Do you play with dings in your cue's shaft?

Gregg

Gregg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do dings drive you crazy, or could you care less?

I am not talking about a moon crater, but small imperfections that only the most discriminating shooters could detect.

The reason I ask is because I feel like keeping my shaft maintained is becoming a part time job.

I start questioning myself how many more balls I could have shot in during practice when I am busy getting that very minor ding out of it.

BTW, I take great care of my cues, so don't tell me to take better care of my equipment; I have no idea how that nick got in there!
 
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Every time someone looks at my stick they mention it. I say something like, "I don't even know they are there". If I didn't know they were there then I'm not concentrating enough.


Once I hit a golf ball while a train was going by about 40 yards away. The guys I was playing with ask me about it and I didn't even know it happened.
 
They drive me absolutely out of my mind! I can feel a small spec of dust on my shaft. I'm obsessive about using a microfiber cloth to wipe down my shaft between innings, and sometimes even in between shots. A ding in a shaft, even the smallest one, feels like a dip in a back country road when it goes through my bridge. Now, above my bridge area, no biggie, but if a ding gets near my bridge, then it's time to get out the spare shaft, which you can be assured is in PERFECT condition!

Bob
 
Amen

I have one cue I swear if you look it at wrong it will ding. Luckily I have a lathe and is easy to fix and keep my shafts clean.
 
If my shaft is not perfect it drives me crazy. If I get a grain of chalk on my cue that I can feel I have to wipe it down before I take another shot. Some of the guys I play with have shafts that probably have 50 dings or scratches on them and they say it doesn't bother them. Maybe you get used to playing with banged up cues but I don't think I ever could.
 
Dings will drive me crazy! I'll either change shafts or work on it right there and then if I can.

My shafts are as smooth now as they were when I received them in 1997.

Barbara
 
I cant play with a brand new shaft, nor hit with someone elses brand new cue comfortably. I need the shaft to be broken in, with no major dings. I dont mind minor issues. I guess I am in the middle. I do wipe my shafts down periodically.

Some individuals around here are so paranoid about it that they use brown/tan chalk for less mess. Too each their own.
 
mine has to have a small crater in it before i notice it, as long as its fairly smooth its not a problem. As part of my preshot I will do a couple airpumps and if i do happen to feel something on the shaft i just rotate it as i do my airpumps, then when i get down into my stance its all good.
 
CaptainJR said:
Once I hit a golf ball while a train was going by about 40 yards away. The guys I was playing with ask me about it and I didn't even know it happened.
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There is a train that runs paralell to a fairway of a golf course that I have played many a skins game on...Every time the train came by the train operater would wait until a guy was half way up his back swing and blow his whistle...(I am sure he got a kick out of it)......We could see this happening all the time from various tee boxes and greens...

One time I was on that farway and I could hear the train coming as I was getting ready to take a swing....so I pump faked him......Pulled the Tiger Woods stop at the top move....He blew his whistle on que....I pointed my club at him as he went by...He gave me a quick double hit on the whistle and a thumbs up as he went by congratulating me for being hip to his scam...I guess you had to be there but it was kind of funny at the time...:)
 
I can play with some dings, not a lot though...

The thing that drives me up a wall is chalky ferrules. I cant stand having major chalk marks on my Ferrule.
 
After just over a year, I finally had the coating taken off my shaft! While that was done he also elected to take out a few dings. I don't really notice any difference at all in my game as far as the dings go. As long as the stick's straight, it's fine by me! :D
 
Anything worse than a tiny dink and I am bummmed. Have gotten pretty good at raising those pestering annoyances (sandpaper doesn't touch my shafts). Finish dings in the butt are even worse. I help keep Profecient Billiards in biz - they are the clean up masters!

Jigger <<<< sometimes a bit anal about cue condition
 
So, you folks that can't stand them. What do you do? Sand them down to 1mm less than the shaft size you like?

Really not trying to be a smart ass. They really don't bother me but of course I'd rather they were not there. So, I've heard of making it wet so it swells etc. But even this includes the use a sand paper. I don't care how fine it is, over time your going to lose circumference.
 
they bug me. I keep a piece of 2000 sand paper and a piece of leather. Usually can get a small dent out with a drop or two of water and the leather. Bigger ones I take out at home with some steam.

If I pick up a house cue it doens't bug me a bit which is odd. Probably because the rest of the shafts on my cues are so smooth that any little thing gets magnified.
 
BRKNRUN said:
There is a train that runs paralell to a fairway of a golf course that I have played many a skins game on...Every time the train came by the train operater would wait until a guy was half way up his back swing and blow his whistle...(I am sure he got a kick out of it)......We could see this happening all the time from various tee boxes and greens...

One time I was on that farway and I could hear the train coming as I was getting ready to take a swing....so I pump faked him......Pulled the Tiger Woods stop at the top move....He blew his whistle on que....I pointed my club at him as he went by...He gave me a quick double hit on the whistle and a thumbs up as he went by congratulating me for being hip to his scam...I guess you had to be there but it was kind of funny at the time...:)
Click to expand...

And what does this have to do with pool shafts? There is a forum for ....

JOKING... that is funny story... :p I can imagine the entire scene...
Kelly
 
Fightin those dings

CaptainJR said:
So, you folks that can't stand them. What do you do? Sand them down to 1mm less than the shaft size you like?
Click to expand...

Hey Capt --- Have had good luck with a cotton Q-Tip soaked in a shot glass. Lay the wet Q-Tip exactly on the ding and let it work 30 minutes, repeat as needed.

For the uglier bonks try a soldering gun on a wet cloth. Usually pops them up and out quickly. Don't accidently touch the soldering tip on the shaft directly = nasty burn spot. Afterwards a good burnish w/leather and I'm good to go.

"Admiral Jigger":D
 
My very first time taking out my Shon I went to Cues 2. I never understood why pool halls never seem to have cue holders. Well I laid my stick against the table to break with a house cue. I looked at it for 5seconds and it didn't move. I get ready to break. It falls and hits the floor and put a crater the size of Lake Superior.

I got a new shaft that has been through worse than the Shon and it doesn't ding at all. Including when I twirled it and it left my hands and hit as hard as it could into the edge of a metal lamp base. No dings at all.

Now I take my old dinged up Shon shaft and often break with it. Then I'll take it off and play with my Smart Shaft.

To answer your question they drive me absolutely nuts.
 
Dings are part of life. Deal with 'em. If they are deep enough I'll get 'em out. If not, ignoring them is the key. And rotating the cue until they aren't felt works just fine.

Flex
 
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