Home shaft cleaning ideas

sfleinen said:
JXMIKE:

Great feedback and suggestions -- especially about not using water. However, you placed the Magic Eraser product in parenthesis after the word "water" as if to imply Magic Eraser is a water-based product. It is not; it's a solid:

http://mrclean.com/en_US/products/eraser.shtml

However, in its normal use as intended by Proctor & Gamble, one would use water with it, and that's where in previous replies you see the mention of alcohol -- which is used in place of the water. Unlike water which adversely affects wood (e.g. absorbs into and causes wood to swell), alcohol quickly evaporates. As long as one uses alcohol which has not been doped or thinned with water (i.e. denatured alcohol), it quickly evaporates and leaves nothing behind.

Just thought I'd mention that clarification. However, it's nice to see the variety of replies, all with positive experiences supplied to help answer ftgokie's question! She's got a lot of good things to try now.

Warmest regards,
-Sean
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I learn something new on here every day:thumbup:

since you have experince with these items what about using denatured alcohol to soak the magic eraser with.

just an idea.

thanks.
 
JXMIKE said:
I learn something new on here every day:thumbup:

since you have experince with these items what about using denatured alcohol to soak the magic eraser with.

just an idea.

thanks.
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JXMIKE:

Thanks! Learning-something-new-everyday-wise, you and me both, as I'm sure countless others on here as well. It's what keeps me coming back, the "knowledge" that I'm going to learn something new everytime I visit these forums. i just hope to share back in whatever feeble attempt I can muster.

Anyway, back on track to your question. Yes, one would wet the Magic Eraser with denatured alcohol and apply it just enough to clean the shaft -- no more. And, in regards to the various types of alcohol, I'd seen the term "rubbing alcohol" mentioned. NEVER use rubbing alcohol -- the type you find in the medicine cabinet -- as it contains anywhere from 50% water (e.g. the cheap 50% rubbing alcohol you find in dollar stores) to 9% water (e.g. the "high-end" 91% rubbing alcohol you find in pharmacies). The reservation and warning about using rubbing alcohol is not because it's Isopropyl alcohol (which would be perfect if it weren't thinned with water), but rather because 100% Isopropyl alcohol -- completely anhydrous -- is very rare. (About the only time I found anhydrous Isopropyl alcohol is through a special catalog that offered magnetic tape head cleaners for high-end mixing/production boards -- and even then, the preferred solvent for that use, back then, was Trichlorofluoroethane ["Freon TF"].)

The most common anhydrous alcohol you're going to find today is Denatured Alcohol (90% Ethyl alcohol with 10% Methyl/wood alcohol mixed-in to "poison" it so people won't drink it). Fortunately it's easily found at any hardware/paint supply store, as it's used to thin shellac and clean/prepare surfaces for painting. As you can guess, these intended uses *demand* no water be present in the mixture, so therefore denatured alcohol is a perfect cleaning solvent for cue shafts.

The link I supplied earlier (post #16, second link) should help in identifying the product to look for in the hardware/paint supply store.

Hope this is again helpful!
-Sean
 
shafts cleaning

hey if you want a cheep cleaner try bonami liquid it works great to remove chaulk and dirt from shafts and ferrels,finish out with 600 grit and some carnuba wax
 
A little bit of water on the Magic Eraser hasnt hurt my shafts. Especially since it happens only once or twice in the life of a shaft.

When a shaft is really blue the ME gets it off and then it just takes a wipe down with a towel and MAYBE some alcohol to keep it clean. I wax mine frequently.

I don't use steel wool. I like sandpaper or mesh cloth with a grit of 800 to 2000, depending on how badly the shaft needs sanding.
 
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Here's a link to an old thread about a really nasty shaft I bought. Read all the posts. You'll find that ME works best with water and why. I use alcohol, and repeat with water for the really nasty areas. Then, wipe down with alcohol to evaporate any remaining water, just like we did in high school chemistry class. Never had a shaft warp on me.http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=61661
Hope this helps.
Bill
 
I can't resist confusing things by adding that I burnish with a piece of brown paper bag after using the ME. I can't imagine it being any slicker than it is now.

But I have to admit I'm going to get some 0000 steel wool just to see...
 
I'd never introduce steel fibers to my wood cue. No way. Not ever. Not on your life. Nope.

What you are doing, i.e. burnish w/brown paper bag, or leather, is the best you'll find. The steel wool is abrasive and small steel particles will become embedded in the wood fiber. You do not want that.
 
Steel?

JimS said:
I'd never introduce steel fibers to my wood cue. No way. Not ever. Not on your life. Nope.

What you are doing, i.e. burnish w/brown paper bag, or leather, is the best you'll find. The steel wool is abrasive and small steel particles will become embedded in the wood fiber. You do not want that.
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I know ya don't want to ruin your shaft with anything. But think about it, how did your shaft get shaped to begin with? It didn't go from a square chunk of wood to that perfect shaft just using sandpaper. I'm sure it was turned on a lathe using "steel" to shape it.
The steel wool is actually smoother than sandpaper and does not stay on the shaft as long as it is not wet. That is why you dhould always use denatured alcohol. No water is in it. JMHO;)
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
Clean hands make cleaning unnessessary. Always carry a Towel, or Square Baby Flannel to dry your sweaty hands, and you shaft will stay clean.

FYI.
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this is true, If you dont get your shafts dirty you never need to clean them, therefore I never let mine get dirty. Its less work to keep them clean. I have played 15-16 hours in the past 3 days on a new shaft and it still looks brand new, I wash my hands every 15-30 mins as needed and wipe my shaft down with a almost dry cloth towel and its perfect, my other shafts on a different cue I used the last 6 months look the same-my tips are wore out, yet the shafts looks new, You dont ever need to use any abrasives, it took me along time to learn how to take care of shafts-abrasives are for uninformed players.
 
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One of the best things I have seen is chalking with the tip down. That way no excess chalk falls on the shaft while chalking. Keeping the chalk off the shaft is much better than trying to clean it off afterward.
The other trick is to not put the chalked tip down in a case , but to place the tip up and place a paper towel over the end.That way the chalk does not get into the case and inturn being absorbed in the shaft.
Just my pennys worth.
Neil
 
Don't mean to hijack but my question is along the same lines. The smoothness/slickness of my shaft goes hand in hand with my play. When i first start playing on a particular day I am fine (Hands are clean/shaft is smooth) but after a while depending on the table condition, my hand gets dirty with chalk/oils etc. As my hand gets dirtier and my shaft starts to get all gummed up my play worsens. Problem is when i am playing someone, espically when I am down, i don't like taking a break, going to the bathroom, washing my hands, then walking back to the table. I know it sounds stupid as it only takes a couple of minutes to do it but it is what it is. It also sucks when you are in a room playing by yourself, around people you don't know, and you want to go wash your hands but if you have a nice cue/case combo you either count on the honesty of strangers and roll the dice (Only in vegas, and in craps, not my gear) or you take everything with you on your way to the bathroom every half hour. My hands do not sweat at all so I am lucky there. Is there a product out there that is portable/small enough that you can keep in your case and bust it out when necessary to get your hand clean again. Similar to the wetones pouches i have seen. Unfortunately they leave your hands with a stickiness to them...kryptonite to me:mad:. My game's more clark kent then man of steel anyways thats for sure. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Off point but I have heard that sandpaper at 1500 and above will take off virtually no wood. Any opinions? I might try out that quad zero steel wool. On my sp first of course...no offense Mr. Sherbine :cool:
 
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Getnbzy said:
Is there a product out there that is portable/small enough that you can keep in your case and bust it out when necessary to get your hand clean again.

Off point but I have heard that sandpaper at 1500 and above will take off no wood. Any opinions? I might try out that quad zero steel wool. On my sp first of course...no offense Mr. Sherbine :cool:
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I converted an empty nasal spray bottle into a denatured alcohol spray bottle and, while playing, I use it to clean my hands and/or the shaft.

I'll never use steel wool on a cue. It will remove the wax and leave steel particles on the shaft. I doubt you'll be able to find a cue expert that would recommend using steel wool. 1500 grit paper or the equivilant cloth mesh (6000 I think) will remove a tiny amount of wood. It is abrasive. It's about as non abrasive as you can get but it's still somewhat abrasive. Rub your shaft with it a few times. If there's white residue that's wood from your shaft. 2000 is better and leather or brown paper is better yet.

Don't use an abrasive unless you need/want to remove wood. Steel wool and sandpaper are abrasives and they remove wood. That's what they're made for.
 
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