cue refinishing

JayBates

JayBates

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i have never refinished a cue before and i am no means a profesional at anything with billiards. anyway i sanded down an old walmart cue (nothing fancy...just better than house cues) to the diameter i wanted and was told to leave it just bare wood. i am however good at working with wood. building furnature and what not. everything i have finished, i have put a few layers of polyurathane on and wetsanded to a glassy smoothe texture. would it be better to leave it bare wood or spray polyurathane while on a lathe and then wet sand after a few layers? im new to working with cues so any information or comments would be much apreciated.
thanks,
Jay
 
JayBates said:
i have never refinished a cue before and i am no means a profesional at anything with billiards. anyway i sanded down an old walmart cue (nothing fancy...just better than house cues) to the diameter i wanted and was told to leave it just bare wood. i am however good at working with wood. building furnature and what not. everything i have finished, i have put a few layers of polyurathane on and wetsanded to a glassy smoothe texture. would it be better to leave it bare wood or spray polyurathane while on a lathe and then wet sand after a few layers? im new to working with cues so any information or comments would be much apreciated.
thanks,
Jay
Click to expand...

Your second option is much better than the first. Any finish, other than some oil finishes, are better than no finish. Anything that slows the transfer of moisture to and from the wood is good. There are many finishes better than others but as they say "Any port in a storm" and in this instance it is imperative.

Dick
 
JayBates said:
anyway i sanded down an old walmart cue (nothing fancy...just better than house cues) to the diameter i wanted and was told to leave it just bare wood.
Click to expand...
Are you talking about, the shaft, or the butt? I just noticed you did not specify. There are seperate answers for each, so it is imortant to be clear.

Tracy
 
my apologies, i was refering to the shaft. what i figured would be good was 2 layers of polyurathane....light sanding...then 2 more followed by a good wet sand....would be rediculously slick in my opinion. correct me if im wrong,
thanks again
Jay
 
If you're talking about finishing the entire shaft, you may want to reconsider. Most any type of finish or treatment will eventually become "gummy" and won't be as slick as you think. You may want to finish the joint-end 6" or so of the shaft, but a good coat of sanding sealer followed by a light sanding to remove most of the sealer is your best bet for the tip-end.
 
JayBates said:
my apologies, i was refering to the shaft. what i figured would be good was 2 layers of polyurathane....light sanding...then 2 more followed by a good wet sand....would be rediculously slick in my opinion. correct me if im wrong,
thanks again
Jay
Click to expand...



Chris Hightower sells a sealer for shafts that polishes nice. There was a recent thread here on shaft sealers that may be of help also. For a really smooth shaft without the residue that some conditioners have I like the feel of the slip-stic conditioner.

I tried many finishing combinations looking for a good quick drying shaft sealer, and the correct mixture for shafts, and the polyurathane may not be as smooth on a shaft as It would seem. I actually use 2 different types of sealers now days, one is a sanding sealer type mixture, and the other gives you that new shaft look. The sanding sealer mix is the smoothest of the 2 probably, but slightly darkens the wood more then the other.

The joint area of the shaft, and a few inches down toward the playing surface are usually finished with either a ca glue, or automotive finish. For the cue in question the sealer like Chris sells would probably be right up your alley, and provide a nice smooth playing surface for you if buffed and polished out nicely.

Good Luck.

Greg
 
well thanks for all the input again. i ended up using some polyurathane....i know it will be gummy and wont be slick for soo long but i had no other choice really. its an old cheepo cue. from the looks of it the shaft was just a small pine cut and thrown on a lathe...seriously. the wood is just so rough even with pleanty of 600-1000 grit sanding. i sanded on a lathe and by hand and still couldnt get it smoothe. i ended up putting 3 layers of polyurethane on it...lightly sanding the bumps out then 3 more layers. let it dry 3 nights. then put it back on the lathe and wet sanded it smoothe. its like glass and actuealy smoother than my players cue (not scratched up or sanded...still same as it was purchased) i dont care if it gums up in a year or even 6 months. i took a bubbled up cue that was going into the trash and will now be able to get a bit of use out of it...im satisfied. btw...what would cause it to gum up? i use a glove when playing and when im done playing it goes right back into the case i have for it. none of my cues ever see any light when they are not being used.
thanks again guys,
Jay
 
whatever u do do NOT leave it bare wood.being bare just welcomes moisture and thus could lead to warping..if u want to check with Chris Hightower on the sealer the above poster mentioned here is his site..... www.hightowercues.com
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top