Cue knowledge

Jodacus

Jodacus

Shoot...don't talk
Silver Member
I am thinking about having my favorite cue refinished due to material shrinkage problems. The cue is 15 years old and built in a much more humid part of the country than the west, which is where I am. Do the cue makers farm out their cue finishing or do they do it themselves? If they do it themselves is there a lot of variation in the finishes they can use and how much difference does the finish material really make? I know nothing in this area and any info or opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
Jodacus said:
I am thinking about having my favorite cue refinished due to material shrinkage problems. The cue is 15 years old and built in a much more humid part of the country than the west, which is where I am. Do the cue makers farm out their cue finishing or do they do it themselves? If they do it themselves is there a lot of variation in the finishes they can use and how much difference does the finish material really make? I know nothing in this area and any info or opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks
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Most cue makers I know of do their own refinish work. The quality, speed and cost of the work can vary just as much as the original product does from maker to maker. What kind of cue is it?

Kevin
 
Help please

kvinbrwr said:
Most cue makers I know of do their own refinish work. The quality, speed and cost of the work can vary just as much as the original product does from maker to maker. What kind of cue is it?

Kevin
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It's a Prather. I was also wondering how critical it may be to send it back to the original builder. I know that it is more important in high end cues but this is a player I don't want to worry about.

Thanks
 
If it isn't

a collectible cue, then most any cuemaker can do a refinish on it. It's kind of like getting a wax job on your car. If it is an expensive cue though, I would send back to the original maker. (greater than 2,000).
 
A lot of the "bigger" custom makers only work on their own cues anyway. Generally, with any cue, go to the maker first. Talk to them first.

As far as what finish is used, there may be options. It may not just be whatever they happen to use. For that you must talk to the one who might repair it.

I don't know any that "farm it out".

Good to get some general understanding of it in the forums though. I would search the cue makers area (search), there is a lot of info there about refinishing.
 
Jodacus said:
It's a Prather. I was also wondering how critical it may be to send it back to the original builder. I know that it is more important in high end cues but this is a player I don't want to worry about.

Thanks
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Right I agree, going back to the original maker (or his descendants) is important when you are looking to preserve collectiblity. I also agree with the other posters that Scott at Proficient is the way to go. Quick, reliable, cost-effective and quality work.

Thanks

Kevin
 
Scott has a great reputation....so does Ryan.

Probably the two most prominent refinish/repair people I would say.
 
Chopdoc said:
Scott has a great reputation....so does Ryan.

Probably the two most prominent refinish/repair people I would say.
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Thanks for the suggestions. If I can I would rather keep the cue out west. Us in the west encounter the problem of material shrinkage due to lower levels of humidity pretty frequently. Sending the cue back to a higher humidity level for the refinishing invites the problem to occur again.
Thanks for all the help though.
 
Not to hijack, but does refinishing an older custom cue hurt its collectability or value? I have a first run from a custom maker and want to refinish it if it doesn't hurt its collectability.
 
What does shrinking have to do with refinishing? And custom cues are one of a kind. Cue assemblers turn stuff in days it isnt done shrinking yet and walaa you have your wish I had a real cue.Every AZER should watch Ernies genius tar piece and understand why it takes a real woodsman and not a machinist to build a custom cue.just saying
 
About a year or so back I had a Capone cue that had some signs of use,,,,but mainly it needed a re-wrap badly,,,,,so I sent Mike pictures, and asked if he remembered the cue. Of course he did, but stated the current wrap was not original to it,,,,,,not even the same color. So I sent him the cue with a note to put it back in original condition. A couple weeks later I recieved the cue,,,,,brand new nicely pressed wrap,,,,,,as well as a complete facelift on the clearcoat,,,,,,the cue was perfect, just like new. I then called Mike and asked about it, fully expecting to be billed for the clearcoat shoot as well as the wrap,,,,,,but he refused payment for all but the wrap,,,,,,said the facelift was a cheap price to pay for advertisement. This is a sign of a true cuemaker,,,,,let the work speak for itself.
 
Jodacus said:
I am thinking about having my favorite cue refinished due to material shrinkage problems. The cue is 15 years old and built in a much more humid part of the country than the west, which is where I am. Do the cue makers farm out their cue finishing or do they do it themselves? If they do it themselves is there a lot of variation in the finishes they can use and how much difference does the finish material really make? I know nothing in this area and any info or opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks
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First of all you have to realize that some cue makers may not work on your cue depending upon where it was made and who made it.

Food for thought!
 
nitro28 said:
Not to hijack, but does refinishing an older custom cue hurt its collectability or value? I have a first run from a custom maker and want to refinish it if it doesn't hurt its collectability.
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As a collector I feel that as long as the original cue maker is still available to work on their own cues, then you should send the cue back to them for whatever refinish work you want done on the cue. And in that circumstance most other collectors I feel would not reduce the value of the cue in their minds because of that work done.

If on the other hand the original cue maker is no longer available to do work on their cues, then you really have no choice but to seek someone else proficient in refinish work. As long as you get it done by someone that has a high reputation for that work, the value of the cue should not be hurt much. But in this circumstance some collectors may feel the value drops some percentage. Maybe like 5 to 15% off depending on the mind of a given collector and his interest. That can vary somewhat based on who is looking at the cue.

But there are plenty of proficient people that can get the work done. Certainly Scott Sherbine is one. Other options include Viking Cues. For as long as they have been in business they have always done repair work on other brands of cues. I have seen Jacoby Cues do great refinish work on two different cues that friends of mine have sent to them. One of which was a Nova cue. And those cues came back in awesome condition.

When I had my Schon cue refinish I sent it back to Schon and it came back in perfect condition. And is still in perfect condition. No complaints here on that experience.
 
Jodacus said:
Thanks for the suggestions. If I can I would rather keep the cue out west. Us in the west encounter the problem of material shrinkage due to lower levels of humidity pretty frequently. Sending the cue back to a higher humidity level for the refinishing invites the problem to occur again.
Thanks for all the help though.
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Scot at Proficient has been doing my refinishes for years and I've had no problems with shrinkage or swelling afterward.

Clear coat shrinkage is easy to solve - if that's what really is the problem. The clear coat is super thin and any shrinkage can be polished out with clear sanding and polishing.

What you're probably referring to is actual shrinkage of the wood - where the inlays and metal parts seem to pop up. The refinish almost always cures that issue, becuase the problem was the wood retained moisture when the cue was built. Over time it slowly lost moisture and shrank, but the inlays didn't - so they pop up. The proper refinish levels the rings and inlays and removes the original clear coat. The newer clears are really great protection and are impervious to chemicals and moisture.

The other issue is swelling - which occurs because the joint area, wrap area, etc. weren't properly sealed. Scot seals these areas properly.

Anyway, generally a refinish totally cures this issue. Like I said, I've never had a problem with a refinish not "holding" - the wood on old cues is cured and it is much less prone to humidity than if it were bare and freshly cut.
 
DavidMNienow said:
As a collector I feel that as long as the original cue maker is still available to work on their own cues, then you should send the cue back to them for whatever refinish work you want done on the cue. And in that circumstance most other collectors I feel would not reduce the value of the cue in their minds because of that work done.

...
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By the way: Schon cues is another category. They still produce but are not willing to make a refinish of my old and original schon cue. I wrote this in another thread and I'm still wondering why they don't answer my requests.

I write this not to blame schon but I am irritated and maybe there are also other cuemakers or brands that deny refinishing works. ... would be interesting in this context ...
 
riedmich said:
By the way: Schon cues is another category. They still produce but are not willing to make a refinish of my old and original schon cue. I wrote this in another thread and I'm still wondering why they don't answer my requests.

I write this not to blame schon but I am irritated and maybe there are also other cuemakers or brands that deny refinishing works. ... would be interesting in this context ...
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Well thats interesting to read about. I would try calling them direct and see what you can learn instead of using email. If they no longer offer any refinish services on their own cues, then my recommendation would be to contact Jacoby cues or Viking.
 
riedmich said:
By the way: Schon cues is another category. They still produce but are not willing to make a refinish of my old and original schon cue. I wrote this in another thread and I'm still wondering why they don't answer my requests.

I write this not to blame schon but I am irritated and maybe there are also other cuemakers or brands that deny refinishing works. ... would be interesting in this context ...
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Evan just seems to be really behind on paperwork. It could also be because you're in Germany and they don't want to mess around with overseas customers.

I don't know if your cue has ivory, but a lot of Schon's do and shipping it back and forth can create problems.

Personally I would have it refinished locally if I were you. Schons are not of such a high value as to be concerned about 100% originality.
 
OK. Just a question if there are others who share such a philosophy.

In Germany there is a very good cuemaker in munich. It's no problem.
 
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