how can a collar shrink?

[misterpoole]

One of my custom cues shaft collars appear to have shrunk. I received the cue new, about a year ago, and didn't notice a problem at that time. Now when I put the cue together I can feel the difference in diameter across the joint area. I can also feel the rings on the collar. The rings have not shrunk.
I was told that the shrinkage was due to extreme temperature change, but this does not make sense to me because the cue has been either in my house or at the pool hall.
What is the likely explanation for the collar shrinkage?

 

[pdcue]

One of my custom cues shaft collars appear to have shrunk. I received the cue new, about a year ago, and didn't notice a problem at that time. Now when I put the cue together I can feel the difference in diameter across the joint area. I can also feel the rings on the collar. The rings have not shrunk.
I was told that the shrinkage was due to extreme temperature change, but this does not make sense to me because the cue has been either in my house or at the pool hall.
What is the likely explanation for the collar shrinkage?

You didn't mention what material the collar is made of.
the most likely reason, IMHO, would due to moisture
loss from changes in humidity, a common prob with collars
and ferrules

Dale

 

[Klopek]

For a second there I was going to suggest maybe your neck got fatter.

 

[manwon]

One of my custom cues shaft collars appear to have shrunk. I received the cue new, about a year ago, and didn't notice a problem at that time. Now when I put the cue together I can feel the difference in diameter across the joint area. I can also feel the rings on the collar. The rings have not shrunk.
I was told that the shrinkage was due to extreme temperature change, but this does not make sense to me because the cue has been either in my house or at the pool hall.
What is the likely explanation for the collar shrinkage?

In most cases the true culpred is the wood not the collars. This happens many times from woods that have not been seasoned / dried correctly. As wood dries it will shrink, so if the mositure content is not properly reduced before cue construction shinkage most likely will occur with time.

Just the opposite happens when a cue is not kept in a tempeture controled environment. In this case the first thing to occur is the expansion of the cues inlays and where different woods are joined without using some type of spacer, normally plastic, fiber or phenolic.

This expansion is caused by different hardness of materials used in construction. Different materials expand and contract at different rates, expansion and contraction will occur when ever materials are either cooled and then heated rapidly or vise versa. To prove this point look at many older cues, where materials are inlayed into a hardwood such as Ebony. If the cue has been exposed to tempeture variations the expansion and contraction will cause the inlays to be raised or even cracked depending on the inlay material used. Mother of Pearl or types of plastic were common inlay materials used in the old days and in many cases if examined you will see they are cracked due to this process.

When you say that you can feel the rings in the joint area, I would suspect that the rings that you are speaking of are some type of metal.
Metal rings are very unstable and they will expand through a cues finish very easly even under normal curcumstances where care is taken concerning tempeture, if they are inlayed in wood.

Sorry, I get a little carried away when talking about his subject, but I hope that I answered your question.

Have a good night!!!!!

Manwon

 

[Cue Crazy]

When I first read this thread, My first thought was the material behind the joint had expanded instead of the collar actually shrinking, but the rings being the same size of the forearm made Me wonder if the collar had actually shrunk. The exception- If the rings were metal, then possible the forearm expanded to match the rings. Alot of Ifs, ands, & buts without seeing It in person, but I'm sure It's due to either expansion or strinkage Sure that is'nt much help though. In hand I'm sure I could tell, but By description It's not always that easy.
Some materials will expand when being polished & slightly shrink after a cool down period. See this alot in shaft work after burnishing a ferrule & tip. There are quite a few variables that could cause this issue.


Greg

 

[KD Cues]

shrinkage

Another posibble culprit is the finish. Most catalized finishes (such as two part clear car finishes) are made to be flexable and to stay in a curing state indefinitely, aproaching hardness, but never reaching it. If the clear were to dry completely hard, the finish would crack when your car was exposed to extreme heat and then extreme cold, due to different rates of expansion. Sometimes cues that have this type of finish are not sanded completely level and the finish fills in the difference. When this occurs, the cue apears flat and level, for a few weeks until the finish begins to shrink/cure. Grains and irregularities soon become apparent. In conclusion, if the butt and shaft do not have the same amount of finish on them, they will eventually appear not to match up. Good luck! Kent

 

[misterpoole]

Another posibble culprit is the finish. Most catalized finishes (such as two part clear car finishes) are made to be flexable and to stay in a curing state indefinitely, aproaching hardness, but never reaching it. If the clear were to dry completely hard, the finish would crack when your car was exposed to extreme heat and then extreme cold, due to different rates of expansion. Sometimes cues that have this type of finish are not sanded completely level and the finish fills in the difference. When this occurs, the cue apears flat and level, for a few weeks until the finish begins to shrink/cure. Grains and irregularities soon become apparent. In conclusion, if the butt and shaft do not have the same amount of finish on them, they will eventually appear not to match up. Good luck! Kent

I think it could be fixed with extra coats of finish on the shaft, but I dont understand why I would be able to feel the ring, which is just a maple check ring. That is why it appears to me that the black collar (plastic/phenolic) has somehow shrunk and is now a slightly smaller diameter. Its noticeable when I run a finger over the ivory sleeved joint and the shaft collar with the cue assembled.
Thanks to everyone for their thoughts.