Finish Question for Brian Mordt

B

bkkpool

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Brian,

I would first like to praise your work. The finish on your cues look as good or better than any that I have ever seen. This brings me to my question for you. I do some cue repair and refinishing but the finishes that I have tried never turn out with the brilliant shine as on your cues. Can you shed some light on what type of finish you are using and the process. I don't want you to give away any secrets that you might have but any information that you could provide will be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

BTW, this is a great forum with lots of priceless information. I would like to hear everyone's input on finishes and their process if they would like to respond.

Thanks,
Brian
 
Great Work

Yes, Bryan does great work and his cues play as well as they look. I'll post pics of mine as soon as I can take a decent picture of it. (scanner issues)





Andy
 
bkkpool said:
Brian,

I would first like to praise your work. The finish on your cues look as good or better than any that I have ever seen. This brings me to my question for you. I do some cue repair and refinishing but the finishes that I have tried never turn out with the brilliant shine as on your cues. Can you shed some light on what type of finish you are using and the process. I don't want you to give away any secrets that you might have but any information that you could provide will be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

BTW, this is a great forum with lots of priceless information. I would like to hear everyone's input on finishes and their process if they would like to respond.

Thanks,
Brian
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words.

I began taking an interest in refinishing cues back in the early 90's. I knew very little at that time and the learning curve has been steep for me. I have tried so many types of finishes and ways to apply it that it's silly. There is a lot to my process. To be honest I am still perfecting the process that I use today but I am getting close to where I want to be with it.

There are so many steps to a good finish. Here are some thoughts & tips to consider...

1. Surface preperation is very important. Proper sanding and sealing will go a long way to making your finish application smoother and trouble free.

2. Use a quality HVLP spray gun. I use a Sata mini jet with a 1.0 tip.

3. Use a quality automotive clear coat. I like DuPont's products.

4. Use the Nikken brand of polishing paper from Japan. It's a favorite of mine. I use the following grits 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000, 2500, and 3000.

5. For compounds I like 3M's Microfinishing glaze.

The rest is hard work, attention to detail and refining your processes.

I hope this helps.

Bryan
 
BryanMordt said:
Thanks for the kind words.
I began taking an interest in refinishing cues back in the early 90's. I knew very little at that time and the learning curve has been steep for me. I have tried so many types of finishes and ways to apply it that it's silly. There is a lot to my process. To be honest I am still perfecting the process that I use today but I am getting close to where I want to be with it.
Bryan
Click to expand...

Bryan, do you use any power polishing tools like a buffer?
My right arm is needing some relief from polishing and sanding <g>
Takes me about two hours to wet sand and polish a cue after it is sprayed.
(hey ... I am old and slow)
I like the dupont chroma clear but have lately been using a UV seting finish that really brings out the detail of the wood. Problem is that stuff is harder than auto clear coat and is a bear to polish to a glass like finish. The compounds that you would use on auto clear coat take a lot more time for the same finish.
I have been wet sanding down to 2000 but I think I will try that sandpaper and go to 3000 like you. That might help get to a nice finish a lot faster.
 
What about a rub on or buff on with an applicator pad? What is the best materials to use for this type of application?

Great work Brian! I check your website weekly to see if anything new has been added. I love the looks of your cues and have heard nothing but praise about the craftsmanship and playability.

Zim
 
WilleeCue said:
Bryan, do you use any power polishing tools like a buffer?
My right arm is needing some relief from polishing and sanding <g>
Takes me about two hours to wet sand and polish a cue after it is sprayed.
(hey ... I am old and slow)
I like the dupont chroma clear but have lately been using a UV seting finish that really brings out the detail of the wood. Problem is that stuff is harder than auto clear coat and is a bear to polish to a glass like finish. The compounds that you would use on auto clear coat take a lot more time for the same finish.
I have been wet sanding down to 2000 but I think I will try that sandpaper and go to 3000 like you. That might help get to a nice finish a lot faster.
Click to expand...

I have never used any of the UV finishes so I can't comment on them.

Remember when sanding out the finish to use the finest grits you can. I am stating the obvious but finer scratches are easier to buff out. If your using Chroma clear your fnish should be buffing out easily.

You may want to try cross sanding the length of the cue as well (by hand) to remove circuilar scratches

Good luck.
 
hadjcues said:
Bryan,

How about those epoxy finishes? Ant tips on how to deal with it?

Hadj
Click to expand...

I don't use epoxy for a cue finish and I have never tried it. I really believe the automotive clears are the best product for the job.

Bryan
 
Zims Rack said:
What about a rub on or buff on with an applicator pad? What is the best materials to use for this type of application?

Great work Brian! I check your website weekly to see if anything new has been added. I love the looks of your cues and have heard nothing but praise about the craftsmanship and playability.

Zim
Click to expand...

The thing to remember with applying compounds is that you want to remove scratches and not generate heat. I mention removing scratches because if you use an inappropriate material for the buffing process you'll make more scratches than you remove. You can get special clothes at the automotive paint stores that will not scratch the finish (you only have to worry about fine dust and other contaminates). I wouldn't recommend those foam pads or paper towels.

Another consideration is cure time on your finish. The harder the finish gets the more difficult it is to buff out the scratches.

Bryan
 
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