If I just received a cue with a tip that looks dry and crackled on the sides, is it just a matter of some spit and burnishing? Or does it need replacing? There is plenty of tip material still on it.
Cue tip looks dry and crackled?
- Thread starter RichSchultz
- Start date
Playability is everything. Does it feel hard & or gripless? If so hell yeah change it.
I didn't know about tip care until much later in life so I'll knowledge dump a little.
Shaping: Using a tool that aggressively sands down the tip into a curved shape typically with a dime or nickel radius.
Scuffing: Using a tool that conservatively sands down the tip to break-up surface hardness/smoothness in order to allow chalk to seat better in the tip and prevent miscues.
Burnishing: Tips are often glued on larger than the actual size of the shaft. They are then cut down to match the size of the shaft. That leaves rough edges on the tip. Burnishing is to apply moisture, heat, and friction to harden the surface of leather. In this case the sides of the tip are burnished to harden the edges so the tip maintains shape and prevents immediate mushrooming. My understanding is that you don't burnish layered tips in the traditional way abrasive way because the layers may come apart and that people instead use glue to seal/finish the edges.
Now to answer your question...
It's possible you received a tip that has never seen any shaping and scuffing done to it since it was first put on. My first thought is that it might be dry and cracked at the surface but quite good underneath. Some shaping and scuffing should get you down past the top layer of bad density and consistency. I wouldn't expect any additional burnishing to ever be needed unless you're experiencing mushrooming too. This is the natural lifecycle of a tip. You love it. It hardens / mushrooms. You maintain back to loving it. And so forth. Eventually you've shaped it too many times and there's too little material left and you need to start over with a new tip.
It's also possible the tip was defective. Perhaps it's an original quality issue. Perhaps it's simply really old. If that's the case, you'll find your maintenance efforts just never get it to where you love it. Or it doesn't stay that way for very long before issues creep up again. In that case it's like an old car. Sometimes the maintenance isn't worth the effort and it's time to trade in. If you have high expectations and sufficient resources, you'll probably cut bait and get a new tip very early in that cycle. That's why some won't even bother with the tip originally on the cue they buy, they'll always switch to a brand new one that they like just to sleep better.
If you are still evaluating the cue with the possibility of returning it, I would not make any changes unless the previous owner approves. After it is officially yours, definitely have your favorite tip installed. How much did you pay for the cue? How much does it cost to have a new tip put on?
It is my experience that when the tip is visibly dried out, it's most likely done for. You'd have to really take it down to get to fresh leather. Still, it's probably dry most of the way through.
it’s just the sides look a bit dry, but it plays ok and hold chalk well. Think I will leave it alone...cue is a monster!
I would be concerned if the sides looked dry and cracked. Last tip I had like that flaked apart on me while playing.
Respectfully, Matt
(I don’t take myself too seriously. I hope you can return the favor.)
Respectfully, Matt
(I don’t take myself too seriously. I hope you can return the favor.)
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