the hole and let it dry for a day or so before you move it.

Good Luck,
 
I'll take care of it for you Lou....
Very reasonably. Hit me up if you're interested.
 
I use Ca just to tie the edges down or fill if needed to keep them from blistering and getting worse, blends in pretty well most of the time.I wouldn't recommend that someone try It their self though, but someone that's had some time to teach themselves, and learn little tricks can pull it of with very little to no sanding in some cases. Little to no sanding wood be a good thing if You didn't want it to turn into more money, because the more sanding needed the more the can of worms opens up.

One useful piece of info to anyone that has chips, is get them filled or sealed as soon after noticing as possible, if wood or material underneath discolors over time then the area can oxidize or become discolored, and possibly make It harder to perfectly blend. There are some tricks to getting the colors to match, but It's more labor intensive, and not always foolproof. The best way to get a decent blend is to have It done as soon as It's noticed IMO.

I've heard of people using nail polish as mentioned or some even going as far to mix up a small batch of finish to achieve the same results.

I would always recommend to send It back to the maker, because He knows his cues and what works on them best, but I see by Your question that You already understand the reasoning for that.

With that said You can have someone well experienced in this type of repair handle It for You, price really just depends on labor involved for Your particular issues, some require less labor then others. The best repair guy would spend the least time possible for your situation, as it's usually the best way to do the repair anyhow, and that IMO comes with the experience, Most at some point learned that touch up can be like pulling a loose string on a yarn sweater, and you never want to do more pulling then necessary to achieve Your end result. I imagine most probably dig themselves a hole or 2 before learning better ways, I know I did, early on, before learning better ways through trial and error and why I mention this. Just make sure The person You choose has done their fair share of this type work and you should be fine. Believe me though, no one wants to make more work for themselves then there needs to be when It comes to finish work, so You should be good if picking the right person for the job.

I'm sure Sheldon who has offered is more then capable of handling this.

Greg
 
BLACKHEARTCUES said:
You can cover the chips with several coats of super glue...JER
Click to expand...


I was thinking this might work. Perhaps applied with a needle or something. Thanks.

Lou Figueroa
 
Arnot Wadsworth said:
Or you can touch it up with a little dab of clear nail polish to protect it until the refinish job. Just put the nail polish in the hole and let it dry for a day or so before you move it.

Good Luck,
Click to expand...


Arnot, I've heard of the nail polish thing before. I was concerned about longevity and perhaps discoloration using nail polish. But what I hear you saying is that that wouldn't be a concern?

Lou Figueroa
 
Sheldon said:
I'll take care of it for you Lou....
Very reasonably. Hit me up if you're interested.
Click to expand...


Ok, thanks, Sheldon. But right now, I'm just looking for a way to touch things up.

Lou Figueroa
 
Cue Crazy said:
I use Ca just to tie the edges down or fill if needed to keep them from blistering and getting worse, blends in pretty well most of the time.I wouldn't recommend that someone try It their self though, but someone that's had some time to teach themselves, and learn little tricks can pull it of with very little to no sanding in some cases. Little to no sanding wood be a good thing if You didn't want it to turn into more money, because the more sanding needed the more the can of worms opens up.

One useful piece of info to anyone that has chips, is get them filled or sealed as soon after noticing as possible, if wood or material underneath discolors over time then the area can oxidize or become discolored, and possibly make It harder to perfectly blend. There are some tricks to getting the colors to match, but It's more labor intensive, and not always foolproof. The best way to get a decent blend is to have It done as soon as It's noticed IMO.

I've heard of people using nail polish as mentioned or some even going as far to mix up a small batch of finish to achieve the same results.

I would always recommend to send It back to the maker, because He knows his cues and what works on them best, but I see by Your question that You already understand the reasoning for that.

With that said You can have someone well experienced in this type of repair handle It for You, price really just depends on labor involved for Your particular issues, some require less labor then others. The best repair guy would spend the least time possible for your situation, as it's usually the best way to do the repair anyhow, and that IMO comes with the experience, Most at some point learned that touch up can be like pulling a loose string on a yarn sweater, and you never want to do more pulling then necessary to achieve Your end result. I imagine most probably dig themselves a hole or 2 before learning better ways, I know I did, early on, before learning better ways through trial and error and why I mention this. Just make sure The person You choose has done their fair share of this type work and you should be fine. Believe me though, no one wants to make more work for themselves then there needs to be when It comes to finish work, so You should be good if picking the right person for the job.

I'm sure Sheldon who has offered is more then capable of handling this.

Greg
Click to expand...


Thanks, Greg. Just curious: if the ivory that's exposed is a little discolored (or maybe just dirty) what do you recommend to clean/whiten it with? A little Bon Ami? A touch of bleach? 409?

Lou Figueroa
 
Arnot's suggestion of clear nail polish is as good as it gets. Nail polish is a finish, designed to cover and protect a surface. It can easily be removed for refinishing is readily available and is easy to apply with a toothpick. I've used it off and on for 50 years and still do.

Don't use bleach, just some soapy water and a tooth bursh which won't have any effect on the surrounding areas, let it dry and touch up the chip.
Do this when you go to bed and it will be ready the next day.
 
lfigueroa said:
Thanks, Greg. Just curious: if the ivory that's exposed is a little discolored (or maybe just dirty) what do you recommend to clean/whiten it with? A little Bon Ami? A touch of bleach? 409?

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...



Hi Lou, Yeah I agree with Paul, and wouldn't use regular bleach if It were me, as It could open up a can of worms. I sent You a PM.

Greg
 
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