Cue butt a bit warped - fix it or leave it?

I talked to a wood specialist last night during pool league and mentioned about warped pool cue.

He said make a rig to hold it from rolling and place warp curve UP and hang some weight, not a lot, on the warps center. Different woods and there thickness dictates the amount of weight. His guess was about 5 Lbs. for a cue butt.
A gallon milk jug 1/2 filled with water is usually handy and about 4 Lbs.
At first, roll check it twice a day. If no noticeable movement every couple days.

Wood will move in it's own time. Don't rush it, the wood cell fibers need gentile persuasion. Otherwise like others said, it can crack.
And since cues are sealed, moisture will take a very long time to infiltrate throughout, not worth that effort, he said.

GOOD LUCK 👍
This is what I'm doing right now, I messed with it last yr for a week or so,kinda helped but I only play for 5 months out of the yr.so this yr I'm gpin to try tp straighten itfor a month or two, this what I do, lay the cue on a flat surface,roll it find out where the joint raises only about 2mm.put a 15ld weight on both ends and we'll see, honestly it sickens me, because I really like this cue,I have other cues that Ican play with but this is a beautiful cue and l like to play with it once in a while,I'll update
 
A little warp in the butt of the cue will not make any difference in how it aims or plays. As long as the shaft is 'playable' straight, you are good to go.

I've seen many good players ruined by rolling their cues...
I never understand why people feel it necessary to roll their cue on the table. A little bit off won't bother your game but is probably going to get in you head.
 
since this old post is still open.......
:)

Lignin softens as low as 127 deg C or about 260F (Lower if wet, not really applicable to cues)
This is well under charring point of wood, though it can certainly melt finishes. Most glues will soften as well (except not resorcinal and maybe melamines). This can be a benefit to your intention, or not. Depending..... :)


I sometimes straighten wood with a drum heater between a 1/16" thick aluminum sheet contact platen & lower flat table, with option to add a reverse curve piece between. I have straightened a few shafts that way. Best if the shape is changed by putting wood in compression, so heat to the bow and press the ends down.

It is *highly* experimental until you have tested a number of benchmarks. Some wood responds at lower or higher temp than others.
You have to play with temperature, (keep it low) and time, as well as the amount of added re-curve in the form (Maybe not as much as you might think). IOW, 3 factors: temperature, time, amount of bend. Best to cool in form (though form can be removed from heat) Then you have to wait until dead cool - sometimes the bow will curve more, or the other direction when fully room temp.

Fully possible if finish is not an issue. But not an art i have much practice in, certainly not cue butts at this time. :)
 
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This is what I'm doing right now, I messed with it last yr for a week or so,kinda helped but I only play for 5 months out of the yr.so this yr I'm gpin to try tp straighten itfor a month or two, this what I do, lay the cue on a flat surface,roll it find out where the joint raises only about 2mm.put a 15ld weight on both ends and we'll see, honestly it sickens me, because I really like this cue,I have other cues that Ican play with but this is a beautiful cue and l like to play with it once in a while,I'll update
 

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Recently I discovered the butt of my cue got slightly warped. I never really bothered about checking so far, and even now I don't think it does influence the cue delivery line. Yet subconsciously, you know, it might get on me, especially if I it happens I miss a ball - and I sure will miss :grin-square:

So the question is
a) whether I should try to fix it
b) is there any way of doing that other than applying pressure to the "high point" of the warp?

Our local cuemaker (Russian cues, mind you, are built differently), who is very skilled at repairing all those warps these cues develop, likes to say that pool cues have a basic flaw in construction, and that's a point where the forearm is connected to the wrap/grip part - namely a tenon. Most often pool cue butts get warped in that point, and he says it is of no use to try to bend them back because one is likely to just break that weak part.
So he says in regard with that "flaw", pool cues are as good as they remain straight (and that might be forever), but as long as they get warped, that's it and there is nothing to do about that.

My cue butt warped a bit at this very point he talks about...

All that said, please share your opinion whether I should give it a try to apply some pressure on the warp or just leave it? I know how to repair the warps in general, but never tried to deal with pool butt sleeves so far.
Refacing the joint of the butt between centers minimizes the effect of a warped butt.
 
The only way a warped cue affects play is if you let it. The squishy sausages you hold it with allow more variance than any warped cue I've ever seen.
 
I DON'T THINK I WOULD GO TO THAT EXTREME,I can still play with this cue,but again it's still in the back of your mind if you miss a shot

It ain't the cue. I used to play a lot at a bar using a house cue that had a warp in the shaft that was visible from twenty feet. Didn't affect the play. I didn't clock the warp so it was always down or any of that BS. I just grabbed the cue and played.

A warped cue will affect the outcome about as much as a bug on the wing of Max Verstappen's car.
 
It ain't the cue. I used to play a lot at a bar using a house cue that had a warp in the shaft that was visible from twenty feet. Didn't affect the play. I didn't clock the warp so it was always down or any of that BS. I just grabbed the cue and played.

A warped cue will affect the outcome about as much as a bug on the wing of Max Verstappen's car.
Yes I did the same many times
 
Well it's been a month and no noticeable change,I'm going to keep trying for the next few months and if I can't fix the warp to my satisfaction fuck it
 
I see from antique pool and billiards catalogs that they offered a service to straighten warped cues. I have never been able to bend a butt or shaft straight, tried weights, steaming, etc etc. I wonder how they did it?

If someone has a severe warp it is possible to cut a butt in half and tenon it back together. It might end up 1/4 in shorter, you can add a ring and do other things to reclaim some length. Technically, it will have two humps of half the amplitude but it will roll straight enough to satisfy most players. Of course, you have to reface the joint.

If the cue has a wrap, it often warps in that area, I think on cheaper cues they don’t reseal after cutting for the wrap. If so, you can rejoin it under the wrap.

I think its 99% a mental thing, if a player knows his cue has a warp, it will eat at them and can affect their playing.
 
The handle can be probably be replaced by a cue maker if they inspect it and deem it feasible.
 
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