Custom Case
- Thread starter jongreve
- Start date
I'm interested in this as well. I just don't know where to start. Is there any kind of basic design that anyone could look at to start the process? I'm not very good with projects of this nature but aside from having someone make me a personal custom case I'm having trouble finding something that's more me. Any of you custom cue case makers have any suggestions on starting up this kind of project.
And thanks Jon for bringing up this topic it had never occured to me to make my own case...
And thanks Jon for bringing up this topic it had never occured to me to make my own case...
While I have not done it yet, I plan to hopefully very soon.
I might suggest if you are looking to do a tube style case such as the It's George's...that you try to locate an old beat up It's George or even an old McDermott Mac case to use as the base for your case. You can then remove the leather/vinyl off of these cases and recover with a material of your choice.
Another way would be to make a style similar to the cases made by several here, where you use a heavy grade leather, and use PVC tubing lined with a material to cushion the cues, and once the leather exterior has been completed, you can insert the individual tubes as you have need for.
Another idea would be to just find an old Porper or perhaps a beat up Instroke, and add a new exterior, saving the interior.
If you wish for it to be more original...go get a PVC pipe from the plumbing dept of your local home center, and go from there. I have seen these covered in leather, material, or even a wood veneer....how creative you wish to be is entirely up to you! Bear in mind, that you ill want as thick-walled a pipe as possible, while trying to keep the weight down...not always an easy task.
Forget trying to locate the oval extruded tubes used in the tube style cases...as those using these keep their resources VERY close to the chest, as they are paying to have these made for their use....can't say as I blame them! It is possible to heat the round tubes and get them more oval-like...but the process requires a heating unit that applies the heat evenly, and one must be bunny-quick when applying the weight necessary to deform the tube...as it will cool quickly and risk cracking.
Lisa
I might suggest if you are looking to do a tube style case such as the It's George's...that you try to locate an old beat up It's George or even an old McDermott Mac case to use as the base for your case. You can then remove the leather/vinyl off of these cases and recover with a material of your choice.
Another way would be to make a style similar to the cases made by several here, where you use a heavy grade leather, and use PVC tubing lined with a material to cushion the cues, and once the leather exterior has been completed, you can insert the individual tubes as you have need for.
Another idea would be to just find an old Porper or perhaps a beat up Instroke, and add a new exterior, saving the interior.
If you wish for it to be more original...go get a PVC pipe from the plumbing dept of your local home center, and go from there. I have seen these covered in leather, material, or even a wood veneer....how creative you wish to be is entirely up to you! Bear in mind, that you ill want as thick-walled a pipe as possible, while trying to keep the weight down...not always an easy task.
Forget trying to locate the oval extruded tubes used in the tube style cases...as those using these keep their resources VERY close to the chest, as they are paying to have these made for their use....can't say as I blame them! It is possible to heat the round tubes and get them more oval-like...but the process requires a heating unit that applies the heat evenly, and one must be bunny-quick when applying the weight necessary to deform the tube...as it will cool quickly and risk cracking.
Lisa
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My initial thought goes something like this...
Line the PVC tubes with felt
Glue them together (PVC pipe glue is very good stuff)
Put on an endcap
Foam the gaps
Foam the outside and shape to the endcaps
Put on top endcap
Slip on leather "jacket"
Still in the thinking phase, not sure what foam would be best, or if it is even the best idea.
I work in QC for a PVC pipe manufacturer, but we do not produce the size I think I need.
3/4" SDR 21 pipe should (by specs) work perfect for shaft tubes with about a 0.085" clearence. The other grades are too thick, thus reducing the inside diameter too far.
If that turns out to be too small after being lined with felt,
1" Schedule 80 pipe seems to be the next best option with a 0.112" clearence. This option adds quite a bit of weight.
1" Schedule 40 has a clearence of 0.204"; I would think this to be too loose. This option I can get for free.
1 1/4" Schedule 40 pipe seems the best for the butt tubes (again, by the specs) with about a 0.105" clearence.
1 1/4" SDR 17 has a 0.189" clearence and is lighter
1 1/4" SDR 21 has a 0.227" clearence and is lighter yet
1 1/2" SDR 21 has a 0.445" clearence and is free to me, but I think way too loose.
There is probably something else out there, this is just what I know so far.
--Jon
Line the PVC tubes with felt
Glue them together (PVC pipe glue is very good stuff)
Put on an endcap
Foam the gaps
Foam the outside and shape to the endcaps
Put on top endcap
Slip on leather "jacket"
Still in the thinking phase, not sure what foam would be best, or if it is even the best idea.
I work in QC for a PVC pipe manufacturer, but we do not produce the size I think I need.
3/4" SDR 21 pipe should (by specs) work perfect for shaft tubes with about a 0.085" clearence. The other grades are too thick, thus reducing the inside diameter too far.
If that turns out to be too small after being lined with felt,
1" Schedule 80 pipe seems to be the next best option with a 0.112" clearence. This option adds quite a bit of weight.
1" Schedule 40 has a clearence of 0.204"; I would think this to be too loose. This option I can get for free.
1 1/4" Schedule 40 pipe seems the best for the butt tubes (again, by the specs) with about a 0.105" clearence.
1 1/4" SDR 17 has a 0.189" clearence and is lighter
1 1/4" SDR 21 has a 0.227" clearence and is lighter yet
1 1/2" SDR 21 has a 0.445" clearence and is free to me, but I think way too loose.
There is probably something else out there, this is just what I know so far.
--Jon
I have made several. One is in the cue gallery now. If you go to any leather store like tandy they will be alot of help. I like to line the tubes with cordura nylon, seems to hold up like armor. Rusty
This is a response I made to person from www.leatherworkers.net ----
There are different kinds of cases. A soft or semi-hard case is flexible in that you can fold it or squeeze it flat. A hard case as pictured on my website is rigid.
For the soft case all you need to do is sew the liner in such a way as to have separation between the parts. The butt or lower part of the cue is generally 1.25" in diameter at the widest part and the shaft is generally about .75" at the joint section and .5inch at the top. most cue case makers sew the liner and attach it at the top opening of the case.
Making a rigid tube case as pictured on my site is achieved by wrapping the leather around individual PVC tubes or even around one single PVC tube with a cloth liner.
Using individual tubes is often easiest. Simply get them from the hardware store. Plumbing tubes for the butt and electrical tubes for the shaft. I don't know the common sizes of tubes in inches. I use tubes that are about 40mm for the butt and 23mm for the shaft inside diameter.
You will want to sew some sleeves of soft cloth. Not too tight. Run them down the tubes and bring them back over the ends. Use packing tape to secure the cloth and leave about 1" from the top down with no tape on it.
Now tape the tubes together in the shape you want.
Now you have your core so you can decide which way is best to wrap the leather around it. One way is to make a soft case and stuff the tubes into it. Check out this guy's website for a few examples of such cases - www.nittanyleather.com He makes a basic envelope style case with tubing inside.
The most important thing to remember about cue cases is that the cues should be protected from scratches and they should be easy to remove and easy to get out at the very minimum. If you put a side handle be conscious of balance so that the case carries well with the cue inside. The handle will not go in the center of the case as the cue is heavier at the bottom.
What we do is a little more complicated than this but what I have told you is the easiest way to make a cue case.
If you have any other questions please don't hesitate. And good luck. I am sure yours will be better than my first one.
There are different kinds of cases. A soft or semi-hard case is flexible in that you can fold it or squeeze it flat. A hard case as pictured on my website is rigid.
For the soft case all you need to do is sew the liner in such a way as to have separation between the parts. The butt or lower part of the cue is generally 1.25" in diameter at the widest part and the shaft is generally about .75" at the joint section and .5inch at the top. most cue case makers sew the liner and attach it at the top opening of the case.
Making a rigid tube case as pictured on my site is achieved by wrapping the leather around individual PVC tubes or even around one single PVC tube with a cloth liner.
Using individual tubes is often easiest. Simply get them from the hardware store. Plumbing tubes for the butt and electrical tubes for the shaft. I don't know the common sizes of tubes in inches. I use tubes that are about 40mm for the butt and 23mm for the shaft inside diameter.
You will want to sew some sleeves of soft cloth. Not too tight. Run them down the tubes and bring them back over the ends. Use packing tape to secure the cloth and leave about 1" from the top down with no tape on it.
Now tape the tubes together in the shape you want.
Now you have your core so you can decide which way is best to wrap the leather around it. One way is to make a soft case and stuff the tubes into it. Check out this guy's website for a few examples of such cases - www.nittanyleather.com He makes a basic envelope style case with tubing inside.
The most important thing to remember about cue cases is that the cues should be protected from scratches and they should be easy to remove and easy to get out at the very minimum. If you put a side handle be conscious of balance so that the case carries well with the cue inside. The handle will not go in the center of the case as the cue is heavier at the bottom.
What we do is a little more complicated than this but what I have told you is the easiest way to make a cue case.
If you have any other questions please don't hesitate. And good luck. I am sure yours will be better than my first one.
capefairpool said:
Do you think that over time the hard fabric like Cordura nylon might damage the finish on the cue? I am wary of using anything that is abrasive or "hard".
Basically my rule of thumb is if I wouldn't use the material to polish my cue then I don't use it to line the case in any part that touches the cue.
I talked with Jim Murnak about this and he and I disagree on this point. He insists on using a hard nylon fabric for the liner which I feel will scratch and dull the finish eventually. I might be wrong but better safe than sorry I think.
I use a cotton and nylon blend that is very soft yet very strong. I have found that this type of liner holds up well and never has a chance to harm the cue.
I don't like felt as the decorative stuff is too weak and absorbs moisture easily. Pool table felt is too abrasive in my opinion.
Anyway these are just my thoughts on liners and what works for me.
p1noy said:I had a crazy idea of personally hand tooling an Instroke Buffalo.. Don't know where to start though.. no idea of what tools to use and how the technique works..
The leather used on that case is either oil or chrome tanned and won't keep an impression well. I have seen some very impressive results using pyrography (burning)
Using the same type of tools that are used for wood burning you can achieve some amazing things in the oil tanned leather.
look up "wood burning" or pyrography on google and you will find a lot of information. You can get a basic wood burning kit for not much money. Alternatively you can also use a soldering iron or several with the tips shaped in different ways.
Tooling leather is really just manipulating the surface. You make impressions and cuts and essentially mold the leather into the designs you want. Vegetable tanned leather without a surface decoration is generally best for this.
If you are looking to make it PVC based, I have had this case forever. I have never carried it, just used to store cues from time to time, but it is super strong, super light, the cap just goes on with friction but the way it pops when you remove it, I'd be surprised if it wasn't waterproof too!
I've always thought this would make a nice basis for some inexpensive and durable custom cases.
Joe
I've always thought this would make a nice basis for some inexpensive and durable custom cases.
Joe
junksecret said:If you are looking to make it PVC based, I have had this case forever. I have never carried it, just used to store cues from time to time, but it is super strong, super light, the cap just goes on with friction but the way it pops when you remove it, I'd be surprised if it wasn't waterproof too!
I've always thought this would make a nice basis for some inexpensive and durable custom cases.
Joe
Seen a few like this over the years. For durability you can't really beat a thick circle. Add a strap and a pouch and you are good to go. I have also seen ones like this with threaded ends and the cap screws on. Where it starts to get complicated is when you want to make it look pretty with a covering.
You can actually find a lot of good stuff for making a cue case without much effort in Home Depot. And nothing says "sucker" better than rolling in with that duct tape special plumbing tube case. Especially if you decorate it with some stickers.
ridewiththewind said:
You're right. Oval tubes are pretty much specialized shapes for the billiard industry. If you want to build on this platform then the best thing to do is to buy a cheap case using this kind of tube and discard the exterior.
It's also not really a question of keeping the sources a secret. Extrusion tubes are available from many places. But most factories require a minimum buy that is far too much for the hobbyist. Also most factories don't own the molds for these special shapes.
To give you an idea of what I mean, I am in the midst right now of redesigning the tubes for 1x1 through 4x8 and we have been experimenting with the molds and the plastics for weeks to get the tubes to be consistent and tough. I would never have considered this route if I were just a custom case maker, just not enough business. But since I am also a factory I can afford to make special tubes to my needs rather than adapt commercially available products.
I have trolled Home Depot and Lowes so many times I could probably tell you what aisle to get your stuff on. I find it fascinating to go through and imagine the things I can do with the stuff there.
For heating plastic and reshaping it I recommend a hot blow dryer for large areas and a soldering iron for surgical reshaping.
You can set your tube up in a vise or a large clamp using a 2x4 to apply even pressure. Tape up one end of your tube and fix the blow dryer so that it blows into the open end. Let the tube get nice and toasty and slowly apply pressure with the clamp or vice. When the tube is where you want it turn off the heat and let it cool down and it will stay in the shape. Most of the time