Cleaning Tricks and Techniques....

JayBaltimore

JayBaltimore

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Post your favorite most effective ways to clean your wraps, shafts, butt's and forearms.

:thumbup: For shafts i use those Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. If you have a cue that you bought of AZ, like me, and the shaft is so blue you take it to a maker or cue tradesman to have it cleaned, and it still doesn't get all of the bluing off. Use the Magic Eraser. Best shaft cleaning tool i've ever seen. After wetting and squeezing excess water outta the sponge, stroke the shaft and ferrule. Use Papertowel to wipe dry.
The magic eraser is especially great on ferrules.
:thumbup: For Linen Wraps i use light dish washing gel (very light) and water on a brown paper bag and wipe the linen with the threads. Pritty effective but have to be careful.
 
I was taught to use toothpaste on my ferrules.

As far as shafts go, I try to seal them first. I never use abarasives like fine sandpaper on my shafts...powder only when I play. Especially if it is a really hard old shaft, it takes a shine that endures. No need to clean any further.

For the butt of my cue, I have a treasured possession: a torn piece of Gus Szamboti's cotton jersey. It removes the fingerprints and oils. I'd like to think the great master would approve of a little cleaning after every set.
 
I'm gonna have to give the Magic Eraser a shot. I have red cloth on my table so I bought red chalk and it turned my ferrules pink! The blue chalk doesn't seem to do that to my ferrules.
 
JayBaltimore said:
Post your favorite most effective ways to clean your wraps, shafts, butt's and forearms.

:thumbup: For shafts i use those Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. If you have a cue that you bought of AZ, like me, and the shaft is so blue you take it to a maker or cue tradesman to have it cleaned, and it still doesn't get all of the bluing off. Use the Magic Eraser. Best shaft cleaning tool i've ever seen. After wetting and squeezing excess water outta the sponge, stroke the shaft and ferrule. Use Papertowel to wipe dry.
The magic eraser is especially great on ferrules.
:thumbup: For Linen Wraps i use light dish washing gel (very light) and water on a brown paper bag and wipe the linen with the threads. Pritty effective but have to be careful.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I do, about every 4th time I play. But after you dry it, try burnishing the shaft with a square of brown paper bag. You will be amazed at how slick it gets.
 
I deed the blue. Sampson-like.

I usually wipe shaft down- hard and fast- with a wet paper towel after play. Every 6 or 12 mos I hit it with Pledge. Like glass.


My rod is wrapless, but that Magic Eraser does do wonders for wraps.
 
i'mma have to try the paper bag, after the magic eraser and papertowel, i usually use a piece of leather to close the pores of the wood up. good ideas guys.
 
Ferrules: I have ivory ferrules so bluing is not a problem

Shaft: Bluing happens, sweat, grime, you name it. I wipe it down every once in a while with a moist cloth then dry it and use a leather burnisher. I don't want to remove the color and am not fond of it when people do, but hey, to each his own. In my opinion bluing of the shaft is a battle scar of sorts. No different than wrestler's not taking care of their cauliflower ear problems. In their weird way it's like a badge of courage. In my weird way I guess it's the same. Every time I see a really dark blue shaft I always imagine how many years and how many games it took to get like that.

Grip: I have leather on most of my cues so again, a wipe down with a damp cloth and drying it quickly usually does the trick.

Finished surfaces: Wipe down with dry cloth. The fingerprints don't penetrate the finish so there's really not much more you can do than wipe them off.

But hey, that's just me. Everyone is free to do as they please.
MULLY
 
Here's what I do:

FERRULE
*Cover the tip & wood part of the shaft. Brush the ferrule with moistened old toothbrush & toothpaste to remove dirt, then wipe dry

SHAFT
For regular maintenance, burnish & clean it at the same time with a SUEDE microfiber (Microtex)

When the shaft gets really dirty:
*I use a mircrofiber terry cloth and damp it with mild soap & water solution (cloth must be squeezed dry so as not to wet the shaft), & wipe it briskly onto the shaft not long enough to let moisture reach the shaft's core, which can lead to warpage.
*Then I burnish it quickly to remove the moisture instantly
*I use Magic Eraser ONLY WHEN my shaft gets really dark. I make sure to squeeze it dry. After using ME, I use 2000+ grit sandpaper to smoothen it
*I'm not a fan of using alcohol since it's a foreign substance to wood and therefore may affect its molecular structure (trees live on water, not on alcohol). The mere fact that alcohol stings our skin when we have wounds, the effect may also be the same with wood

BUTT
Regular Maintenance:
*I use 2 terry cloth microfibers (California) to wipe the butt after the game. A damp microfiber to remove oil & dirt, and a dry one to dry it of course
*I apply a wax (3M Perfect-It or Mothers Carnauba) once a month to protect my cue butts from dirt and oxidation such as sweat

Quarterly Maintenance:
*Since all of my cue butts have automotive finish, I use a 3step detailing process using like I do with my car to keep them shiny (I use MOTHERS):
1. Polish- removes oxidation from the finish & brings back that deep wet-look shine
2. Seal & Glaze- removes light scratches by filling them, and gives that candy-like gloss
3. Wax- protects steps 1&2 by acting as a sacrificial layer against dirt & oxidation (such as sweat)

NOTE: Be careful of the type of cloth that you use on your cues especially on the butt. You'll notice that cloths have different weaves or loops. SUEDE microfibers are more suitable for burnishing but not polishing as it doesn't trap dirt well because of it's smoother weave, therefore it can scratch the finish if used on the cue butt. Terry cloth microfibers have bigger loops to trap dirt, hence suitable for polishing (and even washing cars). Also, don't use the same cloth on the butt as you do with the shaft as chalk from the shaft gets trapped on the cloth and if used on the butt, might act like a sandpaper and therefore ruin the butt's finish.

:smile:
 
Cleaning

I work for a pro shop so I just put the shaft on the lathe and clean it, works great I get all the blue off and the shaft is extremely smooth.
 
sygfrid said:
NOTE: Be careful of the type of cloth that you use on your cues especially on the butt. You'll notice that cloths have different weaves or loops. SUEDE microfibers are more suitable for burnishing but not polishing as it doesn't trap dirt well because of it's smoother weave, therefore it can scratch the finish if used on the cue butt. Terry cloth microfibers have bigger loops to trap dirt, hence suitable for polishing (and even washing cars). Also, don't use the same cloth on the butt as you do with the shaft as chalk from the shaft gets trapped on the cloth and if used on the butt, might act like a sandpaper and therefore ruin the butt's finish.

:smile:
Click to expand...

good ish, thanks' for the info on clothes...
 
So that's why your cues always look brand new, bro!

Much thanks for sharing!

.

sygfrid said:
Here's what I do:

FERRULE
*Cover the tip & wood part of the shaft. Brush the ferrule with moistened old toothbrush & toothpaste to remove dirt, then wipe dry

SHAFT
For regular maintenance, burnish & clean it at the same time with a SUEDE microfiber (Microtex)

When the shaft gets really dirty:
*I use a mircrofiber terry cloth and damp it with mild soap & water solution (cloth must be squeezed dry so as not to wet the shaft), & wipe it briskly onto the shaft not long enough to let moisture reach the shaft's core, which can lead to warpage.
*Then I burnish it quickly to remove the moisture instantly
*I use Magic Eraser ONLY WHEN my shaft gets really dark. I make sure to squeeze it dry. After using ME, I use 2000+ grit sandpaper to smoothen it
*I'm not a fan of using alcohol since it's a foreign substance to wood and therefore may affect its molecular structure (trees live on water, not on alcohol). The mere fact that alcohol stings our skin when we have wounds, the effect may also be the same with wood

BUTT
Regular Maintenance:
*I use 2 terry cloth microfibers (California) to wipe the butt after the game. A damp microfiber to remove oil & dirt, and a dry one to dry it of course
*I apply a wax (3M Perfect-It or Mothers Carnauba) once a month to protect my cue butts from dirt and oxidation such as sweat

Quarterly Maintenance:
*Since all of my cue butts have automotive finish, I use a 3step detailing process using like I do with my car to keep them shiny (I use MOTHERS):
1. Polish- removes oxidation from the finish & brings back that deep wet-look shine
2. Seal & Glaze- removes light scratches by filling them, and gives that candy-like gloss
3. Wax- protects steps 1&2 by acting as a sacrificial layer against dirt & oxidation (such as sweat)

NOTE: Be careful of the type of cloth that you use on your cues especially on the butt. You'll notice that cloths have different weaves or loops. SUEDE microfibers are more suitable for burnishing but not polishing as it doesn't trap dirt well because of it's smoother weave, therefore it can scratch the finish if used on the cue butt. Terry cloth microfibers have bigger loops to trap dirt, hence suitable for polishing (and even washing cars). Also, don't use the same cloth on the butt as you do with the shaft as chalk from the shaft gets trapped on the cloth and if used on the butt, might act like a sandpaper and therefore ruin the butt's finish.

:smile:
Click to expand...
 
gatorcc said:
I'm gonna have to give the Magic Eraser a shot. I have red cloth on my table so I bought red chalk and it turned my ferrules pink! The blue chalk doesn't seem to do that to my ferrules.
Click to expand...
I know a couple of fellows who use red chalk and their shafts and ferrules are red! They play a lot and it shows with all of the chalk embedded in their shafts. I like tan chalk myself since it doesn't discolor my shafts.

James
 
First: Magic Eraser works great on blued ferrules! I carry a small piece in my bag and spit a touch on it, touch the ME to my ferrule and it's white as a ghost! I share it with friends and they all go "Wow! Where did you get that?" Response: "in the cleaning section of a store. Duh".

Here's some shaft maintenance info, from 2 different posters from prior posting on a long thread on this topic. I have been using this method with much success. I got the wax from E-Bay, and you can also find Butchers Bowling Alley Wax at some Ace Hardwares.


First Concept: If you have never used the Butcher's Bowling Ally Wax before, you want to start fresh and clean. So use Magic Erasure with water (per the directions) or alcohol. This will work well, but if it's the first cleaning you've done in a while and you have lots of chalk bluing and the old wax/sealer, it's still going to take some time and elbow grease. Besides better cleaning, I think one reason to use alcohol, is that it evaporates quickly so it's less likely to raise the grain of the wood. Speaking of which, one key thing here is to use an ever so slight amount of alcohol (or water), in order to raise as little wood grain as possible - just enough to activate the Magic Erasure. This is why it could AND SHOULD be a slow process. After you're done, if you did raise the grain, you'll probably want to use a very fine grit sand paper to smooth things out again. This would be like a burnishing too almost. But you will remove some wood. So this entire "first concept" is hopefully a one time thing or VERY rare thing in the life of your shaft.

Second Concept: Apply the Butcher's Bowling Ally Wax as has been discussed (wax and cloth). If this is the first application after the initial cleaning, maybe do two applications. If I understood Varney correctly, NOW that this has been done, future applications of Butcher's Bowling Ally Wax will act as a cleaner and remove chalk while in the process of applying new coats - no more Magic Erasure.

Third Concept: Use Butcher's Bowling Ally Wax fairly regularly (once a week for everyday players?). So over time you build up a lot of wax, which is good, because it probably gets better and better in terms of keeping the shaft smooth in your stroking hand and clean. But the downside is that it might get too hard and end up having the feel of a cue butt with a clear coat finish on it. This is where the 0000 steel wool comes in.

2nd "expert" poster chimes in:

You've pretty much nailed it Don. They only thing I may add is that if your shafts are in fairly decent shape....you can skip Don's "first concept". The Magic eraser is only needed if your shaft is in horrible shape & you want it cleaned like new. The wax alone will do a pretty fair job of removing the blue chalk patina...only leaving it in the deepest of pores...and I don't mind that lightly used look on my shaft. I doubt I'd ever use the Magic eraser on my personal shafts. Instead of cleaning...just rub the wax on the shaft & look how blue your wax rag turns...thats clean enough for me...and I didn't have to raise any grain & LIGHTLY sand it back down.
Trueblu8 has it too....the more you use it the better. It'll keep building up a layer of protection and sealing the pores. One thing I stess is make sure you buff it VERY well after waxing. I don't even allow the wax to dry. I rub the wax in until I feel it heating up well....then grab a clean cloth and buff like crazy. Some players love this ultra slick finish....some may feel its sticky or tacky...kind of like the shaft has been cleared like the butt. I myself as a last and very final step take a piece of the 0000 steel wool and just VERY LIGHTLY rub the shaft 1 or 2 passes. This removes a bit of the shine and leaves a slicker feeling satin finish. I apply the wax every single time before or after I play. Every time I put my cue together my brain says "wow...this shaft feels good". If I let someone hit a ball or two....they have a 100 questions as to how and get theirs like that...they usually just hand over their shaft & $20.
 
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