Cue shaft discoloration

simco

simco

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Some players have what seems to be severe discoloration to the cue shafts they are using.I am wondering if it is simply caused by chalk or if there are other contributing
factors,like using a glove or burnishing without cleaning.Thanks in advance:grin-square:
 
simco said:
Some players have what seems to be severe discoloration to the cue shafts they are using.I am wondering if it is simply caused by chalk or if there are other contributing
factors,like using a glove or burnishing without cleaning.Thanks in advance:grin-square:
Click to expand...

Most of the discoloring is caused from the dirt and chalk that is picked up from the table and transferred to the shaft by your hand. If you wipe your cue frequently with a towel and keep your hands clean it tends to keep it to a minimum.

If you grind the chalk on like sharpening a pencil, it will get chalk all over your ferrule and shaft, too.

Another thing to do is to wash your glove, if you use one. A dirty glove just wipes more dirt and chalk into the shaft.
 
I get my hands very dirty with chalk and it transfers to the shaft, but it doesn’t bother me. Doesn’t seem to really affect the way it plays
 
Shaft cleaning SOLID MAPLE SHAFTS

The only reason shafts get dirty is because the shaft isn't sealed.
Problem is most permanent shaft sealers makes the shaft prone to be sticky.

I own several lathes ,, so all my maintenance on my cues shafts are done on a lathe.

I chuck up the shaft in my lathe set the lathe speed to its highest rpm's.
Using a dripping wet rag of denatured alcohol I clean off all the dirt I can then I switch to a dripping wet rag with lighter fluid.
I use allot of lighter fluid , as a cleaner/solvent the lighter fluid does a good job cleaning the shaft .
No cleaning product can get micro pieces of chalk or dirt grim out of ALL the woods water pores .

If you want the shaft looking new then normally you will have to sand the shaft down on a lathe .. not by hand …


its been kind of a agreement among the members in here that the reason why lighter fluid will seal wooden cue shafts is because lighter fluid has paraffin oil in it .

After getting shaft as clean as possible on the lathe I keep wiping down the shaft down with a clean rag soaking wet with lighter fluid .

Normally its a 15 minute job just rotating the shaft on my lathe and wiping it down with lighter fluid .

A little lighter fluid doesn't work , it takes a dripping wet towel or rag , not damp .
Or you are just wasting your time ..

Lighter fluid is also a wood preservative .

After using lighter fluid let the shaft dry, then use a automobile carnauba car paste wax or polymer synthetic car wax .

The lighter fluid/ car wax is a temporary shaft sealant .

Depending on how much your hands perspire is how long the shaft will stay sealed .


For me and my hands perspire allot and my best guess the shaft will stay sealed for about 40 hours of playing time .
 
either way it has to be a big container of fluid and would like to know as well, and at what speed your turning it at, I turned the head of my drill press and can turn my shafts that way and so far it is working out, That was after trying to use a hand held drill.
 
Steam out any nicks, 2000 grit rapid sanding, leather burnish and Renaissance Wax (3 coats).
Thereafter, an occasional addt'l coat of wax usually 1x every 1-2 weeks but more often if desired..
If you can get Craftsmen Cue Wax (Birmingham, England), it's superior to Renaissance cue wax.


Matt B.
 
Don't forget sweat and oil off of your hands and all the other dirt you pick up when you cue close to the rails touching the cloth.
And your cue bag is also not too clean...

Plus, light does darken the light colored maple wood in case you're storing your cue in the open.

On the off topic side, I can't stand players with dirty gear. Mostly also because it's easy to keep you stuff clean and neat.
Using a glove also helps greatly with that.

Cheers,
M
 
How many different players use the table you are playing on at the pool hall or in a tournament?

How many of those players ate or drank something during play, coughed, sneezed or wiped their
mouths, touched their face, nose or hair even simply by scratching or rubbing? A lot of food and
snacks at pool halls contain grease and oil and if you use your fingers to eat, guess what?

Wiping your hands on a napkin doesn't fix the problem? How many other players used that table
that day, or yesterday, and when they played, their hands were soiled and dirty? When was the last
time that table was thoroughly cleaned or cleaaned at all? And brushing the table does not clean it
by merely moving the dirt and dust to settle elsewhere on the table's cloth......vacuuming is needed.

So is it any wonder why table cloths suffer, quality diminishes, pool play is affected with a dirty cloth
vs. a clean cloth, and just the overall enjoyment of viewing a clean set of pool balls on a clean pool
cloth while you play. Personally, playing on clean Simonis with clean Centennial balls is just heaven.


Matt B.


p.s. And we wonder why some shafts discolor?
 
Bavafongoul said:
How many different players use the table you are playing on at the pool hall or in a tournament?

How many of those players ate or drank something during play, coughed, sneezed or wiped their
mouths, touched their face, nose or hair even simply by scratching or rubbing? A lot of food and
snacks at pool halls contain grease and oil and if you use your fingers to eat, guess what?

Wiping your hands on a napkin doesn't fix the problem? How many other players used that table
that day, or yesterday, and when they played, their hands were soiled and dirty? When was the last
time that table was thoroughly cleaned or cleaaned at all? And brushing the table does not clean it
by merely moving the dirt and dust to settle elsewhere on the table's cloth......vacuuming is needed.

So is it any wonder why table cloths suffer, quality diminishes, pool play is affected with a dirty cloth
vs. a clean cloth, and just the overall enjoyment of viewing a clean set of pool balls on a clean pool
cloth while you play. Personally, playing on clean Simonis with clean Centennial balls is just heaven.


Matt B.


p.s. And we wonder why some shafts discolor?
Click to expand...



Agreed


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums
 
I have been cleaning my cue shafts less and less the last few years and have started appreciating the bluish mapleness color;) That patina can also be polished and be quite slick if done correctly.
If you are looking for lighter fluid in larger quantities you can buy this and its cheaper also.
 

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well now it seems like there are 3 maybe 4 different products mentioned to use to strip a shaft for polishing a shaft once it is had been stripped, Alcohol 90%, Ronson lighter fluid, the product above and maybe others. And after looking for a short while today as I was out found that Ronson lighter fluid only comes in small containers, briquet lighter fluid comes in a much larger container but the type was never specified. Do all the above work and you have to look for what you like the best or can someone say that one product stands out from what has been mentioned!!!
 
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