Collar Materials

[Shevek]

Until recently I haven't put too much thought into joint collar materials. I'm aware of stainless steel, phenolic, wood, and ivory (as well as other animal horn/antler/bone type materials). I guess I just thought of anything synthetic as "plastic" and may have incorrectly referred to it as phenolic. But now it occurs to me that there may be a wide range of synthetic collar materials to choose from - as many as ferrules maybe.

So other than the materials mentioned above, what's commonly used for joint collars? Please describe the characteristics of any material mentioned in terms composition, appearance, and how it affects the hit of a cue when used as a joint collar material. I'm thinking it would be nice to have something that hits a little softer than phenolic.

Thanks
Don

 

[JoeyInCali]

I'm thinking it would be nice to have something that hits a little softer than phenolic.
Why?
You can have wood as collars. Soft plastics and metal ( metal hits softer than phenolic imo, less cueball action I think ).

 

[CueCaps]

Collar's Purpose

I'm not a Cuemaker, so, please excuse.. I thought the purpose of that collar was to keep the front from splitting..So the Material use would be something that resist pressure from the inside to out, that try to split that front face fibers of the cue's forearm.. And, as a consequence, affecting the vibration passing thru that material, hence, the feel of that Joint/Collar.. I've seen Tim Scruggs Cues with Purpleheart Joint that is still holding up after 7+ years of use(No Collar).. So, in all, I wonder if that joint collar has to be as strong as we, (or I) imagine it should be.. Is Linen Fiber Collars an overkill??