Dings in the shaft drive me nuts...removal method

sidepocket7

sidepocket7

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello everyone, and happy new year. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but whenever I get a ding in the shaft of my cue, it drives me up a wall. Sometimes to the point where I have to switch out shafts or cues. Anyways, after years of trying to get past this, and failing every time, I have developed a method that works fantastic for ding and dent removal that I would like to share with you.

Step 1: Feel for dents along the shaft, hold shaft up to a bright light on an angle to pinpoint them, and make a light circle around them with a pencil.
Step 2: Fold up several small pieces of paper towel, wet them, and place them on the dent site. I do one at a time, as not to saturate the shaft.
Step 3: Take the tip of an iron, and press it into the wet folded piece of paper towel ( paper towel bits should be at least 1/8 inch thick) , letting the steam swell the dented wood. I do this a few times, depending on the depth of the dent, until the wood on each dent down the length of the shaft has swelled back to its original state.
Step 4: Take a shot glass ( or any thick, smooth piece of glass) and rub it over the entire shaft, as to blend in and smooth the wood. At this point, it should start to feel smooth.
Step 5: Take a piece of sandpaper, min of 800 grit, and rub the shaft down, starting with the dented places, then over the entire shaft to blend it in.
Step 6: I take a piece of soft leather and burnish the shaft, rubbing up and down until blended evenly.
Step 7: I take a new $100 bill and rub it up and down the shaft, on both sides of the bill, until you feel heat from friction building. This coats the wood in a nice, slick waxy sheen.
Step 8: I wipe down the shaft with a clean piece of terry cloth, until again I feel warmth from friction.
Step 9: Take a few practice "air strokes", making sure you are satisfied.
Step 10: Go out and play!

I hope this method works for anyone who trys it, as I have used it for over 8 years with great success.
 
wow, sounds like alot of work to me. How are you getting so many dings, and that deep? I rarely get dings, but when I do they are generally very small. I just jake a damp paper towell and scrub the shaft down good, which opens the grain a bit so it also cleans pretty well in the process, then I take a dry hand towell (cloth), and briskly rub the shaft down, hard enough to generate a little warmth in the shaft. This drys the shaft well, and dings are gone. Burnish alittle with leather and it's ready for another night at the pool room.
 
Renegade_56 said:
wow, sounds like alot of work to me.
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Yep. I just get a tea kettle (or other similar setup) and zap the ding with steam directly for 5-15 sec. (depending on how deep the ding is). Wipe & let dry. Burnish with leather or Q-Wiz.

All done.
 
The part I would have to change is the $100 bill. I ain't seen one of them in a long time.:D I assume a $1 bill would work just as good, though maybe if I used a hundred it would put some hoojoo in my stick.:eek: The way I have been playing the last couple of days I need all the help I can get. The planets are not aligned properly I guess.;)
 
A similar, simple, very localized method works for me as well...

I cut a tiny matchhead size of paper towel just big enough to cover the nip/dent...lick it to temporarily stick it to the dent...then I drop a drop or two of steaming hot water on the little square of paper towel...I give it about 2 minutes, and then repeat once more...presto! - the nip/dent is gone...been doing it this way for about 35 years now...:)

- Ghost
 
Very complete and thorough method. I have all the materials needed except for step 7. If I paid you a few dollars for shipping, could you provide me with the items needed in step 7 of your guide?

Thanks in advance. :)

Hehe, specifying a $100 bill seems very silly to me, but that's just my opinion. Is there some difference between a new $100 bill and a new $5 bill? Was Ben Franklin a huge fan of pool and his long dead ghost helps burnish the cue better?
 
On a slightly more serious note...

Other than accidents, such as leaning my cue and having it fall into a chair or something, the only time I have ever got a ding in any of my cue shafts was when I lost my temper and moved the cue ball with the cue after a missed shot with just a little too much zeal.

I had just bought an I-2 to try out and learned my lesson quickly, haven't done anything that dumb in at least 2-3 years since. While the suggestion of "use a qualified repair person" is great advice, not everyone has instant access to such a person. I used the "drop of water, swell the wood" technique, light sanded it down, then reburnished. It worked just fine for me ... but what works even better is not dinging your shaft in the first place! If you need to constantly fix dings, get yourself a q-claw or a q-clip or such, control your temper, and respect your gear. Unless you are banging the heck out of your cue or using it to pry up roof shingles I don't understand how else you could be getting dings in your shaft so often. :)
 
PaulieB said:
On a slightly more serious note...

Other than accidents, such as leaning my cue and having it fall into a chair or something, the only time I have ever got a ding in any of my cue shafts was when I lost my temper and moved the cue ball with the cue after a missed shot with just a little too much zeal.

I had just bought an I-2 to try out and learned my lesson quickly, haven't done anything that dumb in at least 2-3 years since. While the suggestion of "use a qualified repair person" is great advice, not everyone has instant access to such a person. I used the "drop of water, swell the wood" technique, light sanded it down, then reburnished. It worked just fine for me ... but what works even better is not dinging your shaft in the first place! If you need to constantly fix dings, get yourself a q-claw or a q-clip or such, control your temper, and respect your gear. Unless you are banging the heck out of your cue or using it to pry up roof shingles I don't understand how else you could be getting dings in your shaft so often. :)
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WHEN I GET A DING in my shaft its usually from a bridge,not from being abusive toward my cue.
 
IMO the best method is steaming out the dings. Rubbing glass around the ding to remove it, isn't really removing anything. It's just flattening out more wood around the ding.

I get a small pan, fill it half way with water, cover it with doubled up aluminum foil making the foil slightly crowned like those pop corn popping tins, hold the foil over the pan with an elastic band, poke a hole in the center of the foil with a pointed object like an awl. Put the pan on the stove and bring the water to a brisk boil. When the steam streams out of the hole, you place the shaft dent over it for a few minutes. Dab it off, and let it dry. Sand the shaft with some 600 and 1200 wet/dry paper. I then use a crisp bill to seal the wood. The back side works better for some reason. :)
 
All of the above, the old tea kettle for steam nice little five minute project.
 
Personally, I've gone years without getting a ding in a shaft. It is, however, one of the reasons all my cues have two shafts.
 
HOSS22 said:
WHEN I GET A DING in my shaft its usually from a bridge,not from being abusive toward my cue.
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I agree.......most provided bridges in places to play are not equipment friendly......

that said I rarely see anyone ever use it esp beginers.........IMOP dings and cue damage happen b/c the owner doesn't handle their equipment properly.....

I've got cues that I've been using along time that have never needed anything more than wiping with a dam towel and then buffing with a dry one and burnishing with brown cardboard......smoother than your babys butt.

Things like your cue falling on the floor are UNACCEPTABLE!:angry:

You lay in on the surface of the table.........NOT LEANING ON IT.......

If you go pee the cue goes pee too

Cues left in car (as long as you would leave your children in it)

If its not being used PUT IT IN ITS RIGHT PLACE, ON THE WALL RACK, THE CUE CASE...........

take care of your equipment and its gonna take care of you..........

dont take care of it and it will give you a quick sharp kick to the nuts when you least expect it....and you will deserve what you sowed.

-Grey Ghost-
 
LAlouie said:
Get a reliable, experienced cue repair person to do it.
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Or learn to do it yourself.

Just my opinion, but we are fast becoming a world where people don't do anything for themselves.

People now pay someone to change their oil in their cars, cook their food etc.

When and where I grew up, you learned how to take care of what you had and basic cue maintenance (shaft smoothing and tip changing) was expected to be developed by young players as part of their pool playing education.
 
I believe the no 1 culprit of dings is probably raking the balls down table with the shaft at the end of a game or practice exercise. I never use my shaft for this anymore, and rarely ding it.
 
As far as the 100$ bill thing goes, my old man used to keep a 100$ bill in his wallet JUST for burnishing his cue with. I saw him bet his cue and even put the pink slip of his car up for collateral, but he *NEVER* wagered or spend that 100$ bill.
 
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