Cue Shaft Cleanliness

Do you clean your cue shafts?

  • No, never. Let the dirt build up until potatoes grow.

    Votes: 23 17.8%

  • Yes, always. Clean like an operating room.

    Votes: 106 82.2%
  • Total voters
    129
I never clean my shafts. I like them nicely seasoned. My hands don't sweat, so the oils and chalk makes a nice seal that gives me a smooth stroke. I only like to clean the ferrule and even then, it's not spotless.

Walker
 
I use Amorall cleaner (not polisher), then a couple of strokes with steel-wool, and the I apply tung-oil... and then I buff, buff, buff. Voilà -- there's the slickest long-lasting & clean looking shaft you'll see.

-- peer
 
No VD on my shaft

I like to keep my shaft protected and clean. No VD on my shaft....Visual Discolorization. ;)

Magic Eraser to clean it, buff it dry with a paper towel, Use leather to burnish it a little and throw on some cue silk. That's it for me!
 
Rangercap said:
A friend of mine wanted me to put a new tip on his spare shaft. I previously retipped his first shaft, I cleaned it up a bit, essentally taking off the cigarette smoke and old chalk that accumulated on the surface. (BTW, He did not mind when I asked him if he wanted it cleaned prior to doing the work)

He has rquested that his other shaft (currently in my possession) not be touched, so that he can built up a "patina" (I am thinking Antique Roadshow?!) like another player's cue (essentially some shade between Camel unfiltered, and Brown Master Chalk).

My question is to the Azer's: what is your preference?

I, personally, am not meticulous, but I do wipe my cues down with a slightly damp towel when I am done playing and every once in a while with them with a Mr Clean Magic Eraser.

Brian
www.nittanyleather.com
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I use brown master chalk to keep the blue stain off of my shafts and I clean and wipe my shafts down every time I play with them. I'm very particular with my cues and shafts and playing with a dirty shaft doesn't suit me. Some players don't give playing with a dirty shaft a second thought, but I have to have mine clean and smooth.
 
cleaning process

It sounds like magic eraser works great so I plan to use it. I also have SlipStic stablilizer/cleaner, so do I just put some of it right on the magic eraser and rub the shaft with the eraser?

here's what I plan to do: clean with magic eraser and SlipStic stablilizer/cleaner. Sand with 1500, 2000 and 2500. Then use a sealer.
Then use SlipStic.

Is this a process good?? What do you recommend to use as a sealer, any good brands out there? thanks.
 
I wipe with a damp cloth after play which removes surface chalk and dirt.

If I have the energy I burnish with a piece of leather after that.
 
bell said:
Dont know what it is but I use Shark Oil about once a week and burnish with leather. Magic Eraser is great but only needed for seriously dirty shafts (those full of chalk dust). BTW chalk is an abrasive meant to enhance friction and can not possilbly enhance a smooth shaft/stroke. Duh!
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Ever use hand talc?
 
First, and foremost, I use Tan Chalk to minimize staining ... I clean the shafts with Alcohol after a few sessions and wax them with Mother's Wax ... They are slicker-than-snot-on-a-door-knob at all times and clean as a whistle (whatever that means?) ... A couple of Rooms only allow blue chalk, so I have to clean and wax more often ... About once a year I have Tom Coker professionally clean, seal, and wax all my (playing) shafts ... He makes damn fine Cues also ...
 
orangecrush said:
I never clean my shafts. I like them nicely seasoned. My hands don't sweat, so the oils and chalk makes a nice seal that gives me a smooth stroke. I only like to clean the ferrule and even then, it's not spotless.

Walker
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I'm with you Walker. I wash my hands a few times during several hours of play...that's all. Of course the 'purists' that have handled my shafts have told me "eeeeewwwww!" LOL They slide perfectly well for me! :D I will, however, use a glove, if I am playing in the deep south, or somewhere the humidity is untolerable. BTW, if you want to clean your ferrules completely, a little bit of car polishing compound on a damp cloth does the trick (I've heard that toothpaste works too)!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
You can do both. Have a clean shaft with patina, I've done it and I have intentionally left a shaft(same cue) get a dirty patina. The dirty patina does feel a bit better.
 
Scott Lee said:
I'm with you Walker. I wash my hands a few times during several hours of play...that's all. Of course the 'purists' that have handled my shafts have told me "eeeeewwwww!" LOL They slide perfectly well for me! :D I will, however, use a glove, if I am playing in the deep south, or somewhere the humidity is untolerable. BTW, if you want to clean your ferrules completely, a little bit of car polishing compound on a damp cloth does the trick (I've heard that toothpaste works too)!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...
toothpaste does work great on ferrules. After that I put a little wax on the ferrule so chalk, etc does not get into the surface as badly.
 
I use denatured alchohol and then treat with slip-stic. I use tan chalk so the shaft doesnt look dirty but it is cause you cant see it as well as blue chalk.
 
Magic eraser is safe for cues? Also, where can I get denatured Alcohol?
Are those safer than the "Q" products? Thanks guys.
 
Standbykid said:
Magic eraser is safe for cues? Also, where can I get denatured Alcohol?
Are those safer than the "Q" products? Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Magic eraser works great. I won't say it's safe because I'm not an expert. I just know that it's widely used, I tried it and found it is unbelieveably good for cleaning dirty shafts.. much better than cue cleaning products. It leaves some fibers so a couple of quick wipes with a fine abrasive shaft cleaning paper or micro fiber pad of 1000 grit or finer is needed. I like to use Nick Varner papers because I think he benefits from the sale and I like supporting great pool players and nice people like Nick Varner.

Denatured alcohol is available in any paint department and leaves a clean surface.

I have used every shaft cleaning and "slicking" product on the market and have gone back to using only a slightly damp rag (on the shaft and my bridge hand/fingers) followed by a dry rag and a leather burnishing. Every once in a while I'll use some alcohol but for daily use a wipe with the towels every few innings works great.
 
denatured alcohol

Standbykid said:
Magic eraser is safe for cues? Also, where can I get denatured Alcohol?
Are those safer than the "Q" products? Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
I found mine at the hardware store in the painting section.
 
Q Wiz

Q Wiz cloth makes the shaft pleasantly slip through my fingers rather than sticking. I hope it is not harmful?
 
I don't know about operating room clean, but I clean the shafts when I think it would help them play better.
 
I used to seal the shaft once a week with Pronto - that's a furniture care-lotion with bee-wax.

After some sessions with Pronto, the shaft seems to be well sealed. Nowadays, burnishing it with a piece of paper before I play seems to be enough. It feels smooth, and there are no chalk stains. Anyway, I am not a heavy chalker, so there is not that much chance that I will ever see that much green on my shaft :-)

Regards,

Detlev
 
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