Hoppe Professional Recommendations

[MBL]

Ok so I have this Willie Hoppe Professional, it's not the greatest example. I would "like" to make it a player. So I had some preliminary ideas. Firstly, I like the idea of doing just enough of a conversion to make it like an early Rambow. The other thought was to keep it original and not mess with it.

Rolled separately, both have a bit of a curve to them, which I expected. Rolled together this is amplified. Now, perfection is not the goal, or expectation. Playable is mostly the concern. With that having been said, I am getting the idea that the "together" roll is made much worse by the lack of square associated with the joint.











As you can see, that fiber stuff has seen some swelling, and it does not appear to have kept square.

So ideas? I'd like to at the very least get the joint leveled from all areas. Is this something that can be done? If so, how much should I expect to pay?

Oh and if I keep it in an original configuration, I'd like to get the proper Hoppe ring, which I don't actually care if it's ivory or not.

Let me know you're thoughts and perhaps what services might be available. At this point I am quite open to ideas.

Thanks
Tim

 

[cueman]

Provided the cue is reasonably straight, cutting the rings down and polishing the brass joint up is not that big of a deal. Putting the white ring on the back is something I think I would skip and leave it and the sticker like it is.

 

[MBL]

Oh I should mention that by adding a little make shift shim with some folded over paper like so:



the cue rolls WAY better. Not perfect, but considerably better.
Tim

 

[KJ Cues]

If you're alright with the dimensions of the cue in it's current form then I would agree with Chris to leave the sticker.
At some point, should you feel the butt of the cue to be a bit on the wide side and you'd like it reduced,
well, the sticker would have to go but the Hoppe ring could be done with the reduction.
Find a good CM in your area that will work with you because this cue will need a lot of 'touch-up' on a lot of little stuff before I would consider it ready to play.
The fact that your jnt collar has shifted to the extent that it has suggests the glue has broken-down.
The same glue was used on everything. Those blk collars didn't swell/shrink just on the surface.
They moved all the way thru and on the backside too. I'll bet that without much effort you could move if not turn them.
I'd completely strip the jnt and rebuild it, this time with epoxy. Then you could play it.
BTW, your F/A has a crack in it just below the blk collar in your second pic. That will need to be addressed as well.

Good Luck, KJ

 

[MBL]

Ok so since this is not the best "preserved" piece, and it's gonna take a bit to make it playable, what all would be involved to "convert" it into what would be a close approximation of a Rambow? Were his cues thinner? What kind of money are we talking for such a thing? I think I should see if I can find some Rambow cue pics.
Tim

 

[KJ Cues]

I've looked at those pics several times this afternoon and to be honest, I'm now not certain there is a crack.
It could be but now there's room for doubt. Someone would actually have to look at it in person to make that determination.

The cue could be made playable relatively cheap.
You'd want to spend the money on the joint. After that, it's entirely up to you.

HTHs, KJ

 

[MBL]

In looking at it closely, I don't think it's a crack. This cue has quite a few random marks all over it. I might check with Terry from Tampa's Gunn Cues affilliation to see what he might be able to do to help. I like the idea of a brass joint. I might just see if the collars can be replaced and it be made squared as much as possible. Is there a way that I can tell if the ferrel is origninal?
Tim

 

[cueman]

In looking at it closely, I don't think it's a crack. This cue has quite a few random marks all over it. I might check with Terry from Tampa's Gunn Cues affilliation to see what he might be able to do to help. I like the idea of a brass joint. I might just see if the collars can be replaced and it be made squared as much as possible. Is there a way that I can tell if the ferrel is origninal?
Tim

If that joint is not brass I would not change it as that would be more rare than a brass joint. Just have the rings trimmed down and reface both joints, put on a good tip and ferrule and the cue would be playable. Rambow cues would often be just as thick as that one, but often slimmer also. If you are close to Terry that would be a great choice.

 

[MBL]

Currently it does have a brass joint. I'll leave that alone I think. So I should look to have the current fiber pieces and brass joint resurfaced and leveled, rather than having new fiber pieces/new plastic pieces put in? I suppose I'll need to get with Terry to see his assessment.
Tim