Do you replace your own tip?

Joseph Ortega

Joseph Ortega

Daddy's little girl
Silver Member
I was wondering how many out there do their own tip work and how many pay someone else to do it.

I have always just paid for someone to do it ($15-$20) but I recently ordered some supplies from seyberts.com and plan to start doing it on my own.

I have a spare shaft that I can practice on until I get it right and I bought about 20 inexpensive triangle tips that I can use to practice with as well. Once i get good at it I can buy me higher quality tips to put on my playing shaft.

Does anyone have any advice or tips that you may want to share?

Thanks
 
Easy as 1,2,3

I just want to let you know, that you want to beware of what supplies you buy from retailers. A good amount of the stuff is useful, but you may not need them as a good amount of them imitate the same task.

Porper's Mushroom Grazer does the same as a lot of other tools, for instance.

I've been doing my own tip for a while now, and the only time I have a tip done is when I want something on I don't have, or when messing around with my ivory ferrules. Always get a fibre backing pad on these. Laminated tips are much easier to trip with a Tip cutting tool like the Mushroom grazer than a traditional leather tip like the Triangle. I personally use Triangles but also have Snipers on a couple of shafts and have also tried most of what's out there.

I have a video that I've watched before and it's all you really need to know when doing your own tips. My suggestion is, you don't really need to spend more than $5 on a tip or a tip job, it's just a small piece of leather. Good luck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUBBt2AmLyI
 
I second this, I have seen a lot of tools available for purchase for this option but never knew where to start.
 
Unless You Have a Lathe ...

I've done it before, but no longer. In the old days you could buy a tip that had just the right circumference for your cue, say, 12mm or 13mm, and you didn't have to trim it to make it even with the ferrule. Nowadays, the best tips, e.g., Snipers, come just in 14mm size and need to be trimmed. That is just too hard to do properly without a lathe. The hand tools that are sold to do the trimming are dangerous to your ferrule if you don't use them just right.

Besides, these days a good tip will last a long time - mushrooming is not such a problem anymore. I consider paying $15 for this service to be a rare bargain these days. You're hiring a skilled person with capital equipment and chewing up his time for just a few dollars.

Of course, you do get a feeling of satisfaction from doing it yourself, and that's worth something. But, for me, I get a bigger feeling of satisfaction from playing with a perfectly shaped tip that a cuemaker put on for me. Good luck.
 
I do my own, have for years. You can get Elk Master tips in many diameters, so I buy 13mm tips for my 13mm cue, no trimming needed (although care is needed to get it centered well, I use a piece of paper wrapped around the ferrule to align it perfectly). With super glue (CA) it takes perhaps 10 minutes and away I play. I prep the cue with one of these :

http://www.hotshotscanada.com/item3488.htm

Dave
 
Have a go

I have always done my own and I am not very skilled with my hands. Luckily it is not difficult as long, as you don't rush it.

Make sure that you have a sharp knife, get both surfaces absolutely flat and try not to glue your hand to the cue. :smile:

If you Google around, I am sure you can find step by step instructions + pictures.

Question for all: I see that some places are still selling Tweeten's 10 minute cement. Does anyone still use this stuff? I grew up with it, but happily discarded it for super glue many years ago.
 
Good luck ....

Always have. As long as you have a razor trimmer, everything is fine, even with the thicker tips - just graze paper thin strips at a time.

Your local room may have a house cue or two you can do as practice, and youll make the buying price of a box of tips from doing only 3-4 cues.

Opinions vary but I only use loctite, and clamping with gentle force while gluing liberally will guarantee no tip pop-offs AND no funny clicks OR screeching noise while chalking. Be sure to cross-hatch/cross-sand the gluing surface of the tip to increase adhesion.

I would also suggest using a clamp, vise, or hammer to compress the tips b4 installation. This will keep the tip from mushrooming, and put the tip to the hardness it is headed to anyway after a few hours of ball hitting....
 
Siz said:
I have always done my own and I am not very skilled with my hands. Luckily it is not difficult as long, as you don't rush it.

Make sure that you have a sharp knife, get both surfaces absolutely flat and try not to glue your hand to the cue. :smile:

If you Google around, I am sure you can find step by step instructions + pictures.

Question for all: I see that some places are still selling Tweeten's 10 minute cement. Does anyone still use this stuff? I grew up with it, but happily discarded it for super glue many years ago.
Click to expand...
I couldn't imagine using the contact type glue any more. Although I haven't graduated to Gorilla glue yet. I use a regular loctite super glue on my tip and loctite gel super glue on the flat face of the ferrule as a gap filler and have never had one come off. I do use a lathe from there but pre lathe days I did put them on using Porpers Lil Shaver and they came out good. Not a bad idea to practice on that old shaft first.
 
I end up taking mine to a proshop to get mine retip for 2 reasons.
1)He will retip and reshape whenever needed.

2) Quality of work.


I have screwed up toooo many small projects. I say pay a few bucks have a guy that has done is a hundred times before and have peace of mind.

I like the peace of mind
 
I've been doing cue repairs for myself and friends for years. I got started because I couldn't find anyone locally that i'd trust to work on my custom cues. The few who did repairs weren't up to my standards and I decided i'd learn to do it myself. I contacted Chris Hightower and I bought a lathe and 10 wall cues to practice own and i've learned a lot over the years. Lately, I mostly keep my own cues in top condition, but occasionally i'll work on a friends cue.

James
 
I've done my own, and everyone else that needs em done, for 15 years or so. Leonard Bloodworth showed me how to do tips and trim them a razor knife on my lathe. I got rid of the lathe, and just use a variable speed drill with a locking trigger, and a speed adjust dial. I made a mount for it on my work bench and it works as good as my old lathe did for tips. Super glue gel is pretty good, so is "gel bond" the stuff girls use to apply fake nails.

G.
 
Willards tip machine is very good ... Very simple to use and quick , quality results ... A little secret , LocTite 454 ... I only use 14mm tips as they finish out thicker , therefore more life ... the machine is a little expensive , but after you learn proper use , you will be in the tip bidness ... A few other things you will need to purchase ... Bottom line , short of a lathe it is the easiest and best way to install a tip ...:cool:
 
kilojo420 said:
I was wondering how many out there do their own tip work and how many pay someone else to do it.
Click to expand...

I can do my own tips, but I choose not to.
I don't have a lathe and replacing a tip takes a little time, to do it properly. When you factor in a resonable hourly rate, it is much cheaper to have a good repairman do the job and the results are a little better. For the one or two tips I need each year, it is just not cost effective to do them myself.
 
Cuebuddy said:
I couldn't imagine using the contact type glue any more. Although I haven't graduated to Gorilla glue yet. I use a regular loctite super glue on my tip and loctite gel super glue on the flat face of the ferrule as a gap filler and have never had one come off. I do use a lathe from there but pre lathe days I did put them on using Porpers Lil Shaver and they came out good. Not a bad idea to practice on that old shaft first.
Click to expand...
]
I'm not sure Gorilla glue would work well. The reason is that after you add a little water to it (which you add to activate the glue) it starts to swell and could leave a layer of glue you can see. Not saying it won't work but the swelling could be a problem or it could just act like a fiber backing pad. No doubt the glue will hold but you may end up with a layer of glue you can see, Or not. hmmm looks like I have a project to do.

But for now I use Super Glue gel.
 
Heres a little video from Seyberts on replacing a tip using a Porper mushroom grazer, cutrite and a burnisher.

http://www.seyberts.com/products/Deluxe_Tip_Replacement_Kit-984-0.html

I invested in a Porper Big Shaver, nice tool but totally not necessary. I just use the tools in the video. He makes it look so easy but after messing up a couple of tips it gets much easier.
I don't care for the Cutrite, it seems to taper the tip to a cone. On the other hand, the nickel shaper on the other end of the Cutrite works like a charm. I use the mushroom grazer and leave a bit of the tip. Then tape off the ferrule and hand sand the rest of the tip even with the ferrule.
Not necessary to use the accelerator. With just the glue, you have a few second window to adjust the tip if you have to, use the accelerator and you can't make a mistake. I use 2 rubber bands on the shaft and over the tip, leave it for about 15 minutes. Then its set up to start trimming.
I apply a bit of glue to the tip and then use a toothpick to spread a thin coating on, you can use the toothpick to take off any excess glue.
Buy a small can of acetone from the hardware store. It will remove any glue you get on your fingers. And trust me, you will glue your fingers.
And this is where a tip pick comes in handy. I p rick the glue side of the tip a bit, it gives the glue a place to sink in and I've never had a tip pop off.
Practice on a few cheap Le Pros first or it may become expensive messing up a few Mooris.
The burnisher is a must have. If you have a tip that mushrooms a tiny bit from the first few games, just use a bit of spit to wet the tip and burnish the mushroom away.

Hope this helps, a lathe is on my wish list but it is very gratifying to replace your tips by hand as well.
 
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I have a good time doing it myself.

I like the Porper Little Shaver to trim it down. I like Loctite Super Glue Gel. It's important to have a sander that sands the ferrule square to the shaft.
 
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