Do you need to use Nelsonite, or Resolute if your using sanding sealer every time you take down either shaft or butt? Is there anything else available out there besides those two to use? Is it really necessary ?
Do you need to use Nelsonite?
- Thread starter NJS Custom Cues
- Start date
I know it is used for wood stabilization. It helps for the changes in climatic conditions from one place to another. It helps stability and consistency in your cues. The wood will not become stressed out and it will prevent problems. I don't know if it is absolutely necessary.
I have yet to see scientific data to support the claims. Nothing substitutes good wood.
Personally, I don't seal my shafts after any cut except the final cut, and I don't use any stabilizers like nelsonite. I quit that stuff once I tested with & without and seen the same exact results. I'm in the camp that believes wood should be put through all climatic changes before it becomes a finished cue, and anything that can't handle the changes gets tossed in the trash. Even then it's no gaurantee.
One more chemical some makers try to kill themselves with.
Sorry.
Sanding sealer starting at .550 ends is enough for me.
Sorry.
Sanding sealer starting at .550 ends is enough for me.
qbilder, thats what I thought. I have not used Nelsonite, or Resolute and have not had any problems yet. I figured that is was not necessary but figured I would ask.
I have used it on some shaft wood and not on others and frankly can not see any difference in the shaft's ability to resist warping.
However, it cant hurt if you do.
Do protect yourself with good ventilation and rubber gloves.
There is another type wood conditioner that is safer than Nelisonite.
I think the Cue Components guy in Florida sells it.
However, it cant hurt if you do.
Do protect yourself with good ventilation and rubber gloves.
There is another type wood conditioner that is safer than Nelisonite.
I think the Cue Components guy in Florida sells it.
Chuck, would you be intersted in some acryloid b-72? I bought a bag of it last year to experiment with for stabilizing soft wood. I only used a little bit and decided to go in a different direction. Cost of shipping and it's yours. Just PM me.
I have tried Resolute and basically came to the same conclusions. I have about 3.5-4 gallons left if anybody is interested.
Dave
I use Nelsonite. A furniture parts maker up in northern Wisconsin turned me onto the stuff in the mid 90's. I can't say yes, it absolutely guarantees against movement. I just feel it affords a little extra insurance against movement if you have done your part in proper turning and stress release. I figure as cheap as the stuff is, as you get many 1000's of dips out of 5 gal, why not use it.
Dick
Dick
Shaft Sealing Process
QB,
You are describing my exact process until about a year ago. I now do this process (described below) and it seems to me that my shafts seem a little more consistent concerning their stiffness or rigidity when placed between centers at the final sanding dimension. I don't like nesonite type products.:barf:
Here is my shaft handling process:
1. Dowel 5/4 x 30" squares into 1" rounds and store them in an open barrel. In my current operation these 300 dowels at 1" are about 4 years in this dowel state.
2. After taking 4 hogging cuts and a few full passes to .950 to establish the full taper I store them in a vertical shaft caddy that holds 200 dated shafts with the front of the line dated May 2004. As I take shafts out of the caddy to make a cue I replace it with the newly hogged dowel at .950 at the back of the line in the caddy.
3. When I want to make a cue I select 2 shafts that are matched in weight and grain looks.
Note: At this point every time I take a cut I apply a milky looking waterborne sanding sealer to the shafts when they are spinning and let them hang overnight. I have been using the Aqua 454 sealer that I got from the Van Tech people that make the UV stuff (I don't think it is any different than the sanding sealer you buy at Home Depot). The sealer gives the wood grain raise and it seems to make the shafts feel a little stiffer and a little harder when it dries. When I take the next cut on my table saw shaft machine, the saw blade noise is higher pitched as the wood seems a little harder. The cut also seems to be a little cleaner and smoother.
4. Over a period of about 2 weeks or so (the time it takes me to build the cue) I take light cuts starting with .010 cuts to about .880 over the first week. Then I go to cuts at .005 and at the very end of the process I take .002 cuts till I am at my finish dimension before sanding. Each time I take cuts I apply the sanding seal to dry overnight.
When I put my shafts in the lathe before final sanding now I have noticed that I can take the speed of my wood lathe up a lot higher with a lot less oscillation between centers.
In the past before using sealer between cuts, I have always been able to take my speed up to 1/2 on my wood lathe on all of my shafts without a shaft oscillation. Between 1/2 and 2/3s speed the oscillation would happen on 80% of the shafts without keeping my finger touching.
Of coarse there are always some freak shafts that would allow me to go to very high speed or full speed and they just sat there a spun without touching the middle.
Conclusion from Observations:
Since I have been treating the wood with sanding sealer between the light cuts I can go beyond the half speed with all shafts without touching them at .840 / .511. Today about 50% can go to 2/3s speed untouched. There are now a lot that can go to 3/4 speed and I still get some high end speed freaks.
After sanding I seal my cues with a mixture of clear shellac and denatured alcohol. I am in a very lucky position as I do all of the cue repairs at my pool hall and are able to view my shafts that have been in service for years. I have noticed that the shafts that I have built since sealing are more stable in the lathe than my units built before the sealing between cuts after .950. Compared to all of the other brands I work on I am very happy with my units in comparison to the high end cues I observe.
I think these treated shafts are better because the fresh cut open grain is sealed before they have the ability to take in new moisture on a humid day and vise versa on a very dry day and the grain raise seems to stabilize the newly shocked wood. In my view it is like case harding a metal rod. By sealing between cuts I believe that the shafts cut better after the grain raise because they feel and sound harder to me.
I live in just north of Chicago and our wet bulb reading can change drastically from season to season and day to day. Before I was very leery about the shaft cutting during the last 2 week period and I took light passes over a longer period of time.
So far this new sealing process has been very successful for my cue making and I thought I would share it with you guys as I have learned so much here on AZ from all of you.
Rick G
QB,
You are describing my exact process until about a year ago. I now do this process (described below) and it seems to me that my shafts seem a little more consistent concerning their stiffness or rigidity when placed between centers at the final sanding dimension. I don't like nesonite type products.:barf:
Here is my shaft handling process:
1. Dowel 5/4 x 30" squares into 1" rounds and store them in an open barrel. In my current operation these 300 dowels at 1" are about 4 years in this dowel state.
2. After taking 4 hogging cuts and a few full passes to .950 to establish the full taper I store them in a vertical shaft caddy that holds 200 dated shafts with the front of the line dated May 2004. As I take shafts out of the caddy to make a cue I replace it with the newly hogged dowel at .950 at the back of the line in the caddy.
3. When I want to make a cue I select 2 shafts that are matched in weight and grain looks.
Note: At this point every time I take a cut I apply a milky looking waterborne sanding sealer to the shafts when they are spinning and let them hang overnight. I have been using the Aqua 454 sealer that I got from the Van Tech people that make the UV stuff (I don't think it is any different than the sanding sealer you buy at Home Depot). The sealer gives the wood grain raise and it seems to make the shafts feel a little stiffer and a little harder when it dries. When I take the next cut on my table saw shaft machine, the saw blade noise is higher pitched as the wood seems a little harder. The cut also seems to be a little cleaner and smoother.
4. Over a period of about 2 weeks or so (the time it takes me to build the cue) I take light cuts starting with .010 cuts to about .880 over the first week. Then I go to cuts at .005 and at the very end of the process I take .002 cuts till I am at my finish dimension before sanding. Each time I take cuts I apply the sanding seal to dry overnight.
When I put my shafts in the lathe before final sanding now I have noticed that I can take the speed of my wood lathe up a lot higher with a lot less oscillation between centers.
In the past before using sealer between cuts, I have always been able to take my speed up to 1/2 on my wood lathe on all of my shafts without a shaft oscillation. Between 1/2 and 2/3s speed the oscillation would happen on 80% of the shafts without keeping my finger touching.
Of coarse there are always some freak shafts that would allow me to go to very high speed or full speed and they just sat there a spun without touching the middle.
Conclusion from Observations:
Since I have been treating the wood with sanding sealer between the light cuts I can go beyond the half speed with all shafts without touching them at .840 / .511. Today about 50% can go to 2/3s speed untouched. There are now a lot that can go to 3/4 speed and I still get some high end speed freaks.
After sanding I seal my cues with a mixture of clear shellac and denatured alcohol. I am in a very lucky position as I do all of the cue repairs at my pool hall and are able to view my shafts that have been in service for years. I have noticed that the shafts that I have built since sealing are more stable in the lathe than my units built before the sealing between cuts after .950. Compared to all of the other brands I work on I am very happy with my units in comparison to the high end cues I observe.
I think these treated shafts are better because the fresh cut open grain is sealed before they have the ability to take in new moisture on a humid day and vise versa on a very dry day and the grain raise seems to stabilize the newly shocked wood. In my view it is like case harding a metal rod. By sealing between cuts I believe that the shafts cut better after the grain raise because they feel and sound harder to me.
I live in just north of Chicago and our wet bulb reading can change drastically from season to season and day to day. Before I was very leery about the shaft cutting during the last 2 week period and I took light passes over a longer period of time.
So far this new sealing process has been very successful for my cue making and I thought I would share it with you guys as I have learned so much here on AZ from all of you.
Rick G
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Thats what she said !