"glassing" a shaft

brechbt

brechbt

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Probably most of us have heard of using a glass rod or similar glass tool to remove dings from a shaft. I've tried it once or twice, with decent success. I had a shaft that was on my main playing cue for a while, that had picked up several dings from the usual bumping around. I decided to try glassing with a bit more focus.

When I tried it before, I just held the assembled cue in my hand, butt on the floor, rotating it while using a thick-walled shot glass to burnish the ding. This time, I took the shaft off and laid it on a towel on a work table. I found the dings and pressed very hard with the shot glass in a burnishing-style motion. Being able to support the shaft against the table really improved the results. I had a bright light shining on it as I worked, and could actually see the dings disappearing as I rubbed with the glass. This technique works very well. After burnishing out several dings this way, I used Q-papers on the entire shaft. It came out great.

I've heard speculation that glassing a shaft works by reducing the diameter, in effect mashing the wood fibers around the ding down to the level of the ding. I don't think that's what happens. My theory is that the wood fibers, being compressible, are pressed down somewhat by the pressure of the glassing. They then rebound, and bring the fibers affected by the ding up with them. Any scientists in the crowd can comment on this theory.

If you've never tried this, I suggest you do. If you don't have a glass rod, a shot glass works well, but make sure the glass is very smooth with no irregularities.
 
brechbt said:
Probably most of us have heard of using a glass rod or similar glass tool to remove dings from a shaft. I've tried it once or twice, with decent success. I had a shaft that was on my main playing cue for a while, that had picked up several dings from the usual bumping around. I decided to try glassing with a bit more focus.

When I tried it before, I just held the assembled cue in my hand, butt on the floor, rotating it while using a thick-walled shot glass to burnish the ding. This time, I took the shaft off and laid it on a towel on a work table. I found the dings and pressed very hard with the shot glass in a burnishing-style motion. Being able to support the shaft against the table really improved the results. I had a bright light shining on it as I worked, and could actually see the dings disappearing as I rubbed with the glass. This technique works very well. After burnishing out several dings this way, I used Q-papers on the entire shaft. It came out great.

I've heard speculation that glassing a shaft works by reducing the diameter, in effect mashing the wood fibers around the ding down to the level of the ding. I don't think that's what happens. My theory is that the wood fibers, being compressible, are pressed down somewhat by the pressure of the glassing. They then rebound, and bring the fibers affected by the ding up with them. Any scientists in the crowd can comment on this theory.

If you've never tried this, I suggest you do. If you don't have a glass rod, a shot glass works well, but make sure the glass is very smooth with no irregularities.
Click to expand...

I think you are better off using a little steam. Isn't that what the cue repair guys use?
 
Compressing the fibers or spreading them out. You can also use a Bic lighter if you're at the pool hall with about the same result.

If you have time between games, you can fold a paper towel several times
and cut a small square from it. Wet it and squeeze out excess water.
Lay the wet bandage over the ding and give it 10 minutes give or take depending on how big the dent is. If it raises the dent to being level, great, but if it raises it higher, you can sand it out or use your Bic lighter to burnish it back down.

Its something better done at home when you have better tools and more time to concentrate but I know how it is when that ding is right at your bridge hand, and they usually are.

I use a steam gun when its on the lathe, and works best but you have to use it sparingly. You don't want to blast the same dent
for 5 minutes.

And, you don't ever want to use steam or any kind of heat method on a laminated shaft. Wet bandage or fill the dent in and sand.
 
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brechbt said:
Probably most of us have heard of using a glass rod or similar glass tool to remove dings from a shaft. I've tried it once or twice, with decent success. I had a shaft that was on my main playing cue for a while, that had picked up several dings from the usual bumping around. I decided to try glassing with a bit more focus.

When I tried it before, I just held the assembled cue in my hand, butt on the floor, rotating it while using a thick-walled shot glass to burnish the ding. This time, I took the shaft off and laid it on a towel on a work table. I found the dings and pressed very hard with the shot glass in a burnishing-style motion. Being able to support the shaft against the table really improved the results. I had a bright light shining on it as I worked, and could actually see the dings disappearing as I rubbed with the glass. This technique works very well. After burnishing out several dings this way, I used Q-papers on the entire shaft. It came out great.

I've heard speculation that glassing a shaft works by reducing the diameter, in effect mashing the wood fibers around the ding down to the level of the ding. I don't think that's what happens. My theory is that the wood fibers, being compressible, are pressed down somewhat by the pressure of the glassing. They then rebound, and bring the fibers affected by the ding up with them. Any scientists in the crowd can comment on this theory.

If you've never tried this, I suggest you do. If you don't have a glass rod, a shot glass works well, but make sure the glass is very smooth with no irregularities.
Click to expand...

I'm not a scientist but I understand about wood dents and their removal. Any kind of friction smoothing is likely just "spreading the dent" but if it's fixed, it should be unnoticable.

I level the cue and put a drop of water on the dent, let it soak in, until the droplet is gone and feel it. The water will swell the pourous fibers. If the dent is gone, I let it fully dry and lighly sand the patch with 2000 grit and burniish it with parchment baking release paper or a paper bag.

If it's not gone, I do the same thing again with another drop of water, let it soak in, and use a hairdryer or an iron on a low settting and a piece of cloth to heat up the area. What this does is cause the water now within the collapsed cells to rapidly expand, and this acts like pumping a tire up. This always seems to work. Let it dry, sand and burniish the area.

I have heard of the glass rod method but I've never found a reason to try it.

Chris
 
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The glass rod just makes the area around the dent compressed, making it worse. If you were to check it on a lathe after, you'd see your shaft is now out of round too.

Rodney
 
brechbt said:
If you've never tried this, I suggest you do. If you don't have a glass rod, a shot glass works well, but make sure the glass is very smooth with no irregularities.
Click to expand...

I'll just use my guitar slide :thumbup: if I ever go the "glassing" route. I usually go with the water droplet and 1500 to 2000 grit sandpaper.

Maniac
 
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MitchAlsup said:
I put the drop on a cotton swab and lay the swab on the dent.
Click to expand...

This is similar to what I do when I basically need some steam.....

I wet the corner of a rag....i lay that corner on the spot, and palace a hot iron on top of it for a second or two....

works well....never gave me a problem....

usually i just spin it on the lathe and add a little dab of spit and thats all it needs

-Grey Ghost-
 
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