Do 314 shafts have some special finish on them?

[E-Licious]

I just wiped my shaft with a damp corner of a towel, then wiped it dry, and it's not nearly as smooth as it was before. I can feel the grain much more, did I wipe something away? I only did this to half of the shaft, and the unwiped part is much smoother. Can I use something to get that smoothness back?

 

[twiztid_cue]

I use q-smooth papers on my wood shafts and i hae a friend who only plays with predator shaft on any of his cues and he uses the same.

 

[Chucklez65]

From what I have learned, your shaft, excluding dings and whatnot, will get smoother as you use it because the oils from your hands gets into the grain. If you use to much dampness and it wipes away these oils, then it will take a short time to get the oils back into the grain so that it is smooth again. From people that I have talked to this is more of a theory than a fact, but it works for me.

It can also be that the wood is just damp and it feels like it is not as smooth at it was. I dont usually use a damp cloth wipe down my cue...I use a clean cloth, dry, and wipe it often just to keep the chalk out of the grain.

Another option is to take to a housepro somewhere and see if they can clean it and/or condition it - they have methods to make the shaft get that 'smooth as glass' feeling.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Chuck

 

[E-Licious]

I've got a bottle of cue silk coming. Anyone ever use that? Is it any good?

 

[Zims Rack]

I second that twiztid, I too use only the 314 shafts and use the Q-Smooth and Q-Clean to clean my 314. You view these at www.zimsrack.com under "cue maintanance". I'm sure you're going to love the 314 shaft E-Licious, best of luck!

...Zim

 

[highsea]

I've got a bottle of cue silk coming. Anyone ever use that? Is it any good?

I use cue silk and like it. I clean my shaft each time I play with a little rubbing alcohol on a paper towel. Then I buff it out with a dry paper towel, put a few drops of cue silk on the towel and buff it some more.

If the shaft feels a little rough, you can polish it out with some crocus cloth or 1500-2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. You can get these at most any automotive paint supply. Don't get too agressive, just go lightly with the grain, and get it smooth. Then use the cue silk and it should feel great.

Cue Cube makes a pad with a soft scotch brite on one side and leather on the other. I have one of these and like it also for burnishing. Just don't use the green or brown kitchen scotch-brites! They are way too coarse.

-CM

 

[Rickw]

I have something I bought a long time ago, it looks kind of like one of those Chinese thumb lock things I used to play with when I was a kid. It's a peice of material about three inches long and has a seam on one side and made of cloth. I think it has a course wool on the inside and you put it around the shaft and rub it up and down. It doesn't appear to take any of the wood down and it does clean the shaft pretty good. Sometimes when I'm shooting over a rubber pocket and I get some of that rubber residue from the pocket on the shaft (that really bugs me!!) I just rub this over my shaft a couple of times and the shaft feels great afterwards.

Occasionally, like before a tournament, I'll take my shafts out and really clean them up good and then I take my leather burnisher and burnish the shaft good. After doing this, the shafts feel great and it enhances that good feeling of running a nice smooth shaft through my bridge hand. Of course I don't have to say too much about that feeling here do I? It would be like preaching to the choir! Now, get out there and show them balls a good time, LOL!!

PS
I can't believe they got away with that commercial! My wife just loves that commercial!!

 

[Zims Rack]

RickW- I believe the tool you're referring to is called the "shaft slicker"! It's not actually good to use on your shaft. It's very course and even though it may appear to "smooth" the shaft, it's actually wearing it down. I highly recommend the Q-Smooth pads with Q-Clean. I'm sure you'll find that many experienced players will agree with me.

...Zim

 

[djames]

I have found a good alternative to Q-Clean, which costs about $10 for an ounce or so. The company that makes it is called PCC Products Inc. I could not find them anywhere on the NET, but I did find that PCC is an acronym for Precipitated Calcium Carbonate, essentially purified chalk. This is used for coating paper, polishing silver, reducing the acidity of wine and beer, and as a dietary supplement. It is also used in some toothpastes as a gentle abrasive.

I found a Wine Supply place that sells it. You can buy 500 grams for about 6 bucks. That should last about 3 or 4 years. The consistency is more powdery than Q-Clean, but it is less abrasive and works just as well-

Regards-

 

[Rickw]

RickW- I believe the tool you're referring to is called the "shaft slicker"! It's not actually good to use on your shaft. It's very course and even though it may appear to "smooth" the shaft, it's actually wearing it down. I highly recommend the Q-Smooth pads with Q-Clean. I'm sure you'll find that many experienced players will agree with me.

...Zim

Zim,

I've had this shaft slicker for about 10 years so I don't think there is much danger of it wearing my shaft down much. When they're new they do create a little wood dust but not much. I certainly don't want to argue with you about this, and I am no expert, i.e., I'm not a cue repair professional or anything like that, but I have been playing pool for well over 20 years and have yet to wear a shaft down to the nub. I certainly understand that when someone puts out considerable money for a cue they see as a real treasure, they would want to take great precautions to preserve the condition of that cue. I, on the other hand, just love to play the game. I'm not going to buy a cue to mount on the wall in attempt to preserve it in a pristine condition. If I did wear a shaft down, I'd be perfectly willing to plunk down a couple hundred dollars for a new one. I gotta tell you though, I've never worn one down yet and I play one helluva lot of pool. When I get on the table, whether I'm with someone or not, I'll spend at least 5 or 6 hours at a time on it. I wear tips out at the rate of about one every 3 months or so. Anyone with a little common sense will realize pretty soon if they are using something too abrasive before they wear down much of their shaft, hopefully. Of course there are a few people out there without a lick of sense and there's not much anyone can do about that.