Dirty shafts in the for sale section

[measureman]

I see a lot of cues for sale that have very dirty blued shafts. Why don't sellers clean them before taking pictures? Or do some buyers like them like that?
5 minutes with a Mr. Clean eraser and a good buff with leather and the shaft will present itself better.

 

[Melton28]

I like the blue seasoned shafts.

 

[TheCueHunter]

I like the blue seasoned shafts.

Me too.....

 

[KRJ]

Hmmm

I see a lot of cues for sale that have very dirty blued shafts. Why don't sellers clean them before taking pictures? Or do some buyers like them like that?
5 minutes with a Mr. Clean eraser and a good buff with leather and the shaft will present itself better.

I agree.....almost like saying....look, I don't even care enough about this cue to clean it once in awhile, but will you please buy it !!

 

[Ill Gotten Gain]

I like the blue seasoned shafts.

I am in agreement

 

[Murray Tucker]

I'd rather buy a cue with blue shafts than one with the shafts cleaned by someone who has no idea what they are doing.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[jersey jer]

a smooth well seasoned blue shaft is ok in my book.
at a certain point in a shafts life it should have some blue.

 

[LRNINGtheGAME]

gives the shaft character!

 

[TATE]

I'd rather buy a cue with blue shafts than one with the shafts cleaned by someone who has no idea what they are doing.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

The blue is fine. It's just pigment. But consider this: the guy who doesn't clean his shaft occasionally probably doesn't wash his hands very often and after that, let's imagine what multiple visits to Jack in the Box for a pair of greasy 99 cent tacos produce and the subsequent indigestion and visits to the toilet and sleeping over at his his skanky girlfriend's place produce and what else is on that shaft that doesn't pop out at you that the blue hides.

Chris

 

[M HOUSE]

dirty shafts

I see a lot of cues for sale that have very dirty blued shafts. Why don't sellers clean them before taking pictures? Or do some buyers like them like that?
5 minutes with a Mr. Clean eraser and a good buff with leather and the shaft will present itself better.

If the cues you are looking at are older cues, some of the other posters have already hit on the right word to describe them. They are not dirty, but "seasoned". If you could bottle and market the results of years of playing with the same shaft {the mixture of the natural oils from your hand with the small amounts of chalk and powder} you would have the best shaft sealent on the market. And yes, there will be some blue or green tint unless you happen to get the cue from one of those charaters that carries around their own piece of red chalk.

 

[Maniac]

The blue is fine. It's just pigment. But consider this: the guy who doesn't clean his shaft occasionally probably doesn't wash his hands very often and after that, let's imagine what multiple visits to Jack in the Box for a pair of greasy 99 cent tacos produce and the subsequent indigestion and visits to the toilet and sleeping over at his his skanky girlfriend's place produce and what else is on that shaft that doesn't pop out at you that the blue hides.

Chris

TMI Chris! I NEVER want to touch another persons cue shaft again (without latex gloves on )

FWIW, I LOVE those cheap, greasy, 99-cent Tacos that Jack in the Box sells :thumbup:!!! I've eaten as many as eight of them in one sitting (with NO lasting ill-effects too!)

Maniac

 

[cuejo]

I disagree,
I have always cleaned and maintained my cues, I have a 15 year old huebler with very clean shafts, maybe a little darker than new, but absolutely no blueing.
blue shafts to me look like rust on a car
just my .02

 

[jcommie]

I disagree,
I have always cleaned and maintained my cues, I have a 15 year old huebler with very clean shafts, maybe a little darker than new, but absolutely no blueing.
blue shafts to me look like rust on a car
just my .02

But what if the seller doesn't feel confident enough to clean their own shafts?

For instance, I have a few cues with shafts that have a blue tint. I'd clean em up before selling, but I'm worried that I might accidentally screw up and take off more than I should, resulting in a wobbly shaft. So I just leave em alone.

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

Well Chris, you took the words right outta my mouth.
If thats how the seller cares for his equipment, then I don't want it.

Besides, if you like a dirty shaft, at least put your own funk on it and not someone elses.

Please don't use the excuse, "I'm afraid I will damage the cue".
Thats part of the game, learning how to keep your equipment in top shape.
You won't take anything off of the shaft by cleaning it. Clean it 2500 times, it won't change.

 

[Maniac]

Well Chris, you took the words right outta my mouth.
If thats how the seller cares for his equipment, then I don't want it.

Besides, if you like a dirty shaft, at least put your own funk on it and not someone elses.

Please don't use the excuse, "I'm afraid I will damage the cue".
Thats part of the game, learning how to keep your equipment in top shape.
You won't take anything off of the shaft by cleaning it. Clean it 2500 times, it won't change.

Yep. I will actually use sandpaper (600-100-1500 grit) to remove slight amounts of wood to keep my shafts clean and slick. I know this freaks many people out, but if eventually my shaft becomes so thin it's unplayable, I will buy a new shaft. This is called supporting the industry. Now keep in mind, I'm not talking about a collectors grade of cue here, I'm talking about my regular player. I've been doing this for a few years now with my playing shafts and there is not enough evidence of thinning to make me concerned in the least. C'mon people, these shafts aren't Picasso's !!!

Maniac

 

[Sev]

I cant say my shaft has never been blew or my balls for that matter.

However proper maintenance of ones equipment is essential and a reflection of ones person.

If you want to make a good impression always keep you balls polished, your shaft clean and never forget to maintain your tip.

 

[Woof Biscuit]

I like the blued shaft. I also like a full 13 mm. If you are constantly cleaning it, you won't have 13 mm for very long.

 

[Winston846]

I just bought a shaft in the Wanted/For Sale section, and quite frankly got such a good deal on it that if I have to spend 5 minutes on it with a Magic Eraser, so what?

 

[Maniac]

I like the blued shaft. I also like a full 13 mm. If you are constantly cleaning it, you won't have 13 mm for very long.

I like my shafts to range from 12.75mm to 12.50mm. I've been cleaning/smoothing my Predator 314 shafts for over 3 years now using fine grit SANDPAPER and they are STILL well within that range. And.....even if they go slightly below the 12.50mm range eventually, I'll still use them and probably never notice the difference. I cannot imagine how many YEARS this is going to take for that to happen.

Woof Biscuit, you like a 13mm shaft. If your shaft was 12.98mm after a thorough cleaning, do you think you could really tell the difference? Really?

A shaft is nothing more than a simple tool made from wood. I use any and all tools I own hard, maintain/clean them, and REPLACE them when necessary. Why do we want to coddle/pamper them as if they were some piece of priceless treasure?

Maniac

 

[StrokeAnalyzer]

What is chalk? A friction producing substance so the tip can grab the cueball. Chalk on a shaft has more friction and drags more than a clean shaft. Nothing beats the feel of a clean wood surface. However the chalk will get in the wood pores and its very hard to remove once in the pores. Best to clean the bare wood once, waxing it well to fill those wood pores with wax. Now the shaft will stay cleaner longer and a light re-waxing will remove MOST of the chalk (thats embeded in the wax) off.

Good shooting