Controversial Tip Conditioning

[buckshotshoey]

Okay here it goes... Now I know some of you out there are going to say this is bullshit, but I'm telling you this really works for me.

For the life of me, I cannot find the article where I read this. I was waiting on the wife to come out of the grocery store, and I remember reading about Freddy the Beard in an online article. And somehow it was mentioned that Rudolph Wanderone"fats" used to carry his spare tips in his pocket. And all day long for a month or so, he be rubbing those tips in his hands.... At least that's what I hope he was rubbing! It was said he liked to condition the leather with the sweat and oil from his hands.

Now onto what I do. Before putting the sticks away I clean the chalk off, and I vigorously rub the cue tip with the palm of my hand. You actually feel your hand get hot. It was something I thought I would just give it a try. And I found it it works. My tips hold chalk all day long. And I never scuff these tips.

Now before I get flamed, I would like some of you out there to try this to prove or disprove what I'm saying. Use a tip that you're going to be replacing anyway. You're not going to do any harm to it.

Just to be clear, I do use hard tips. So this may or may not work for a soft-tip.... I have absolutely no idea on those. But I can tell you for sure it works on hard tips.

Give it a try.

 

[jimmyco]

How slick is your cue ball?

 

[buckshotshoey]

How slick is your cue ball?

Fairly new Aramith Super Pro Red Label.
I also have been using a brand new (today was first I used it) plain white cue ball that came with the ball set. No problems.
I also have a homemade ball polisher I use occasionally. Haven't used it on the new set yet. I have a vid on my YouTube of it working.

 

[jimmyco]

I'm curious if the oil from your hand, which may be allowing your "tips to hold chalk all day long", is transfering to your cue ball?

 

[Welder84]

Fairly new Aramith Super Pro Red Label.
I also have been using a brand new (today was first I used it) plain white cue ball that came with the ball set. No problems.
I also have a homemade ball polisher I use occasionally. Haven't used it on the new set yet. I have a vid on my YouTube of it working.
[

 

[buckshotshoey]

I'm curious if the oil from your hand, which may be allowing your "tips to hold chalk all day long", is transfering to your cue ball?

Not that I've noticed. Just normal chalk marks.... nothing unusual. There cant be much oil from the skin in the tip. I think it's a combination of oil, sweat, and heat generated when rubbed. It looks dry when I get it out the next time I shoot.

Obviously I have to chalk every shot, but I get no tip shine or glazing. It's almost like I'm putting an electrostatic charge on the tip. Like the chalk is attracted to it. I cant explain how its happening.

I played approximately 6 hours total today.... 2 hrs a session, then an hour break.... then back at it. The last time I did anything to the tip was last week.... I burnished the side. I shaped it a little sometime in early spring. Nothing else since.

 

[WildWing]

Bill (Weenie Beanie) Staton did sort of the same thing. He kept a couple tips in his pocket, with his change. He wasn't constantly rubbing them, but he said over time the tips got better. Not sure how long it took.

All the best,
WW

 

[boogieman]

Okay here it goes... Now I know some of you out there are going to say this is bullshit, but I'm telling you this really works for me.

For the life of me, I cannot find the article where I read this. I was waiting on the wife to come out of the grocery store, and I remember reading about Freddy the Beard in an online article. And somehow it was mentioned that Rudolph Wanderone"fats" used to carry his spare tips in his pocket. And all day long for a month or so, he be rubbing those tips in his hands.... At least that's what I hope he was rubbing! It was said he liked to condition the leather with the sweat and oil from his hands.

Now onto what I do. Before putting the sticks away I clean the chalk off, and I vigorously rub the cue tip with the palm of my hand. You actually feel your hand get hot. It was something I thought I would just give it a try. And I found it it works. My tips hold chalk all day long. And I never scuff these tips.

Now before I get flamed, I would like some of you out there to try this to prove or disprove what I'm saying. Use a tip that you're going to be replacing anyway. You're not going to do any harm to it.

Just to be clear, I do use hard tips. So this may or may not work for a soft-tip.... I have absolutely no idea on those. But I can tell you for sure it works on hard tips.

Give it a try.

Weird and interesting. Might be worth a try but it kind of goes against most thoughts on tip prep.

 

[buckshotshoey]

I thought the same thing before I start doing it. I wish I would have tried it with for the lepro tips to see if it really helps prevent glazing. Like I said before, I don't know what the effect would be on a soft or medium tip. I never tried it. All I can say at the moment is they work on hard tips. Maybe some of you guys can try it and post your results.

 

[Dan White]

I thought the same thing before I start doing it. I wish I would have tried it with for the lepro tips to see if it really helps prevent glazing. Like I said before, I don't know what the effect would be on a soft or medium tip. I never tried it. All I can say at the moment is they work on hard tips. Maybe some of you guys can try it and post your results.

I think people mess with their tips too much. I use a medium tip and I never do anything to them other than the initial shaping. This topic came up awhile back and I asked people if they mess with their tip because they started miscueing. Most said they just did it because it made them feel better and weren't really sure if anything needed to be done.

 

[buckshotshoey]

I think people mess with their tips too much. I use a medium tip and I never do anything to them other than the initial shaping. This topic came up awhile back and I asked people if they mess with their tip because they started miscueing. Most said they just did it because it made them feel better and weren't really sure if anything needed to be done.

What do you start out with? A basketball radius? Lol. Not picking on ya, but I have never found a tip that didnt flatten over time. Even the hard tips do a little. I do an initial shape.... play a week or two .... shape again. Then one more after another month. After that it is about twice a year. Other then that, I burnish the sides occasionally.

But I agree.... if you have to scuff every day, find a better tip.

 

[straightline]

I twist the tip in my palm to remove the chalk but that's the only thought I've given it. Leaves a big blue circle.

 

[jtompilot]

I twist the tip in my palm to remove the chalk but that's the only thought I've given it. Leaves a big blue circle.

I thought that was what the carpet is for

 

[straightline]

I thought that was what the carpet is for

Yeah I know the pro way. Funny I lean towards slob but stuff like that I worry about mom's ghost.

 

[skogstokig]

Bill (Weenie Beanie) Staton did sort of the same thing. He kept a couple tips in his pocket, with his change. He wasn't constantly rubbing them, but he said over time the tips got better. Not sure how long it took.

All the best,
WW

if i read this right then friction from coins improved the tips? you might as well put them in a vibratory tumbler to speed up the process in that case. maybe add some grease.

 

[Dan White]

What do you start out with? A basketball radius? Lol. Not picking on ya, but I have never found a tip that didnt flatten over time. Even the hard tips do a little. I do an initial shape.... play a week or two .... shape again. Then one more after another month. After that it is about twice a year. Other then that, I burnish the sides occasionally.

But I agree.... if you have to scuff every day, find a better tip.

Maybe it's the way I play, don't know, but my tips settle in at about a nickel radius. Maybe I could get more action with a little steeper curve, but I play straight pool and rarely need extreme action on the ball.

 

[buckshotshoey]

I thought that was what the carpet is for

Funny you mention that. I used to do that. That is till I realized carpet has lots of nylon fibers. Heat and nylon do not seem to get along.

 

[buckshotshoey]

Weird and interesting. Might be worth a try but it kind of goes against most thoughts on tip prep.

It did me too. All I can say is do it to a tip that you're going to be replacing anyway. Do it for a couple of weeks and see what your results are.

 

[jtompilot]

if i read this right then friction from coins improved the tips? you might as well put them in a vibratory tumbler to speed up the process in that case. maybe add some grease.

One could also throw them in the ball polisher

 

[WildWing]

if i read this right then friction from coins improved the tips? you might as well put them in a vibratory tumbler to speed up the process in that case. maybe add some grease.

Not friction from the coins, but rather regular handling with the fingers.

All the best,
WW