Gold Crown Cue Rack - Rubber Nib Alternative?

K

KUKABUKA

Active member
I recently obtained an old GC cue rack with the rubber nibs but several of them are broken, and the ones that aren't broken are super dry and stiff. Some shafts are picking up scratches from being pushed past the nibs. I see I can buy replacement nibs from classic billiards but they're ludicrously expensive ($3.95 per nib?), apparently very difficult to replace, and will undoubtedly dry out over the years.

Has anyone come up with an alternative method to restrain the cues in the rack?

Thanks
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Any trade that deals with rubber material, I'm sure it'll be easy to find. Maybe start with a plumbing supply house.
I was in the auto repair business, I'm sure there are Rubber Orings one could cut to length.
 
Island Drive said:
Any trade that deals with rubber material, I'm sure it'll be easy to find. Maybe start with a plumbing supply house.
I was in the auto repair business, I'm sure there are Rubber Orings one could cut to length.
Click to expand...

Yeah good call, I'm leaning towards fashioning my own out of a softer readily available rubber, just want them to look relatively uniform and not "uncoiled" or something
 
Lowes has bins of rubber grommets, o-rings, brass fittings, nylon bushings...all kinds of stuff.
I've had to rig stuff; looked thru by drawers of "saved" items...when I can't find something that I could make work, I go to my local hardware store and browse their bins. I've been asked, "What are you looking for, maybe I can help?" My reply is," I dunno, but I will know it when I see it."
 
I had this exact same issue a few years ago. I ended up buying a roll of rubber cord off ebay. Can't remember what diameter I got but it worked great.
 
You can buy it in a roll on Amazon and cut it to size yourself. It will not have the rounded edges unless you find a method to machine each piece.

Here's one option:
 
KUKABUKA said:
My nibs measured .22", do you recall if you used 1/4" successfully?
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I didn't use the Amazon sourced product. I went with the Classic Billiards nibs as I wanted it to look original. Either way, you will have to clean up the holes where the nibs go. I cut down an old 9/32" drill bit and worked it in/out by hand, using pliers when needed. It went pretty smooth. This should give you the clearance to install a 0.25" rubber rod. I believe the nibs from Classic Billiards are 0.25" but I can't recall.

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Here's a brief still shot video I made of the restoration of my rack. It was a fun project! Good luck with yours!

 
rexus31 said:
I didn't use the Amazon sourced product. I went with the Classic Billiards nibs as I wanted it to look original. Either way, you will have to clean up the holes where the nibs go. I cut down an old 9/32" drill bit and worked it in/out by hand, using pliers when needed. It went pretty smooth. This should give you the clearance to install a 0.25" rubber rod. I believe the nibs from Classic Billiards are 0.25" but I can't recall.

View attachment 750807

Here's a brief still shot video I made of the restoration of my rack. It was a fun project! Good luck with yours!

Click to expand...
Thank you very much! I've watched all of your videos, they're great.
 
Here is O-Ring stock from McMaster-Carr, an industrial supply

I linked the whole page so you can see what other shapes and materials they offer. The one in the upper left corner, "Oil Resistant Buna N O-Ring Cord stock" is the most common. Its sold by the foot and super cheap.

Also of note they list both the nominal size and the actual size, which may help for your project, and also have metric sizes that may further allow you to fine tune the fit.

www.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com www.mcmaster.com
 
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