Does breaking bend the pin?

TheThaiger

TheThaiger

Banned
I bought a McDermott on ebay recently, which has quite a big wobble - I assumed the shaft had warped, but both the shaft and butt roll straight, so it must be the pin that's causing the trouble, right?

Firstly, does this matter? It plays great and the wobble doesn't bother me.

Secondly, I use this cue to break with - is breaking with the cue the likely cause of the bent pin? Will continuing to break with it cause the pin to bend even more? It breaks great and I want to keep breaking with it if possible.
 
I wouldn't worry about it if it doesn't bother you.
If both the shaft and butt roll true, then maybe all you need to do is have the shaft and butt joints faced. If the pin is bent, you might be able to
see the pin wobble when rolled. I have one like that and the wobble at the pin is clearly visible.

If it is the pin, its a fairly easy fix if you want it done.

With a 3/8th x 10 pin into wood, I would think it might be easier to break the
shaft at the joint if you bend the shaft when breaking. A 3/8th x 10 pin is
pretty big so might be hard to bend it unless it might have been dropped at one time.

I have a breaker that looks like a banana but breaks ok.
 
Bent pin

If the pin bends during a break it would only be because the shaft isn't tight. If the joint is screwed tight during the break the pin will not move.
 
TheThaiger said:
I bought a McDermott on ebay recently, which has quite a big wobble - I assumed the shaft had warped, but both the shaft and butt roll straight, so it must be the pin that's causing the trouble, right?

Firstly, does this matter? It plays great and the wobble doesn't bother me.
No, it doesn't matter..... Since it is no bother, play away...


Secondly, I use this cue to break with - is breaking with the cue the likely cause of the bent pin? Will continuing to break with it cause the pin to bend even more? It breaks great and I want to keep breaking with it if possible.
Click to expand...

Take it to a cue maker and have him look at it. It might very well be an easy fix..... if it is, he'll probably charge you around $20 bucks... if it isn't an easy fix, just play with it as it is since it doesn't bother you.... Ultimately, that's all that matters......
 
Poolhalljunkie said:
If the pin bends during a break it would only be because the shaft isn't tight. If the joint is screwed tight during the break the pin will not move.
Click to expand...

A buddy of mine doesn't tighten his break cue all that tight - reckons it's the right thing to do - I take it he's talking rubbish? I always tighten mine as hard as I can. I'm talking specifically about a break cue here, not my bent player.
 
joint

its the surface of the inside of the joint dirty. you would be amaized that the smallest little think in there could through off the roll of a cue by so much. any cue builder or repair guy worth there salt could face it for ya.
my repair guy normaly dont even charge for it. so i buy a tip or get it cleaned just so i can give em some money for the work
 
You could check for a bit of debris on the joint face. I cleaned a guys relatively new Predator on the spot once. It had a nasty roll. I used my thumb nail and a napkin. Like the other guy said, it doesn't take much at all on the face of the joint. A little alcohol on a Que Tip works too.
 
Thanks guys - will give it a go. It was in real bad shape when it arrived, so dirt may well be the problem. The dirt, the roll, the dings, dents and chips adds to its charm, actually.
 
TheThaiger said:
Thanks guys - will give it a go. It was in real bad shape when it arrived, so dirt may well be the problem. The dirt, the roll, the dings, dents and chips adds to its charm, actually.
Click to expand...

I had a girl friend like that..................

Kim
 
I've got a McD that you have you to be real careful with when screwing together ... it was obviously cross threaded at one point as it can be screwed together and feel perfectly fine one way, but it wobbles like heck ... you can then unscrew it and screw it back together and it rolls perfectly straight. You might just need the shaft re-tapped.
 
Its the face of the joint that effects that, even with a bent pin. Unless if was really bent, the natural play in the threads of the pin would allow enough movement to straighten up as the faces came together. Most likely some kind of debris on the faces. Or worst case, they need to be refaced, which if only minor, isn't a real high deal.
 
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