The bottom line, especially when you play for money in one fashion or another, is that it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
A few considerations and observations:
Your shaft will decrease in diameter each time it is cleaned. If done correctly, it won't be that much of a loss, but over the long run, it will eventually get thin. How many shafts are out there that started out life as 13 mm and are now 12.2 mm or less?
You have shaft collars made out of phenolic that changes color from lot to lot and even within the same lot. If you want a shaft to match the cue it was made for, the time to order the second shaft is at the time of the build. This will yield the closest match of phenolic and matching rings for the cue.
If you have a cue built, it is not guaranteed that the maker will be around when it comes time to buy a second shaft. There are tons of makers that are no longer alive and you may be left with a cue that is worth a lot of money but with small shafts. You will not be able to sell the cue for as much as if it had good shafts.
Often times the extra shaft is cheaper at the time of build than it would be to buy it years later. There are a lot of makers out there that you can't buy a shaft from for the same money as you could 10-15 years ago.
I am going have to disagree.
I am getting shafts clean without sanding on them ..
I agree with you. Sanding and cleaning are not the same. Too often people are using abrasives.
I won't let anybody near my old Joss shafts with abrasives.
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I remember when I did the shaft maintenance thread .
One of our member PMed and said use lighter fluid.
I am thinking right, there is no way I am putting lighter fluid on any of my shafts ..
Truth is it works really good on the lathe helps clean and then seal the shaft and burnish up really nicely.
But I pretty sure the is a few dozen ways to clean a shaft without sanding on it ever..
From personal experience I can tell you it is really nice to have a spare identical shaft for when your tip pops off during a tournament.:angry:
Agreed. Have used this before myself. Works great. Stunk like hell lolI remember when I did the shaft maintenance thread .
One of our member PMed and said use lighter fluid.
I am thinking right, there is no way I am putting lighter fluid on any of my shafts ..
Truth is it works really good on the lathe helps clean and then seal the shaft and burnish up really nicely.
But I pretty sure the is a few dozen ways to clean a shaft without sanding on it ever..
Agreed. Have used this before myself. Works great. Stunk like hell lol
That's actually how detailers clean leather seats in cars.