Help, My Cue!!!

despotic931

despotic931

Mr. Felson's my dad...
Silver Member
Ok so a couple of days ago I left my 314 shaft with a local cue maker. It is a first generation shaft with a Uniloc joint off of my Predator SPJ (wood to wood joint, 4 points, red veneers). Anyways I wanted him to put a sniper tip on (I supplied the tip), and clean up the shaft. I personaly handed him the shaft, with the joint protector on as always, snug but not tight, as I always keep it when the cue is not together.

Tonight I went to go pick it up, the first thing i noticed was how incredibly tight the joint protector was on. When I tried to put the shaft on my cue the threads would not even catch (since it's Uniloc)! After further inspection it looks as though they had been "worn" away, and when I tried to install the joint protector back on, it wouldn't even go on straight!

In total dismay I went to show him (He was at the pool hall), he said he wouldn't look at it tonight, that I could bring it to him monday or just leave it with him. And, he said that he never removed the joint protector the whole time he had it! So, here I am left with a cue that I have always taken excelent care of, that I can't even put together! I'm so upset right now, this cue is my baby, and my player.

So, my first question is, what could have happened, what could cause this?

Second, is what do I do from here?

Thanks guys...
-Justin <--- So Bloody Pi553d Off that He Could Scream!!!
 
See what he says and if he doesnt fix it which he probably should according to your info, then change cue repair guys. When Im in the rockford area and need something, i usually call tyler at rockford Billiard Cafe. He may not be the best but hes honest and I can trust him to do his best work every time. Hes preatty reasonable as far as prices go too.
 
But I am also worried about having him fix it (I think it will be something major) and voiding my Predator warrantee :(
 
You know, this brings up an interesting point. How many of you just give your expensive stuff to people with no guarantee that they will be able or willing to replace it if they screw it up?

I think cue repair people ought to be bonded somehow. They ought to carry insurance to cover the cost of their mistakes.

I had a guy leave a JossWest and a Schuler with me in Vegas one year. I had to fly home a day early so I never got to had him his cues back. He claims he never got them. So I had to file a claim with my insurance company, State Farm by the way - always been great to me, and pay him $2800. If I hadn't carried liability insurance then that would have been quite an uncomfortable hit for me.

So many of us just hand our stuff to people we might not know too well and hope for the best. Me too. A cuemaker known to us all here once did a refinish job on my $1200 cue that could be described as shoddy at best. Not only did he remove part of the stain on the forearm but he made no attempt to restain it so that looked like crap. Then the finish was uneven and had sanding marks spiraling down it. I thought it was impossible to do such a bad job. I was so mad that I didn't even make an issue of it. I should have but I didn't. I was at the point where I didn't even want to let him try again with the cue. Nor did I want to put more money into it with someone else. And don't ask because I won't name names. It doesn't matter now. The point is that while he "might" have been able to correct it what really needed to happen at that point was for him to replace the cue and I am positive he didn't have the funds nor the insurance to do so at that time. I may be wrong but I didn't bother to ask before he started work because, who does that? Right, no one does, we hand it over and hope for the best.
 
Dude, if something is scewed up on the internal threads of your cue due to someone else putting it in a lathe, your warranty is void anyway. He needs to either fix it or get you a new shaft. End of story.
 
Yeah ...

John Barton said:
Dude, if something is scewed up on the internal threads of your cue due to someone else putting it in a lathe, your warranty is void anyway. He needs to either fix it or get you a new shaft. End of story.
Click to expand...

John called it right. Cuemakers put shafts on a lathe when they clean them up, so the JP's had to come off. Something to keep in mind though, is repair men are NOT the same as a true cuemaker, and not nearly as knowledgeable or have the equipment needed for all types of cues.
 
Show up on Monday in a He-Man costume and weird him out by saying...

hemancumtr1.jpg




Perfect revenge...!
 
Snapshot9 said:
John called it right. Cuemakers put shafts on a lathe when they clean them up, so the JP's had to come off. Something to keep in mind though, is repair men are NOT the same as a true cuemaker, and not nearly as knowledgeable or have the equipment needed for all types of cues.
Click to expand...


I don't totally agree with that statement. I have repaired cues for 15 years, nothing too difficult...tips, ferrules, dings, shaft cleaning, wraps and I had o have tooling for ALL kinds of cues and shafts. Some cue makers may only have tooling for their particular joint/thread type.

I think your cue repair guy didn't have a lathe pin for the Uni-loc and tried to use another type like a 3/8-10 or 3/8-11 which comes close to threading into a Uni-loc, but will only ***** the threads.

A note to EVERYONE, when you drop off your items for repair, make sure you both know exactly what is to be done, and if there are any defects besides what is to be fixed. This is to protect BOTH of you!

Gerry
 
I also think he should fix or replace the shaft. If he doesn't, I can replace the insert for you. I am authorized to fix Predator cues and shafts without voiding the warranty.

Can you see damage in the insert? Did he damage the JP? Does it still screw on to your cue and roll straight?
 
sounds like he put the joint protector directly into the chuck on the lathe and when it spun, it probably spun really fast and over tightened that joint protector since you said it was alittle loose..

i am always carefull not to leave the joint protectors because i had one guy one time not give them back..

good luck with everything.. i hope this works out for you..
chris
 
John Barton said:
Dude, if something is scewed up on the internal threads of your cue due to someone else putting it in a lathe, your warranty is void anyway. He needs to either fix it or get you a new shaft. End of story.
Click to expand...

Would my warrenty be ok if it was repaired by a predator authorized repairman, such as Ratcues?

Snapshot9 said:
John called it right. Cuemakers put shafts on a lathe when they clean them up, so the JP's had to come off. Something to keep in mind though, is repair men are NOT the same as a true cuemaker, and not nearly as knowledgeable or have the equipment needed for all types of cues.
Click to expand...

Yea I know it had to go on the lathe, and couldn't figure out how he put it on the lathe with the joint protectors on. And the guy is a cue maker, not just a repairman, I guarantee there are people on this board that would know his name if I divulged it.

ratcues said:
I also think he should fix or replace the shaft. If he doesn't, I can replace the insert for you. I am authorized to fix Predator cues and shafts without voiding the warranty.

Can you see damage in the insert? Did he damage the JP? Does it still screw on to your cue and roll straight?
Click to expand...

I can see Damage on the Brass threads, I agree that it looks almost like he tried to thread the wrong lathe pin into it. The joint protector has minimal damage on the threads, looks to be cross threaded. It will screw on, but it goes on crooked.

The joint protector is just the predator composite one, it shows no damage on the exterior, such as from putting into a lathe chuck. Also after putting it back on and removing it I could see very small brass shavings on it. But I find it hard to believe that a plastic joint protector would ruin brass threads.

also, PM sent

ChrisOnline said:
sounds like he put the joint protector directly into the chuck on the lathe and when it spun, it probably spun really fast and over tightened that joint protector since you said it was alittle loose..

i am always carefull not to leave the joint protectors because i had one guy one time not give them back..

good luck with everything.. i hope this works out for you..
chris
Click to expand...

the joint protector wasn't loose, I think I know what you are saying, but it was plenty "snug" and I don't think that could have been the cause. The thing that gets me is that he said he never took the joint protectors off, and I really don't think that little plastic predator joint protector would suffice to hold a shaft in a lathe. Is that common practice to use a joint protector like that?

Thanks Guys
-Justin <---still a little steamed
 
Snapshot9 said:
John called it right. Cuemakers put shafts on a lathe when they clean them up, so the JP's had to come off. Something to keep in mind though, is repair men are NOT the same as a true cuemaker, and not nearly as knowledgeable or have the equipment needed for all types of cues.
Click to expand...
100% agreement with snapshot here. They are so many people out there calling themselves cue repair men. We had a guy call our company from Alabama, explaining that he's a cue repairman. Granted he was asking about our ATROX TOOL, but he actually said that he does tip repair service with a williards shaper he modified by installing a bolt through it and attaching it to a drill. And he shapes the new tips that way. When we asked him how the heck does he maintain the speed on it he said "I dont. Now I have burned up a few but I've gotten better at it."
My God, please take your cue repair to someone who knows what they are doing. We subsequently told him that if he got our Atrox Tool and he did that to it, he can forget any warranty on it.

Cue repairmen should be licensed. lol

David
 
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Yup, he used the JP to spin the shaft and "F"ed up your threads. The insert will need to be replaced. Sorry for your misfortune:(
 
i'm starting to wonder if your repair cost is going to be cheaper than getting a new shaft. despotic931 you should ask this guy if he'll pay to have it fixed or fix it himself
 
I would've place him in the lathe and changed his tip. :mad: :mad: :mad:

But seriously, he should fix or replace it for you. You paid for a "good service"and you got a bad one.
 
Did your joint protector have any small scratches on it, if so he chucked in into the lathe and became over tighten when the shaft was spinning during the refinish/clean-up. This is the reason your joint protector was on extremely tight. I wouldn't think it would get tight enough to damage the threads unless he torqued the shaft while it was spinning. It could be fixed, shaft would need to be plugged and a new insert would have to be installed. Send it into Predator, I'm assuming they could fix it without any problem.
 
sky.. said:
I would've place him in the lathe and changed his tip. :mad: :mad: :mad:

But seriously, he should fix or replace it for you. You paid for a "good service"and you got a bad one.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't send it back to him. If he messed it up installing a tip, I'd hate to imagine what would happen if he tried to replace the insert. Predator shafts are softer than normal hard rock maple. It doesn't take much to spin the shaft.


(despotic931 clear some PMs)
 
You guys bring up some great points about cue repair/makers..i attended a large Tourney in the past year and one of the vendors a cue maker was displaying his wares..i could not believe what i was seeing..the shoddy workmanship was unbelieveable..i am not exagerating when i say it looked like a second grader did the work in a wood shop..some of the cues were 4 pointers each one of the 4 ponits were at a different length..the worst being at least 3/4 on an inch OFF !!!!!..i literally stepped about 10 feet from his display and could easily see the difference..the stains were so uneven it would be something any regular person would throw away...he was trying to sell these cues for about $275.00 !!!!!! after seeing his work i wouldn't even let him put a tip on my cue...i guess it's ALWAYS customer beware.it's too bad people like this THINK that they are craftsman..
 
anyone just having a tip put on, shaft cleaned, tip shaped etc... shopuld always just stand there and watch the work be done as it will only take 10 to 15 minutes. i have been using mike guylassey or joe blackburn for years and both do great work and never object to you watching and waiting for the work to be complete. you can also stand there and have them shape your tip to the exact thickness that you prefer. anyone that wants you to "drop off the shaft " or "leave it with me and i'll work on it and you can pick it up or i'll drop it off" always seem to be the people that threads such as this one are written about. if they are too busy to do it on the spot ask them what time would be a good time so you two can get together and have it done. again mike or joe would welcome you to stand their and point out your preferences to them so they can do it right the first time and not have you bring the shaft back say"hey could you shape this down a little more, i like my tip about half that size, etc..." my point is that their is no denying when someone messes up your equipment when you are standing there witnessing the work.
 
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