Expert cue cleaner

chin0 said:
gunzby, mind going into a bit more detail regarding cleaning a Laminated shaft? (I saw schmelke has a standard shaft and a laminated shaft, how do you tell the difference between the two and what are the differences between a laminated and a standard shaft?)

thanks all!
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A standard shaft is one piece of wood, while a laminated shaft has several pieces of wood glued together. The only issue I can see (and it is negligible) is the heat produced cleaning a laminated shaft.

A Predator 314-2, Z2 and OB1 are laminated

I'd be willing to bet that you produce 50x more heat on the CB by breaking than by cleaning a laminated shaft with a ME
 
And to tell the difference you just need to inspect the shaft. If you look at the shaft you will notice that the grain pattern just doesn't add up. Some of the grain patters are very very close....almost perfect in fact, but there are still very small errors in making it perfect.
 
I'm no expert. I don't build cues. I do like playing around with my cues and experimenting with different cleaners, polishers and coatings... i.e. wax

I've tried every item sold for the purpose of cleaning cues and for putting a slick surface on them.

I used lighter fluid for several months on my prized SW cue and never had a problem. It helps keep a cue clean but it was my experience that with a really dirty shaft the lighter fluid just doesnt cut it.

Magic Eraser is just that... magic!

Nothing compares... not even close. All it takes is a few swipes with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser dampened with 90% denatured alcohol and all the blue is gone. Then just dry it with a towel and use a piece of leather to burnish it.

I don't use any of the dedicated cue cleaning products anymore. No Shark Oil.. no bowling allex wax... no ski wax... no car wax. Nothing works like a ME and some burnishing.

Once it's clean I keep it that way with daily swipes from a rag dampened with denatured alcohol, maybe hit it with 1500 grip abrasive paper or mesh cloth, and more burnishing with a piece of leather or 2000 grit.

Save your money! Nothing out there works any better that what's listed above.
 
FWIW, I've used the Magic Eraser on my LD laminated shaft (McDermott I-2) with no problems. I just use 90% rubbing alcohol, wet it down, and wipe the ME on the shaft until it's clean. Then I use 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper, and smooth it out. Sometimes I'll follow that up with 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Then I use a dollar bill to burnish it. I have a piece of leather I use as well, but the dollar bill works fine for me. No problems with that process.
 
chin0 said:
So here is another one of those youtube days. I found a new way to clean my cue taught to me by the greatest expervillage :rolleyes: haven't tried it yet, since I smoke when I am on sideline with my cue, I don't want to start a camp fire. Don't know if it is just me, but I thought this was completely crazy, does anyone here does this?????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e14uxIp9BEc

This time, DAWG doesn't have to rescue me lol

Happy shooting! :)

Chino
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Can't see why it wouldn't work fine. Wouldn't get it on the butt personally.

I just use a bit of alcohol and a me, or just a rag and some alcohol.
 
cubswin said:
Wouldn't get it on the butt personally.
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God I hope not Cub, something tells me that would burn:eek:

FWIW I used lighter fluid for a while with no problems. Its been a while back, but if I remember right I only stopped using it because I ran out and hadnt picked up more.

Magic Eraser does a great job on the heavy stuff, but if you clean it regularly you really shouldnt have to use the eraser.

I dont mind a little color to the shaft (pool shaft, geez) so Im not obsessive about cleaning mine. I just want it to be slick.

Woody
 
naphtha

chin0 said:
So here is another one of those youtube days. I found a new way to clean my cue taught to me by the greatest expervillage :rolleyes: haven't tried it yet, since I smoke when I am on sideline with my cue, I don't want to start a camp fire. Don't know if it is just me, but I thought this was completely crazy, does anyone here does this?????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e14uxIp9BEc

This time, DAWG doesn't have to rescue me lol

Happy shooting! :)

Chino
Click to expand...

Lighter fluid is normally pure naphtha or very close to it. Depending on how clean you want your shaft and what you use on it to seal it or make it slick really determines what you should clean it with. Naphtha is a decent cleaner and leaves a slight lubrication behind. It is the cleaner and lube of choice for some fine machinery. It isn't going to bleach your shaft white. Note the shaft in the video.

If I know that a shaft has oil based products in it already I am fine with using naphtha to clean it. If I know that a shaft doesn't have any oil based products in it from the time it was being made, I prefer not to introduce any oil based product into it. I wouldn't saturate a spliced shaft with anything and because of the design of OB shafts I would be most particular cleaning them. Consulting Royce and company is probably the smartest move concerning care of the OB shafts.

Hu
 
sk8ordie said:
Use a little den. alcohol,NOT water with the M.E. Give it a wipe down with a rag and alcohol first, a LITE sanding with 1000 grit to get the top coat of gunk and old left over wax off and then go to work with the Magic Eraser,rinse,repeat....:thumbup:
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I didn't use ANY liquid with the magic Eraser. I got the "Heavy Duty" magic eraser (the wife did actually) and I used it dry. Took all the chalk off the ferrule and the shaft, no problem. and I didn't have to worry about getting near the tip because I wasn't using any liquids.
 
The simplest and the best...

Everything you need to make your shaft sick slick is available at the grocery store. Magic Eraser and a brown paper bag.

Take off the chalk with a dry ME, and then burnish with a piece of paper bag until hot. I defy anyone to make my shaft softer or smoother than it is right now. It's impossible.

One caveat: I can't get my husbands shaft as smooth as mine, so I guess it depends on the type/age of wood in the shaft... maybe more muscle or more time is needed for proper affect.
 
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Topic also covered in an earlier thread

chin0 said:
So here is another one of those youtube days. I found a new way to clean my cue taught to me by the greatest expervillage :rolleyes: haven't tried it yet, since I smoke when I am on sideline with my cue, I don't want to start a camp fire. Don't know if it is just me, but I thought this was completely crazy, does anyone here does this?????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e14uxIp9BEc

This time, DAWG doesn't have to rescue me lol

Happy shooting! :)

Chino
Click to expand...

Chino:

Looks like you got a lot of great replies thus far. You might also want to consult this older thread about the very same topic, for some different takes on the same topic:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=116075

Hope this is helpful!
-Sean
 
Thanks all for your replies, learned some great cool stuff. you all are the best!

Thanks for the link Sean.

Happy shooting! :)

Chino
 
have people had bad experiences burnishing laminated shafts and tips?

on another note, I had planned to replace my piece of letter with a q-wiz because it is advertised as being able to polish, but that both sides seem abrasive!
 
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