Damage To Cue Ball

Sloppy Pockets

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was at my local room last week and noticed the red circle CB they gave me was covered with dozens of small crescent shaped cracks in the surface. There were a lot more than what shows in the photo, but this gives an idea of what they look like.

There was a thread awhile back where somebody showed a pic of similar damage to a measles balls that was supposedly a fake, but this ball looked just like an ordinary red circle CB in all other respects. Plus, this room hosts a couple Joss tour events, so I doubt they'd try to save money by getting cheap cue balls. The owner has made a sizable investment in Diamond tables, I don't think he'd cheap out on cue balls.

What can cause such extensive damage? I'm assuming it's phenolic break tips?
 

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RiverCity

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
G10 fiberglass is the probable cause. Phenolic tips wont do that as they are usually not harder than the ball.
 

RiverCity

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
OK. So the G10 is like the linen phenolic in cue joints and butts, only with fiberglass in it instead of linen?

Yep, there is a greenish colored one, and a black one. You can tell by the sound, its a higher pitch, almost like glass breaking sound when g10 hits a ball.
 

Sloppy Pockets

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
yeah the tips that did that are not legal to use

The next time I'm in there I'll point it out to the manager. I doubt all this damage came from one guy in one session (unless he was practicing his break for hours) The surface was literally covered with them.

FWIW I don't think a tip necessarily has to be harder than the CB in order to cause some damage. Every time you have a bad miscue you put a scuff in the ball that is real hard to polish out. They don't go deep like these do, though. These cracks almost seem to fracture the outer surface of the ball, not just pull a little chip out of it.
 

Sloppy Pockets

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks for the photos, Chuck. Seems to me you'd have to hit the ball with the very edge of the tip in order to make the kind of marks I saw. That edge look pretty sharp to me.
 

RiverCity

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks for the photos, Chuck. Seems to me you'd have to hit the ball with the very edge of the tip in order to make the kind of marks I saw. That edge look pretty sharp to me.

Not really, I made a jump shaft a few years back, and put a g10 tip/ferrule on it. I got the same result as those 'cracks'/marks from jumping pretty close to center ball. G10 is that much harder than the balls.
 

Buckzapper

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've seen this same damaged caused by a much longer screw sticking down in the ball return area. The nicks were on all the balls, not just whitey.
 

caff3in3

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What about taom tips? Anyone know the hardness relative to the balls? I use a measals cue all and don't want to have to replace it due to the break tip I'm using

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 

GoldCrown

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
I've seen this same damaged caused by a much longer screw sticking down in the ball return area. The nicks were on all the balls, not just whitey.

And the staples used under the pockets to hold the cloth down. Our community pool room was done ala Hack Job. The staples are not visible but can be felt under the pocket. Every ball set is nicked.
 
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dr_dave

Instructional Author
Gold Member
Silver Member
I was at my local room last week and noticed the red circle CB they gave me was covered with dozens of small crescent shaped cracks in the surface. There were a lot more than what shows in the photo, but this gives an idea of what they look like.

There was a thread awhile back where somebody showed a pic of similar damage to a measles balls that was supposedly a fake, but this ball looked just like an ordinary red circle CB in all other respects. Plus, this room hosts a couple Joss tour events, so I doubt they'd try to save money by getting cheap cue balls. The owner has made a sizable investment in Diamond tables, I don't think he'd cheap out on cue balls.

What can cause such extensive damage? I'm assuming it's phenolic break tips?
I have some damage like that on my Aramith red-measles CBs at home, and they are caused by breaking at high speed with a phenolic tip.

Regards,
Dave
 

The Renfro

Outsville.com
Silver Member
What about taom tips? Anyone know the hardness relative to the balls? I use a measals cue all and don't want to have to replace it due to the break tip I'm using

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

taom's are considerable softer than the cueball so no you will not damage the cueball with it... You may lose an eye if you have a good break and the tip shatter tho LOL

I have yet to see a regular linene/canvas phenolic do this... I break around 24mph now that I am getting old and feeble and I do long practice sessions where all I do is break...

I was using the BK2 with the stock tip prior and am now using our Hammerhead...

I have 2 marks on my red circle and neither of them match the tip contact diameter so they had to come from hitting something else.. Maybe the edge of something metal as it has taken several trips around the room sightseeing when I have hit it poorly on the break or over jumped the landing area......
 

caff3in3

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
taom's are considerable softer than the cueball so no you will not damage the cueball with it... You may lose an eye if you have a good break and the tip shatter tho LOL

I have yet to see a regular linene/canvas phenolic do this... I break around 24mph now that I am getting old and feeble and I do long practice sessions where all I do is break...

I was using the BK2 with the stock tip prior and am now using our Hammerhead...

I have 2 marks on my red circle and neither of them match the tip contact diameter so they had to come from hitting something else.. Maybe the edge of something metal as it has taken several trips around the room sightseeing when I have hit it poorly on the break or over jumped the landing area......
Awesome, thanks!

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 

a1712

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
I replace our cue balls, Aramith Phenolic Red Circles, every year for this same problem. I don't feel enough people shoot in my place with the G10 Tips to feel they are the only tips that can do this. My playing balls, Aramith Tournaments, have not a scratch after 2 years. I have 14 Teams that play 4 nights a week, Tourneys Sat. during the winter and free pool every Sunday. My cue balls look like the moons surface after a year. Brian.
 

B.Carson

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have 6 or so of these marks on my measles ball at the house. I use a phenolic tip and the ball is about a year old (I practice 3- 5 days a week). I thought it might be when I miss hit the break shot and hit the ball with the edge of the tip.
 

maha

from way back when
Silver Member
all those hard tips can damage balls. so if you have a room it makes sense to limit your cueballs to leather tips. and if they want to play with hard tips they use their own cueball.

as just one customer that plays regularly will eventually ruin every cue ball in the house.
 

poolguy4u

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
:shakehead:



I don't think those cueballs are ruined just because of a few marks.

Makes me feel right at home. I use old balls that are much worse than that.


Really doesn't matter.

It's a sad excuse for poor play.



:grin:



.
 
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