how to best remove cue "glassy" finish?

[evergruven]

I like the taper/thickness of my shaft and don't want to change it
but I am interested in removing its "glassy" finish, and replacing it with a smoother, natural wood/sanded feel
what's the best way to do this, without removing too much of the cue?

 

[ThinSlice]

I find denatured alcohol will do the trick real quick.


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[Sheldon]

If it's an actual finish, you'll probably have to very carefully sand it off as close to the wood as possible. You will lose a little bit of the diameter of the cue if this is the case, because the finish will be at least a couple of thousandths thick. I would not recommend doing this without a lathe if you like the shaft.

 

[Dave38]

I like the taper/thickness of my shaft and don't want to change it
but I am interested in removing its "glassy" finish, and replacing it with a smoother, natural wood/sanded feel
what's the best way to do this, without removing too much of the cue?

first question...brand of the cue? secondly, how long have you owned it? A normal shaft, brand new has a seal coat on it to protect the shaft from dirt buildup, BUT it is a thin coat that will wear off in a period of time....a thick coat that is still shiny after a 1 yr of regular play is basically a coat of heavy finish applied to make sure that the below average shaftwood won't (hopefully) warp before their 1 yr warrentee expires. I have had some customers ask me to make their shaft smooth, and it took multipule pieces of sandpaper that got jammed with the thick finish before getting to actual wood, Usually cheap ass asian cues with either sub-par maple or ramin wood shafts

 

[ideologist]

What in the world?

You want to make a shaft feel more natural? Go stroke some tree bark and see how playable it is.

Wood that is sanded and sealed to a perfect slick finish is the ultimate test in wood working.

Why would anyone want their shaft to be harder to stroke?

 

[Tommy-D]

Maybe what he is describing is kind of like the feeling of the back of a brand-new guitar neck with a sprayed finish,and he wants to "de-gloss" to an extent. With hand moisture and/or less than optimal A/C in places a finish can cause a sticky mess.

I know that sounds backwards but it works that way. Eventually,it will buff itself back out under your hand.

On my Charvel,I go over it with a piece of the white or 1500 grit Scotch Brite,a couple strokes twice a year is enough.

On reasonably fresh clearcoat,maybe 1000 grit dry would be the ticket.

There have been times here in NW Tennessee where it got so humid in a place that my buffed and waxed out shafts were gettin' sticky even wiped down,and my answer was fresh 1000 and minimal powder,and if I needed to go further I have a bottle of alcohol I can use to take it back down to bare slick wood with just a wipe. Tommy D.

 

[evergruven]

I find denatured alcohol will do the trick real quick.


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interesting..

If it's an actual finish, you'll probably have to very carefully sand it off as close to the wood as possible. You will lose a little bit of the diameter of the cue if this is the case, because the finish will be at least a couple of thousandths thick. I would not recommend doing this without a lathe if you like the shaft.

makes sense..lathe probably smart
ps dig the sage quote!

first question...brand of the cue? secondly, how long have you owned it? A normal shaft, brand new has a seal coat on it to protect the shaft from dirt buildup, BUT it is a thin coat that will wear off in a period of time....a thick coat that is still shiny after a 1 yr of regular play is basically a coat of heavy finish applied to make sure that the below average shaftwood won't (hopefully) warp before their 1 yr warrentee expires. I have had some customers ask me to make their shaft smooth, and it took multipule pieces of sandpaper that got jammed with the thick finish before getting to actual wood, Usually cheap ass asian cues with either sub-par maple or ramin wood shafts

hey dave, it's the same cue you removed the weight bolt from- "fuel" brand, cheap..
I've only really been using it much since I got it back from you, I guess it's got a ways to go before the finish coat were to wear off naturally

What in the world?

Why would anyone want their shaft to be harder to stroke?

that's why I'm here..to get my shaft to stroke easier

Maybe what he is describing is kind of like the feeling of the back of a brand-new guitar neck with a sprayed finish,and he wants to "de-gloss" to an extent. With hand moisture and/or less than optimal A/C in places a finish can cause a sticky mess.

exactly- thank you. I took my q-wiz to it briefly, and it helped, but the help didn't last, and like I said, I want to remove as little of the shaft as possible.
I used to use powder, but I don't like the mess. I don't like using a glove either.
I do have some older cues that have definitely been naturally "buffed" over time, by friction, natural oils, etc.
I think that's a cool process, I'm just looking to get more immediate results.

thanks all for the replies-

 

[Dave38]

hey dave, it's the same cue you removed the weight bolt from- "fuel" brand, cheap..
I've only really been using it much since I got it back from you, I guess it's got a ways to go before the finish coat were to wear off naturally

Yes, that has a thick coat of finish, not sealer. I did sand lightly and buff it to smooth it a bit, but to do it right, If it was mine, would be to strip down to the wood, but that may take the dia. down about 15 thousand.

 

[evergruven]

Yes, that has a thick coat of finish, not sealer. I did sand lightly and buff it to smooth it a bit, but to do it right, If it was mine, would be to strip down to the wood, but that may take the dia. down about 15 thousand.

thanks dave.

 

[BarenbruggeCues]

Buff lightly with some scotch style pad. Start out fine and if that doesn't get it done go long.

 

[JC]

A cordless drill and a driver will work just fine for sanding it. Better than a lathe if the shaft isn't dead straight. I have five lathes and still use my drill for most of my shaft finish work.

The video on my you tube channel showing how to properly massage a shaft using a cordless drill has a lot of haters. It's the most thumbs down of anything I have ever posted.

Still waiting for someone to explain to me what's wrong with what I do though. And why the results I get aren't the results I think they are. And why the shaft is suffering although it can't be measured.

They just know it sucks but can't explain it. So down with the thumb!

 

[boogieman]

A cordless drill and a driver will work just fine for sanding it. Better than a lathe if the shaft isn't dead straight. I have five lathes and still use my drill for most of my shaft finish work.

The video on my you tube channel showing how to properly massage a shaft using a cordless drill has a lot of haters. It's the most thumbs down of anything I have ever posted.

Still waiting for someone to explain to me what's wrong with what I do though. And why the results I get aren't the results I think they are. And why the shaft is suffering although it can't be measured.

They just know it sucks but can't explain it. So down with the thumb!

Got a link to said video?

 

[JC]

Got a link to said video?

The trick is how you hold the drill to work on the shaft. Point it up and trigger it with your thumb and you will have great control over both the shaft and the drill. Having the old 18 volt drill with the big battery is key since you can set it down with the shaft attached without it tipping over if you have for instance applied sanding sealer and it needs to dry a bit.

This will give people a chance to constructively criticize using a drill but they will be incorrect because doing it like this has no down side other than in their mind. When I build a new shaft I finish sand it just like this after taking it off my cnc. Way quicker and easier than chucking it up in a lathe. Especially for that final burnish. As I said I have many lathes but use a drill on shaft finishing. Especially used shafts not dead straight The wobble will be shock absorbed by your wrist holding the drill and you can work the shaft without noticing the runout. The shaft in my video is slightly warped.

Here is another thing I have learned when dealing with bare shaft wood either new or recleaned. You can take some 2000 grit sandpaper and apply liberally minwax paste wax to it and use it for your final finish and you get the affect of wet sanding without raising the grain of the wood. And you can work it all the way to the joint and it will not hurt the finish on the shaft down there other than to polish it back up. Follow that up with a burnish with paper towels creating a bit of heat and you will have a very nice durable shaft that feels like glass. I now prefer this wax over renaissance.

 

[boogieman]

The trick is how you hold the drill to work on the shaft. Point it up and trigger it with your thumb and you will have great control over both the shaft and the drill. Having the old 18 volt drill with the big battery is key since you can set it down with the shaft attached without it tipping over if you have for instance applied sanding sealer and it needs to dry a bit.

This will give people a chance to constructively criticize using a drill but they will be incorrect because doing it like this has no down side other than in their mind. When I build a new shaft I finish sand it just like this after taking it off my cnc. Way quicker and easier than chucking it up in a lathe. Especially for that final burnish. As I said I have many lathes but use a drill on shaft finishing. Especially used shafts not dead straight The wobble will be shock absorbed by your wrist holding the drill and you can work the shaft without noticing the runout. The shaft in my video is slightly warped.

Here is another thing I have learned when dealing with bare shaft wood either new or recleaned. You can take some 2000 grit sandpaper and apply liberally minwax paste wax to it and use it for your final finish and you get the affect of wet sanding without raising the grain of the wood. And you can work it all the way to the joint and it will not hurt the finish on the shaft down there other than to polish it back up. Follow that up with a burnish with paper towels creating a bit of heat and you will have a very nice durable shaft that feels like glass. I now prefer this wax over renaissance.

Nice, I have one of those drill based lathes sold on ebay. It works really well, I'll have to try it in hand held mode, makes a lot of sense. The setup I have takes a bit longer, but I can get a damn fine finish on it with the sanding films, R. wax, leather, cardboard, whatever to get a good burnish on it. I'll have to give the minwax a try. I really like the R. wax over say carnauba. Carnauba seems to get sticky faster or picks up moisture more than R. wax.

 

[barryr]

If it's not a laminated shaft use a quality brand paint stripper. Make sure to mask the ferrule and joint collar first.

 

[ThinSlice]

If I understood the OP’s question correctly he was talking about the gloss that occurred naturally over time. From hand oils etc. I have played with cues that are smooth as glass from playing them. However if your hands sweat the shaft with start to stick to the hands. That is one downfall. Removing this slick layer can easily be accomplished with denatured alcohol and a bright boy. It will also clean up pretty well without removing any diameter of the shaft. Which I avoid at all costs on my previous shafts.


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[Dave38]

If I understood the OP’s question correctly he was talking about the gloss that occurred naturally over time. From hand oils etc. I have played with cues that are smooth as glass from playing them. However if your hands sweat the shaft with start to stick to the hands. That is one downfall. Removing this slick layer can easily be accomplished with denatured alcohol and a bright boy. It will also clean up pretty well without removing any diameter of the shaft. Which I avoid at all costs on my previous shafts.


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Actually, this particular shaft has a very thick finish the whole length, not the type you are speaking of. Having worked on this cue, only a good sanding off of the finish down to bare wood, then resealed with a proper sealer, then done right, then, and only then, will it be the best it can be.

 

[ThinSlice]

Actually, this particular shaft has a very thick finish the whole length, not the type you are speaking of. Having worked on this cue, only a good sanding off of the finish down to bare wood, then resealed with a proper sealer, then done right, then, and only then, will it be the best it can be.

I have personally never witnessed a shaft with finish from join to tip. Interesting for sure.


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[evergruven]

I have personally never witnessed a shaft with finish from join to tip. Interesting for sure.


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it's a cheap cue. borrowing from your suggestion, I rubbed it down with rubbing alcohol and that did a good job of cleaning it, which helped
otherwise, 9/10 sessions it's not a problem- but when it's hot/sticky out, I'm just keeping the cue and my hands extra clean