extremely tight joint

tomspoolrm

tomspoolrm

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
just bought a new cue this week and the joint is very tight when screwing together or apart. it is a 3/8-11 pin. it is so tight it sounds kind of like the old fingers on the chalk board when unscrewing. any suggestions or just give it time to loosen up. i dont want to say the name of the the maker right now because im not happy with it- both tips popped off. 1 during shipping the other after 20 minutes of play. it did hit good for the short time that i played with it, any way any suggestions on the joint ?
 
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suppose to be tight. its id drilled and tapped undersized

btw always break the cue apart with hands as close to joint as possible (hands together)

yes you get more torque holding the wrap but you can pop points and inlays by twisting ect
 
yea i know its supposed to be tight, but this one feels too tight. i was thinking of maybe a little graphite. ive had dozens of cues with 3/8-10 and 3/8-11 pins but none nearly as tight as this.
 
tighter the better IMO

if you want it fixed right then take it to a maker/repair guy

i would leave it.

as for tips popping off prob just a fluke. happens from time to time. sometimes at the beginning or end of a bottle the glue can fail

you can try a lottle way on the pin or i personally use a qtip with a drop if liquid hand soap in the shaft
 
Spray some pledge in the shaft hole. It'll leave a waxy residue that lubricates the wooden threads & the fit will still be as tight as now but much easier to screw together & apart. It's easy, cheap & effective.
 
Try putting a little carnuba wax in the shaft threads. Screw it almost tight, then back it out. Repeat if nessacary. Worked with any tight pin I had. But check back with the maker of the cue first, just to be on the safe side.
Jeff
 
Use wax

I had the same problems with my joint when it was new, and I put wax on it, problem solved.
 
tomspoolrm said:
just bought a new cue this week and the joint is very tight when screwing together or apart. it is a 3/8-11 pin. it is so tight it sounds kind of like the old fingers on the chalk board when unscrewing. any suggestions or just give it time to loosen up. i dont want to say the name of the the maker right now because im not happy with it- both tips popped off. 1 during shipping the other after 20 minutes of play. it did hit good for the short time that i played with it, any way any suggestions on the joint ?
Click to expand...

Tight is a very good thing, but overly tight can be the result of swelling of the threads in the shaft. If is just tight, wax will take care of the problem, however, if it is the result of expansion in side the shaft it could result in the shaft cracking near the joint collar. If it is expansion it is the result of a none temperature controlled environment such as being left in a car or other air with a great deal of moisture in the environment. It could also be a problem with shaft wood itself, it is possible that the moisture content of the wood is still too high.

I would take the cue and the shafts to a competent Cue repairman or Cue maker and let them look at your problem. If the problem is expansion, the shafts can be tapped to clean up the threads to prevent any damage from being too tight. This person can also check the moisture content of the shaft wood at the same time. If the shaft wood has a high moisture content hopeful in time they will adjust and become stable without warping which happens more often than not.

Just my thoughts
 
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have you check if the thread is "clean"? i've had a 3/8-11 with a protruding scrap of metal and it made a screeching sound when i unscrew it..
 
Good suggestions above, Misconception of tight, If I had to screw the cue together like I was working out at a gym, I'd leave it in the case. I would ask the maker to take care of it and the tips, Tips can pop off on anyone.
 
weeseng said:
have you check if the thread is "clean"? i've had a 3/8-11 with a protruding scrap of metal and it made a screeching sound when i unscrew it..
Click to expand...

OUCH!

cueboy007 said:
I had the same problems with my joint when it was new, and I put wax on it, problem solved.
Click to expand...

Always works for me. Some candle wax on the joint pin, screw in... screw out. Tada. Not a virgin anymore. :P
 
More than likely its just has a tiny bit of debris trapped in the threads. I would suggest having someone just run a tap back into the threads. This will still leave it tight but will make it turn much easier. BE VERY CAREFUL adding anything into the hole such as wax, bar soap, etc. If its as tight as you say then simply screwing it together with wax can very easily crack the wood...trust me. Eric had the best advice with the pledge. I'd just use a qtip with pledge though to coat the threads. I'd even suggest taking a small gun bore brush if you have one and twisting it into the threads first as it may very well loosen the bit of debris.:wink:
 
On a brand new cue, I use a little liquid hand soap on the pin. Put the shaft and butt together a couple of times, then wipe off the pin. Most hand soaps contain some glycerin also.

No actual new cues were hurt or used in the making of this text message.

Alan
 
tight joint

Sometimes glues can 'expire' after just a month of being open. Like everyone said, it happens. Hopefully they aren't ultra high end expensive tips and can just be redone with a local repair/builder.
 
cyrex said:
Sometimes glues can 'expire' after just a month of being open. Like everyone said, it happens. Hopefully they aren't ultra high end expensive tips and can just be redone with a local repair/builder.
Click to expand...

thats why i like the locktite gel from home depot or rite aid. ive only had 2 tips i can recall fall of using that glue both flukes. i could buy a big old bottle from atlas but this way i know it will only last me 2 weeks or so. it only takes 1 or 2 tips to fall off to get ppl talking.

when i get it you have to click the top to break the seal. i click like 3 times. squeeze a good stream off the top. then in 2 clicks i toss it. i could get more but i dont like the very top or bottom. may cost me a tad more but i have peace of mind
 
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