how do you change the weight on a mcdermott cue?

In general, it should be pretty simple. Pop out the bumper and unscrew the weight bolt and put a new one in. McDermott even sells a special tool to remove the bumper. I haven't tried that hard, but couldn't do it with what I had readily available at the time.
 
LOL. i was wondering how the heck to get the bumper off. so to change the weight i have to buy a different size weight to install?
 
In general, it should be pretty simple. Pop out the bumper and unscrew the weight bolt and put a new one in. McDermott even sells a special tool to remove the bumper. I haven't tried that hard, but couldn't do it with what I had readily available at the time.

Pliers and a towel will work too, if you dont want to spend the $25 for the tool. And yes you have to purchase a weight bolt to change the weight.
 
The quote below is correct if you don't have the McD. tool. The bumper is a "pop out" kind, not threaded. If you do not want to buy (the proper size/type) weight bolt AND you want to REDUCE the weight, you can hacksaw off the end (depending on what weight reduction you want). Be careful to not cut too much at a time as once it's gone....it's gone! Good Luck!

PS: Most good cue repair people have both the McD. tool AND the proper size bolt, but you will pay something for the bolt and for it to be installed!

Pliers and a towel will work too, if you dont want to spend the $25 for the tool. And yes you have to purchase a weight bolt to change the weight.
 
I've changed weight bolts on quite a few McD's. The thread is 1/2-13 on the newer ones. I've used Joss bolts, which have the same thread with an allen head recess, allen head setscrews from the hardware store, or made my own using threaded rod with a slot cut in the end for a screwdriver. If you wind the bolt to the bottom of the cavity, you'll change the balance point slightly forward, which to me is a benefit. Due to the difficulty in removing the bumper without McD's tool, I usually leave the bumper off while testing different weight bolts. Once the weight is finalized, I'll put a little dab of silicone sealer on the end of the bolt to keep it secure and install the bumper.

Bill
 
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I've used Joss bolts, which have the same thread with an allen head recess, allen head setscrews from the hardware store, or made my own using threaded rod with a slot cut in the end for a screwdriver.

Bill

I've got the hardware store threaded rod (size 1/2"x13--4" long). Problem is it will only thread down about an inch before it just gets stuck. (needless to say I stop turning at this point to keep from stripping the threads)

The original Lucasi weight bolt I removed was 3" long, so there is plenty of thread in the wood.

Could this be a metric/standard thing? Maybe the original Lucasi bolt is tapered slightly as a proprietary measure? Any Ideas?

I really like the idea of using all-thread to distribute the weight to my liking...:)
 
I've never worked on a Lucasi, so I'm not sure about their thread pitch. Take your Lucasi bolt to a hardware store, and find a nut that will wind on your bolt. It may very well be metric. If that's the case, metric all-thread is not commonly available, so you may have to buy a bolt or two and cut off the head.

Bill
 
They're right. Pliers and a towel will work but the McGripper makes it real easy if you are going to change more than a couple.
 
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Sorry to disagree- some say made in USA

best go to McDermott If you wish to see which lines are Made in China- some are some aren't !! There door is always open to the shop. The I- shafts are made in Wis. too. Where is there Maple from ?? Mich- for the last 45 yrs or so. good luck fixing the weightbolt- hopefully not glued in, remember to use the weight bolt in a Mcdermott. mark
 
Send your cue into McD. You pay like $20 plus your shipping costs. They will put on a new tip, clean your cue, adjust the weight to whatever you'd like it set to, inspect it, etc. Takes about two weeks, but it's worth doing once a year.

http://www.mcdermottcue.com/xmaintenance.php

I've done it many times.

Brian
 
Send it back to China, where it came from.

McD is very upfront about what cues they make in the US and what cues are made overseas. Any cue labeled as McDermott is made in the US. Star/Lucky/Element cues are made overseas. If you still think they are all made in China, take a trip to their factory in Menomonee Falls, WI and I'm sure they will give you a tour. I'd just make sure to give Jayme Cernicka the Customer Service Manager there a call first to make sure it's a good time. I've dealt with him in the past and he's great to deal with.

Brian
 
Mcdermotts from china

More mcdermotts are made in china than people think. I was recently at dick's sporting goods, (similar to dunhams or a walmart sporting goods section) and they had some Mcdermotts there. Four point mcdermott for 30 bucks, labeled mcdermott. Wrapped in plastic wrap haha. Do you still think mcdermotts that are labeled mcdermott are all made in the USA? If you go to the factory in Menominee Falls, you will find out that most of their warehouse space is empty these days. They still have a showroom, and that's about it. I am from milwaukee, and mcdermott pride is alive and well here. It's sad to see so many uninformed players standing by a company that sells them crap from china. The company changed when Jim McDermott passed away. Older McDermotts are good cues, but I don't see how anyone can support that company anymore.
 
Without a Mick D bumper tool, you can get the bumper out by using your thumbs on the same side and pushing it back and forth to loosen it up.
Mine is loose enuff now that I can do it with ease.

Just do it gently and don't force it if you think you are not making any progress.

If you are going to cut your weight bolt down, you should have a digital scale to measure your weights. Have a nut to use as a die over the bolt or
you'll most likely mess up the thread at the cut end and then hope you're handy with a small key way or pointed file. You'll just end up messing up the internal threads of your cue.

And please don't put any foreign objects such as putty down the threaded hole. Its just not the proper thing to do and if you don't get the weight right, it will just insure yourself a trip to your local repair man to
remove it with a tap. Thats is if he can, it will be a gunked up mess. It will be a crap job for him and you will pay for it.
 
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Bumper pulls out and weight bolt is either removed or replaced with desired weight. You do not have to put a weight bolt in if you want the cue to be ultra light.

On another subject...

I've been proudly shooting with a McDermott cue since I started playing about twenty years ago. I've also had the pleasure of using equipment from many other great Wisconsin cue companies such as Jacoby, Jackson, Pechauer, Schon, and so on. Anyone without specific knowledge on a subject should keep their opinions to themselves until they have been fully educated on the matter. As stated in previous posts, McDermott does in fact offer a couple of lines of very affordable cues for entry level players who do not want to spend $200-10,000.

Why wouldn't a company in the billiards industry try to cash out on a different demographic? If you owned a company and found that you could make another $400,000 a year by reaching different people, would you?

How many of you are aware that Predator and Lucasi are made in the exact same factory in China? Yes, China.

The "McDermott Handcrafted Cues" are made at the factory in Menominee Falls Wisconsin and are also a VERY high quality production cue. They only have a showroom? How many of you are aware of the actual size of their facility? It's a cue builders paradise!

The only thing I would ever fault them for is using all CNC and not offering full splice cues like they had back in the 70's, 80's, and even a shortwhile in the 90's. However, if you're not making money, you're not in business.

McDermott is active in the billiard community and supports more than their fair share of tournaments. Everyone should take some time and check our their website. www.mcdermottcue.com
 
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I plan on stopping at McDermott again on Monday, Im going to ask if they will give me a tour of the shop. I have been there several times recently but have never seen the actual shop, the building and the showroom are both very impressive. If anyone is interested in what I see, please feel free to ask.
 
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