How to change inlay to leather??? DIY

Just use a Dremel & exacto knife and remove the inlay then glue leather into the hole.:D
I'm looking for hidden cameras...am I being punked? Are you serious?:eek:
 
Kelly_Guy said:
Hopefully, he means wrap, not inlay.

Kelly

That's my take on this. The part of the cue you grab with your back hand is called the handle and some/most have a pressed linen wrap in the handle area. If you want to change that to leather you need to take it to a cue builder.... a pro who has the skills, materials and tools to do the job properly. It's not a job for us amatuers.
 
JimS said:
That's my take on this. The part of the cue you grab with your back hand is called the handle and some/most have a pressed linen wrap in the handle area. If you want to change that to leather you need to take it to a cue builder.... a pro who has the skills, materials and tools to do the job properly. It's not a job for us amatuers.
I totally agree with the above statement. In my cue building book I show you how to do it with minimal tooling. But you can get your leather professionally installed for about the same price as the book, leather blanks, glue, razor blades and such. You notice I put blanks plural. Because without a leather installation fixture and a lathe do not expect to do it perfect first try. So unless you desire to become a cue repairman I suggest just paying someone to do it for you also.
 
cueman said:
I totally agree with the above statement. In my cue building book I show you how to do it with minimal tooling. But you can get your leather professionally installed for about the same price as the book, leather blanks, glue, razor blades and such. You notice I put blanks plural. Because without a leather installation fixture and a lathe do not expect to do it perfect first try. So unless you desire to become a cue repairman I suggest just paying someone to do it for you also.



argee with you both..but then..again..if you love your cue..you want to do things on your own..and i love my cue so i want to try to do it my self..i know it's hard..but i woudn't mind..try to learn..
..if i realy want to do it..do you guys have th DIY ( do it yourself )
and also wat item i should get to do this..let me know thank you.
 
hypnauticz said:
argee with you both..but then..again..if you love your cue..you want to do things on your own..and i love my cue so i want to try to do it my self..i know it's hard..but i woudn't mind..try to learn..
..if i realy want to do it..do you guys have th DIY ( do it yourself )
and also wat item i should get to do this..let me know thank you.

I love my daughters, but I didn't try and stick ear tubes in their ears when they had fluid problems. I let a pro do that. :D

Kelly
 
hypnauticz said:
argee with you both..but then..again..if you love your cue..you want to do things on your own..and i love my cue so i want to try to do it my self..i know it's hard..but i woudn't mind..try to learn..
..if i realy want to do it..do you guys have th DIY ( do it yourself )
and also wat item i should get to do this..let me know thank you.

It needs to be done on some sort of holding fixture such as a lathe so yo need to buy a wood lathe for holding cue, removing old glue, squaring the ends and so forth. You really need a leather cutting and positioning jig. Some leather wraps, straight edges, razors, glue, tape and a roller. You can get a cheap wood lathe at H/F for a couple of hundred, a wrapping jig for around 450.00, leathers and other supplies for 100.00 - 150.00. If your experienced with working on cues and wrapping linen then it shouldn't take more than 6 or 8 tries to get one that is at least presentable. I would experiment on old cues as you will be sure to screw up the finish or such until you get better at installation.

Dick
 
Leather

If you REALLY love your cue as you say, you'll have a professional do your leather wrap. Why do something that will effect the value, looks, and playability of your cue that will surely be done wrong by you. This is one of those times that the satisfaction of "doing it yourself" isn't worth the pain. Spend a few dollars on this "love" and get it done right.
 
hypnauticz said:
argee with you both..but then..again..if you love your cue..you want to do things on your own..and i love my cue so i want to try to do it my self..i know it's hard..but i woudn't mind..try to learn..
..if i realy want to do it..do you guys have th DIY ( do it yourself )
and also wat item i should get to do this..let me know thank you.


i disagree with the majority here. i think you should get a piece of leather and try it yourself. if it turns out well, then you have a project that you can be proud of. if you screw it up, then you can call me and i'll either make you a new one or order one for you. i'll be waiting for the order...JER
 
From the Cuemaker's Wife

hypnauticz said:
i want to change my inlay to leather anyone have a DIY or details on how to do it?

Sorry fellas. I bumped Gene out of the way to respond to this one.

I am the cuemaker's wife. I have watched Gene build and repair cues for a few years, now. However, even though I know much of the processes, there is NO WAY you or anyone else could convince me to try to do a repair on a cue that I want to remain in good condition. Not unless I did the job on quite a few cues that are okay to trash, because that is exactly what would be happening. Without prior experience, you're almost assured of making your cue into a piece of irrepairable trash. There are so many things that could easily go wrong.

You haven't even told anyone if you know how to use a lathe, or any of the other tools and supplies that will be required. That information would be important.

Chris Hightower has a wonderful book which my husband studied and studied, before he attempted to do anything. Then, he bought the special cue lathe and some videos from Chris and we started buying wood for prices I never would have imagined paying for a "stupid old piece of wood." Well, those pieces of wood are expensive. (I have a new kind of respect for wood, too!)

I have a total appreciation for the cuemakers who get into this business. It takes months to finish a cue from the start, but only a day or two, if you put all the time together. To only be able to work on a cue for a few minutes each time would bother me. I like to start and finish something in one sitting. I can be very creative and artistic with many things, but I leave it to Gene, when it comes to pool cues. These guys are true artists with an extremely special talent. Gene never found anything he enjoys as much as building cues and he has a creative mind for it. It is a true honor to be a cuemaker's wife, but even with all my knowledge of how to build a cue, I would never attempt it without him by my side to guide me, and to tell me how to fix it, when I screw up.

If you think you just have to do this thing, do yourself a huge favor and find a cuemaker who will stand by your side and guide you. Either do that, or buy a book or video and study on it, get some wood or trash cues to practice on until you get it right, THEN do it.

If you are not naturally a very patient person, my advice would be to find a cuemaker to do the job for you.

Trust me. If you REALLY love your cue, you'll leave the alterations, repairs, etc., to the professionals. This is NOT one of those easy do-it-yourself projects. This is the thing that causes disclaimers like, "Do not attempt this at home!"

Renee' "the cuemaker's wife"
 
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CrownCues said:
Sorry fellas. I bumped Gene out of the way to respond to this one.

I am the cuemaker's wife. I have watched Gene build and repair cues for a few years, now. However, even though I know much of the processes, there is NO WAY you or anyone else could convince me to try to do a repair on a cue that I want to remain in good condition. Not unless I did the job on quite a few cues that are okay to trash, because that is exactly what would be happening. Without prior experience, you're almost assured of making your cue into a piece of irrepairable trash. There are so many things that could easily go wrong.

You haven't even told anyone if you know how to use a lathe, or any of the other tools and supplies that will be required. That information would be important.

Chris Hightower has a wonderful book which my husband studied and studied, before he attempted to do anything. Then, he bought the special cue lathe and some videos from Chris and we started buying wood for prices I never would have imagined paying for a "stupid old piece of wood." Well, those pieces of wood are expensive. (I have a new kind of respect for wood, too!)

I have a total appreciation for the cuemakers who get into this business. It takes months to finish a cue from the start, but only a day or two, if you put all the time together. To only be able to work on a cue for a few minutes each time would bother me. I like to start and finish something in one sitting. I can be very creative and artistic with many things, but I leave it to Gene, when it comes to pool cues. These guys are true artists with an extremely special talent. Gene never found anything he enjoys as much as building cues and he has a creative mind for it. It is a true honor to be a cuemaker's wife, but even with all my knowledge of how to build a cue, I would never attempt it without him by my side to guide me, and to tell me how to fix it, when I screw up.

If you think you just have to do this thing, do yourself a huge favor and find a cuemaker who will stand by your side and guide you. Either do that, or buy a book or video and study on it, get some wood or trash cues to practice on until you get it right, THEN do it.

If you are not naturally a very patient person, my advice would be to find a cuemaker to do the job for you.

Trust me. If you REALLY love your cue, you'll leave the alterations, repairs, etc., to the professionals. This is NOT one of those easy do-it-yourself projects. This is the thing that causes disclaimers like, "Do not attempt this at home!"

Renee' "the cuemaker's wife"

GOD I LOVE THIS WOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I weren't already married to the best women in this country, I'd steal you away. My wife is my left hand & has been from the start. She has her own lathe, where she turns wood from square to round & then rough turns them to just over sized tapers. She does tips & ferrules as well as I do. BUT SHE WOULD NEVER TRY A LEATHER WRAP. Because of my reacent injury to my left shoulder, WE are going to attempt to replace a linen wrap tomorrow. As familiar with the lathe as she is, she she has never done a wrap. I'm sure that the 2 of us will do a great job, but she would not attempt a wrap of any kind without me there...JER
 
hypnauticz said:
argee with you both..but then..again..if you love your cue..you want to do things on your own..and i love my cue so i want to try to do it my self..i know it's hard..but i woudn't mind..try to learn..
..if i realy want to do it..do you guys have th DIY ( do it yourself )
and also wat item i should get to do this..let me know thank you.

I'll be clear.

Don't be stupid. Replacing the wrap is hard. Doing a leather wrap takes a LOT of experience. If you want to perform some sort of work on your cue than learn how to do your own tips, how to polish the shaft etc.

Would you try to rebuild your automatic transmission because you love your car?

I guess I"ve been rude here but you don't seem to get the message with anything less than a 2x4 up long side the haid.
 
JimS said:
...Would you try to rebuild your automatic transmission because you love your car?...

That's a whole different monster. You could actually rebuild a transmission while referring to a manual for guidance. (Tough, but quite possible.) This job on the cue requires a lot more than being able to read and instantly put that reading to work.

hypnauticz, nobody is trying to be mean or put your idea down. I'm sure about everyone here can understand where you're coming from. (In fact, many of them probably started out with a similar attitude.) Trust me... if the cuemakers are telling you to get a pro to do it, it really is on the higher level of cuemaking... not something you can learn quickly and easily.

Sometimes, it's just better to pay someone who is highly experienced in the job you need done. If this cue is really special to you, would you take it apart, scrape and beat it up on the concrete, then run over it with your pickup? I should hope not.

I would like to suggest that you take your cue to someone who has a very good reputation for doing leather wraps, so you have a better chance of having a top quality job done for your prized cue. Ask around your local area, or even ask on the forum. Look for feedback -- positive AND negative. Get opinions and references from others who have used these cuemakers. If this cue is special, it deserves the best care at home AND in the hands of a cuemaker.

Thanks for the compliment, JER.

Renee' "the cuemaker's wife"
 
Now for the REAL question...

hypnauticz said:
i want to change my inlay to leather anyone have a DIY or details on how to do it?

This question has been haunting me, all afternoon.

Are you wanting to put a leather wrap on your cue, or cut out the inlays and replace them with inlays of leather?

There's quite a difference in these two things. Either way, you will probably need a new finish afterward. I'd still suggest putting your cue in the hands of a seasoned cuemaker.

Renee' (again) :D
 
rhncue said:
It needs to be done on some sort of holding fixture such as a lathe so yo need to buy a wood lathe for holding cue, removing old glue, squaring the ends and so forth. You really need a leather cutting and positioning jig. Some leather wraps, straight edges, razors, glue, tape and a roller. You can get a cheap wood lathe at H/F for a couple of hundred, a wrapping jig for around 450.00, leathers and other supplies for 100.00 - 150.00. If your experienced with working on cues and wrapping linen then it shouldn't take more than 6 or 8 tries to get one that is at least presentable. I would experiment on old cues as you will be sure to screw up the finish or such until you get better at installation.

Dick


yea..i have a old cue that i no longer need..is a decent cue..but i wanna learn..to do somethin with my own cue..so yea..=) thanks for the help.
 
hypnauticz said:
yea..i have a old cue that i no longer need..is a decent cue..but i wanna learn..to do somethin with my own cue..so yea..=) thanks for the help.
I feel the same, so I tried a few on cheap Dufferins, and they came out well. First thing, you need to make sure the recess in the wrap area matches the thickness of the leather. I used a straightedge and feeler gage to verify. If you need to deepen the recess, it's impossible without some way to spin the cue. Make a paper template for the wrap that's a PERFECT fit, no matter how many tries it takes to get it right. Make a couple centered index marks on the butt for your final cut line. Tape your template to the blank, and carefully cut it with a very sharp blade. Make it 1/16 longer than the template, and 1 in. wider. Do a test fit using some double-faced tape, and overlap at the seam line. Using a straightedge clamped in place and a sharp blade, cut through both layers at the overlap. Remove the tape, and paint the wrap and butt with a very thin coat of white glue. Lay it in place, working the glue out from center to edge. Clean up any glue squeeze-out, and use some blue masking tape to hold the seam tight until it dries. It's a time-consuming process, and I can guarantee it won't be perfect. But you will have done it yourself, and you will happily pay a pro's bill when it's time for leather on a "good" cue, now that you know how tough it is to do right. Good luck!

Bill
 
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