Cue shaft cleaning

stay simple guys

Do as the guy said don't eat messy food, if you do wash your hands. Stick to the slightly damp rag and buff dry it will never cause a problem and your shaft will stay smooth. Lastly try and avoid all the hand chalk. Thats all I do and my regular player has a 30 year old shaft thats straight and is smooth as a peach. I wouldn't touch a cue with magic anything.....chemicals...alcohol can definately go fubar on your cue if you spill or something...that damp rag well by the time you buff that shaft hot all the moisture is gone anyway and would not warp that shaft. Its just like furniture anything else you add to slick it is gonna build up overtime and just add to the layer of gunk. Keep it simple....that burnished wood is as smooth as you can get and you never ever have to use sandpaper if you clean her after every use properly. Me and my shaft are thick as theives and I'd never lay an abrasive on her if she were not in a lathe, PERIOD.

Plus water, a paper towel and clean hands are free...why always go buy some trash from wally world?

G.G.
 
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sicilian said:
i have used tan chalk for years because i hate blue hands and a blue shaft ;a good friend of mine suggested it and he was right. i also use CUE SILK SHAFT CLEANER AND CUE SILK SHAFT CONDITIONER EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS AS I PLAY 7 DAYS A WEEK 4 OR 5 HOURS A DAY. I HATE SANDING OR USING ANY THING WITH A GRIT ON THE SHAFT !! ALSO WASH YOUR HANDS WHILE YOU ARE PLAYING !!!!
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I have plenty available if anyone needs some Please PM. Works great
I clean with magic eraser buff and seal with CueSilk.
 
amazing advice, thx roger !

:smile: I just tried this method of shaft cleaning with permatex fast orange... and all I can say is wow! I must admit, I was a little terrified to try it; but being out in the sandbox, my options for shaft cleaning are limited. My shafts are now clean and silky smooth, just like they were when I bought them! If you haven't given this method a try, you are seriously missing out on something. Thanks Roger, I owe you one!
Roger Long said:
You're going to get all kinds of answers on this one, Rick, but I can tell you that I've tried just about every product out there, and have found nothing as simple and effective as a mechanic's hand cleaner with pumice. Three different brands that I use are: GoJo Orange with Pumice, Permatex Fast Orange with Pumice, and Lava Pro Orange with Pumice. All three have natural solvents in them that work on the hand oils and grime, and all three have the pumice which is a free-flowing abrasive (won't sand down the shaft) that digs down into the pores of the wood and gets much of the chalk dust out, and all three have oils (mostly lanolin) in them that seal the wood back up and leave it smooth.

You just squeeze some out on a paper towel and scrub the shaft until it's clean. Take a second paper towel and wipe off the dried residue. It may require a couple of applications if the shaft is extremely dirty. Clean dirty ferrules the same way.

IMO these are not only the best shaft cleaners available, but ounce-for-ounce they are the least expensive. You can find them at any auto parts store, or in the automotive section in stores like Walmart.

Roger
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All4Moose said:
:smile: I just tried this method of shaft cleaning with permatex fast orange... and all I can say is wow! I must admit, I was a little terrified to try it; but being out in the sandbox, my options for shaft cleaning are limited. My shafts are now clean and silky smooth, just like they were when I bought them! If you haven't given this method a try, you are seriously missing out on something. Thanks Roger, I owe you one!
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NOT!

Too wet!!!

If you use the chalk very carefully you won't have that problem.

Chalk with the cue tip pointing down so the chalk dust falls away from the cue.

Wipe the chalk on gently and carefully using no more than necessary.

Keep you hands clean. Have damp and dry towels close by. Wipe and dry your hands off frequently.

If the shaft begins to turn blue wipe it off with an almost dry Magic Eraser. Then use some 1000 grit sand paper or 4000 micro mesh to smooth the fuzzy surface and then burnish it with a piece of brown paper bag or undyed leather.

After cleaning wipe it frequently with a dry towel and burnish it again after playing.

You have to care for it like you would a gun. It needs to be handled with care. It's a precision instrument
 
RICK MICHALEC said:
I have a new cue that i used for three hours and the shaft is turning blue from the chalk and i was wondering how to clean and keep clean
THANKS
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I have had good success with Comet Bathroom cleaner and/or 91% alcohol.

I also use a paste wax (for wood flooring) on my shafts about once a month and buff them till they shine.
 
All the points have been touched on, but I'll reiterate a few details that I think are important.

ALCOHOL: Not a problem on wood; provided it is high-purity. By that I mean, 90+% Isopropyl and not much else. Why? Because the other X% is water, and this water is what affects the wood, NOT the alcohol (but I do not suggest soaking your shaft in a vat overnight). The alcohol does not raise the grain. Alcohol is hydroscopic, so if your 91% bottle is more than a year old, use it for cuts and get a fresh bottle for shafts. Note I do not and am not suggesting you use this daily. It also removes the blue from plastic ferrules of careless chalkers. I use Isopropyl on every used cue I get in to clean (and disinfect) before passing them on to new owners... I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in using the shaft of some un-washed nose-picker, who maybe didn't wash his hands after using the bathroom... Bleaaaach! Gross! :eek:

Alcohol IS the solvent for shellac, which is tree sap softened/liquefied with alcohol. I don't know of any cue makers alive using shellac as a finish. It is far too brittle, and offers little to no protection for the cue. You would be better off with a spray can of Spar Urethane from Home Depot... So, your finish should not melt from high-purity alcohol. You also are not bathing the shaft in alcohol either- just dampen a soft cloth and wipe it down the shaft, from joint to tip. Re-wet a new clean area of the cloth, and repeat the process until no blue shows up on the cloth. The 'danger' with using alcohol is on wood that is not properly dried. If there is moisture in the wood, the alcohol could draw it out, and do so unevenly. All the more reason to dampen the cloth (not pour it on the shaft) to clean. All things in moderation...

Once clean, Burnish your clean shaft: I always did this, and still do. After the alcohol, just burnish the shaft with clean, dry un-dyed leather (best) or brown grocery bag (not as good). Rub the shaft until you can feel the heat on the outside of the leather- many people new at it don't get the wood hot enough. Dollar bills have been suggested/used in the past; however remember that paper money ink never dries and your shaft will take on a slight color from the ink over time.

Keep yourself clean, and your cue will be clean too. Clean, dry hands are key. Wash often; I usually wash after every match because my hands are blue from the fresh chalk plus the old chalk on the table. If I eat, I use a knife and fork! And, I wash my hands afterward. Drink glass sweat is 'only' water; however it will raise the grain quickly on the shaft. Keep napkins handy...

Finally, clean your cue before it goes in the case, even if just heading home to give it a 'proper' cleaning. Wipe the shaft down with a dry napkin (unless you are prepared with better stuff) and don't forget the tip! Clean the chalk off the tip to keep it out of the case, which keeps it off your shaft.

As to using abrasive hand cleaners, I think it is double-jeopardy. The pumice IS abrasive, and WILL diminish the shaft diameter. It's crushed volcanic rock! Also the additives in hand cleaners to keep your skin from dehydrating is also 'hydrating' your shaft. Look at those ingredients: #1 is usually water, which we all know raises the grain... I don't doubt it works to clean the shaft, just be aware of what you are doing! I think/feel/know Alcohol is a safer bet (in moderation).

And, that blue color does hurt something- it is abrasive and will grind into the wood the longer it is left, and besides never coming off, will begin to slowly sand the shaft down...

Slightly off topic- I also agree with those who believe that the chalk has changed. I don't notice any performance changes; however the blue master chalk is 'dustier' than I remember it ever being in the past. This means you have to be better than ever keeping your equipment clean!

Long winded I know, so apologies to my fellow ADD out there....:wink:
 
Cue Guru said:
And, that blue color does hurt something- it is abrasive and will grind into the wood the longer it is left, and besides never coming off, will begin to slowly sand the shaft down...
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So chalk dust in the pores of the shaft wood will reduce the diameter of the shaft over time?
BS, plain and simple.
Chuck
 
Cue Guru said:
Do what you want; I am just stating my point of view and why.
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you make sense guru, even at a low abrasive over time it will have some affect, so in some way shape or form your theory holds, same as water can't wear down rock....look at the grand canyon....if i had a gina cue i wouldn't want that chalk embedding in the shaft.
 
I've found that q-wax or something similar does help to keep the shaft clean for longer. But it takes more a few applications though.
 
What you see in the pores of the wood is dyed silica dust so fine, it has no real abrasive properties at all. There are other abrasives in chalk that actually give it its friction.
Until the last 10 years or so, I never saw anyone worry about cleaning their shafts unless it was sticky. And even at that point it was a de-glazing so to speak for a smoother stroke, not a cleaning to remove chalk dust.
Now everyone wants to see what liquids they can put on bare wood to clean the chalk dust out so that its nice and pretty white. Not thinking about the possible damage they are doing by wetting the wood with anything.
Given the choice of a chalk stained shaft vs rubbing water or soap, or alcohol or whatever into BARE wood..... I think Ill take the discoloration.
I wouldnt wet a Gina shaft with anything either.... :wink:
Chuck
 
RiverCity said:
Until the last 10 years or so, I never saw anyone worry about cleaning their shafts unless it was sticky.

Chuck
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I agree with you Chuck; however there HAS been a change in Master chalk as well as the tendency toward whiter shafts (which drives me nuts) over those 10 years.

These two things combined are causing the stir I think.

10 years ago I didn't NEED to clean my shaft very often (regardless of shaft wood color) because there was less to clean off. The lid of my Whitten barley had a blue spot on it. Now, if I don't scrub my tips before putting them in, I have a hell of a mess in my case. It does a number on the wrap as well.

Something definitely has changed with the chalk and it is a lot messier than it used to be. I think that is the root cause problem here (well, for ME at least). People wanting their shafts to appear 'up-played' so they can sell the cue as 'test-hit only' later is what may be driving the obsessive-compulsive shaft cleaning. But everyone knows that shaft wood plays better with a lot of mileage on it anyway...:smile:
 
Cues were meant to be used to shoot pool. A little discoloration just adds character.

JMHO

Steve
 
Mine shaft stays blue, as I don't worry much about how it looks, just that it is smooth. When it does get gritty, I take it to my local cue maker and he cleans and polishes it for free (I say for free, but since I have spent probably 4K on cues with him, it is not really free).:o
 
I like a clean-looking shaft. I might want to sell it one day. Some people don't care how blue the shaft gets.

Step one: Keep it clean to start with

1. When you get a new shaft, first thing, seal the wood pores with Butcher's bowling alley wax or QWax
2. Chalk judiciously. Brush chalk on
3. Use tan chalk
4. Use a glove (It will keep your shaft clean and help retain its resale value. Golfers, bowlers, baseball players, football players, boxers all use gloves. Stop worrying about it and just play pool.)
5. Wipe shaft with microfibre cloth after each use.

Step two: clean it

1. Favor dry treatments over wet
2. If you must go wet, favor 90% alcohol over water. Water is wood's worst enemy. I don't care if it is "sealed." It is not worth the risk.
3. Avoid abrassives

OR..............

Blue it up and learn to stop worrying about the blue. It is the mark of a regular player.
 
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