I finally got back from vacation to shoot with my freys tonight it had a great feel to it solid hit, but the shaft just seemed like it was not as smooth as it should be it felt gritty the more i shot with it, i do not use any hand talc and my hands were not sweaty, has anyone had this problem or know how i can fix it? thanks
got my freys sp,
- Thread starter Scottlucasi19
- Start date
From my experiences it's been do to chalk sticking to the shaft, especially new ones. It's usually do to excess chalk on your hands, or just sticking to the shaft when you chalk your tip. After a while though your shaft will start getting that nice caked in bluish tint to it, then it'll feel smooth... So unlike most people I like my shafts to get real dirty then I'll just wipe excess chalk off of it once in a while during a session.
A friend of mine usually just wipes down the shaft with a damp towel. Another alternative is to wash your hands often. Or you can try this: www.slipstic.com I haven't tried it but a lot of people swear by it.
When I got my first cue I thought it was the shaft's grain starting to rise up, almost had a heart attack
A friend of mine usually just wipes down the shaft with a damp towel. Another alternative is to wash your hands often. Or you can try this: www.slipstic.com I haven't tried it but a lot of people swear by it.
When I got my first cue I thought it was the shaft's grain starting to rise up, almost had a heart attack
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Sand it down a bit. Don't be afraid... Its just wood... Get some 2k grit. Auto body section has it...
Scottlucasi19 said:
I love the feel of a slick smooth freshly burnished shaft. And when kept this way you will never need a glove or powder again. there are lots of threads that talk about the subject's proper technics; but here is a very brief tutorial. Buy these Q-Smooth or these(same thing)McMagic. I am not affiliated with either of these sites you can buy them where you chose. Then after you have the shaft as smooth as the wood will get, and trust me it will get like glass, you then use slipstic to seal it. keep you hands clean and a towel in your case to wipe you hands and cue and I gaurantee you'll never have issues again. Astick as beautiful as a Frey, or any nice cue for that matter, should be cared for like a fine tuned weapon.
thanks alot guys i was getting worried, so i hit it with the 2000 grit and then what?...I have a leather pad i got from ozone do i burnish it with that
Heres the truth...
No matter how finely polished or sealed a maker sends out a shaft, its new wood. The wood reacts to the ph and moisture from your hand. Some peoples hands are drier than others so their new shafts may stay new longer. Some sweaty hand players can make a shaft feel like crap in 2 minutes. What happens is the moisture raises the wood grain and it feels horrible. Do not sand your shaft...leave that to a professional...unless you want to buy shafts often. The cure is simple. While a shaft is new and breaking in you will need to keep a piece of brown cardboard or leather and rub it down good to burnish it. Rub it until it actually becomes warm and smooth. If the grain is raised too much, then first rub it down with 0000 steel wool. Make sure to get the 0000. This in limited use will not damage the wood. Then...here's the secret...EVERY time after playing, burnish until smooth and then wax it. Any good wood paste wax is fine. I like to use bowling alley wax. Just put a generous amount on a rag and rub until your arm is tired...unless you have a lathe. Then rub it down again with a dry soft rag. This will help seal the wood. Keeps moisture and chalk dust out of the grain and provides a nice silky smooth feel. After doing this often (I actually wax mine every time before or after I play...no such thing as too much) then the shaft will try to stay slick & silky. I have shafts that are several years old...that feel so slick it will make your knees buckle. Often players will feel my shaft and are amazed. Sure I can make yours feel like that...but its up to you to do the required steps to keep it at that level.
Hope this helps.
No matter how finely polished or sealed a maker sends out a shaft, its new wood. The wood reacts to the ph and moisture from your hand. Some peoples hands are drier than others so their new shafts may stay new longer. Some sweaty hand players can make a shaft feel like crap in 2 minutes. What happens is the moisture raises the wood grain and it feels horrible. Do not sand your shaft...leave that to a professional...unless you want to buy shafts often. The cure is simple. While a shaft is new and breaking in you will need to keep a piece of brown cardboard or leather and rub it down good to burnish it. Rub it until it actually becomes warm and smooth. If the grain is raised too much, then first rub it down with 0000 steel wool. Make sure to get the 0000. This in limited use will not damage the wood. Then...here's the secret...EVERY time after playing, burnish until smooth and then wax it. Any good wood paste wax is fine. I like to use bowling alley wax. Just put a generous amount on a rag and rub until your arm is tired...unless you have a lathe. Then rub it down again with a dry soft rag. This will help seal the wood. Keeps moisture and chalk dust out of the grain and provides a nice silky smooth feel. After doing this often (I actually wax mine every time before or after I play...no such thing as too much) then the shaft will try to stay slick & silky. I have shafts that are several years old...that feel so slick it will make your knees buckle. Often players will feel my shaft and are amazed. Sure I can make yours feel like that...but its up to you to do the required steps to keep it at that level.
Hope this helps.
Varney Cues said:
I have been following these steps exactly on my new Varney cues, except have not used the steel wool. Shafts are as slick as a baby's b*tt.
The only thing extra I do sometimes is use a damp cloth to wipe off excess chalk on the cue before beginning the process.
I was playing snooker with a friend last week and he suddenly started sanding his shaft to make it smooth. I stopped him and pulled my piece of cardboard out and burnished his shaft for him. He was stunned at the way it felt
