Cues warp when flying to different countries?
- Thread starter ace911
- Start date
dave sutton
Banned
cues warp by shipping them across the country. take sw cues for instance. i have a friend with a franklin sw here in nj that is like a banana. 2 completely different climates
Wood is an organic item, and even though it's 'sealed' with a finish, extreme changes, like dry to humid, or humid to dry, can and will affect your cue's straightness. It will absorb moisture if humid, and release it if dry. Alot also has to do with how long it's exposed to the 'different' enviroment. Some people say it will return to normal when returned to the 'norm' enviroment that it is usually in, but I have never seen a cue unwarp, myself. If in doubt, leave yours at home, unless you're in a tourney, but I would make sure it stays in an air conditioned hotel as soon as you arrive until you leave.ace911 said:
Good luck,
Dave
I just got one back from Singapore that had moved a bit. It was curly maple....not the most stable of woods to begin with. The owner decided for me to rebuild him another using a much more stable wood. The curly hadn't really moved badly at all....but the joint faces had swelled and needed refaced and the wood swelled so much under the ferrule it looked like the cue had been soaked in a bathtub.
I'm very careful now about what I choose to send to Singapore & other counties with such high humidity. The climate difference is amazing...so while your cue "may" be ok....theres a small chance it may not. I think its pretty rare...but definately worth concern.
I'm very careful now about what I choose to send to Singapore & other counties with such high humidity. The climate difference is amazing...so while your cue "may" be ok....theres a small chance it may not. I think its pretty rare...but definately worth concern.
I have a Q that is perfectly straight in spring, fall & winter, but come summer the butt warps. I put it away in July & take it back out in September. It is the only Q that this has ever happened to, but I adjust, because I love it so much. Summers can be very humid in Illlinois...JER
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BLACKHEARTCUES said:
I had the very same cue....in the summer it would roll. hop hop hop. Winter time it was dead straight. Sold the cue in Jan to a friend who knew about it but wanted it anyway. The cue....Kelly Oyama's old, very early satin bem SW pacifier. At the time....I figured a grand was a good price for such a temperamental cue.
It had the yellow Micarta ferrule and was probably the finest "hitting" cue I ever owned.
I have cues from a couple of cuemakers from US of A. Albrecht from AZ, Mason from TN, Eric from NM, etc... So far, I've been lucky. What I see commonly happens is the shaft shows a small taper roll. My shafts are bare wood and are treated with Slipstic and Carnauba Wax first time I receive them.
People think I'm nuts for letting the cue acclimatize for 48hrs when they arrive. I also won't bring a cue out in a non-airconditioned Pool Hall. I do let them acclimatize as well. At home, I turn the aircon on and fire up the dehumidifier. My cues also stay inside cue cases with Dessicants inside the cases. Being careful does payoff.
People think I'm nuts for letting the cue acclimatize for 48hrs when they arrive. I also won't bring a cue out in a non-airconditioned Pool Hall. I do let them acclimatize as well. At home, I turn the aircon on and fire up the dehumidifier. My cues also stay inside cue cases with Dessicants inside the cases. Being careful does payoff.
I am finding, that as a rule, any cues shipped from the east coast to me in WA seem to fair nicely. At least in the spring, summer, and fall months, the relative humidity is fairly consistent between the two regions.
Now, cues coming from a more arid region, say the southwest, do not fair as well with the humidity change. I had a cue arrive that was straight, and within 24 hrs, had developed a wobble. Upon the advice of a cue maker, I took the butt and shaft out of the case, and slip-knotted fat rubber bands onto the pin and ferrule respectively, and then hung them, counter-balanced, from a hanger for 3 days in the side of the archway in my living room, and let gravity do it's work. 3 days later, the butt rolled straight again, the shaft had a little wobble, but nothing major. It has remained unchanged ever since.
From here on out, when I know I will be receiving a cue from an arid region, I will use the above technique to allow it to acclimate before playing. There are no guarantees with this method, because afterall, you are dealing with wood, which can be temper-mental.
Lisa
Now, cues coming from a more arid region, say the southwest, do not fair as well with the humidity change. I had a cue arrive that was straight, and within 24 hrs, had developed a wobble. Upon the advice of a cue maker, I took the butt and shaft out of the case, and slip-knotted fat rubber bands onto the pin and ferrule respectively, and then hung them, counter-balanced, from a hanger for 3 days in the side of the archway in my living room, and let gravity do it's work. 3 days later, the butt rolled straight again, the shaft had a little wobble, but nothing major. It has remained unchanged ever since.
From here on out, when I know I will be receiving a cue from an arid region, I will use the above technique to allow it to acclimate before playing. There are no guarantees with this method, because afterall, you are dealing with wood, which can be temper-mental.
Lisa
ace911 said:
Should not be a problem. Keep you cue in room temperature at all time if possible.
Avoid exposing it to direct sunlight or keep in car under direct sun. If your cue case is air tight seal, it is still alright to leave in car for less than 30mins.
What they really do is SWELL.ace911 said:
Even sealed thread holes on shafts swell.
I took 3 shafts there with sealed radial threads. They swelled so bad they go so tight I had to have them retapped.
Keep your cues in your hard case and take them out only when inside an a/c'd pool room as much as possible.