How to clean wood shaft after every use?

The best method I've found is to take bar towel or microfiber towel and wet it. Wring out as much of the water as you possibly can. Hold it in your hand and give give it the business from tip to joint and back a few times (3 or 4 max) squeezing pretty much as hard as you can. Then do the same thing with a dry towel. It's obviously not going to get chalk dust out of the grain. But as long as it was in decent shape to begin with, it'll take any sweat buildup and stickiness off of it without really raising the grain because there's barely any water left in the towel and it's only on there for a few seconds. I might take 20 seconds and burnish it with a piece of leather before I play with it again. But it just kind of depends on whether I think to do it or not.
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
The best method I've found is to take bar towel or microfiber towel and wet it. Wring out as much of the water as you possibly can. Hold it in your hand and give give it the business from tip to joint and back a few times (3 or 4 max) squeezing pretty much as hard as you can. Then do the same thing with a dry towel. It's obviously not going to get chalk dust out of the grain. But as long as it was in decent shape to begin with, it'll take any sweat buildup and stickiness off of it without really raising the grain because there's barely any water left in the towel and it's only on there for a few seconds. I might take 20 seconds and burnish it with a piece of leather before I play with it again. But it just kind of depends on whether I think to do it or not.
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Ty this is a big help! I appreciate you
 
cueball2010 said:
I thought ur comment about solvent proofing a wood shaft was funny. I mean it would just end up feeling like CF, which defeats the purpose of having a wood shaft. Which is why I dont understand Cuetec Avid shafts. Cover a wood shaft in fiber glass so they can put the word "Wood" in the description.

The only way I think you could create a solvent barrier is by using some car body ceramic coat or ceramic spray. And I assume it would not feel like wood anymore either.
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I silicone everything I shoot with. To me slick is all I want out of cue feel. It makes a difference at the extremes too ie, draw and the break. Even the slight tack of carnauba will take speed off those. I think a suitable sealer could be found.
 
If the shaft is really dirty, you can take a small piece of magic eraser, soak in alcohol, squeeze out the excess, and clean the shaft. You do need to burnish slightly after.
If you use Taom V10 chalk, you don't hardly ever need to clean your shaft
 
mikemosconi said:
Putting water on a wood shaft is just stupid! 90+% isopropyl alcohol has been recommended for the past. 30 years by top rated cue makers- end of story.
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Even that 10% water is water. I suggest learning how to distill the 91% to however high you can get it. Only takes salt and a suitable container. Is there a meter that reads alcohol solution?
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
The best method I've found is to take bar towel or microfiber towel and wet it. Wring out as much of the water as you possibly can. Hold it in your hand and give give it the business from tip to joint and back a few times (3 or 4 max) squeezing pretty much as hard as you can. Then do the same thing with a dry towel. It's obviously not going to get chalk dust out of the grain. But as long as it was in decent shape to begin with, it'll take any sweat buildup and stickiness off of it without really raising the grain because there's barely any water left in the towel and it's only on there for a few seconds. I might take 20 seconds and burnish it with a piece of leather before I play with it again. But it just kind of depends on whether I think to do it or not.
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Have no data on this but I gotta say wiping toward the joint will distribute chalk on the shaft.
 
I have 2 shafts I mostly play with. I wipe them down after each use with a dry paper towel
mainly to get all chalk off the tip.
They look dirty but what I say is they are well 'seasoned'. They are slick as glass.
On a rare occasion I'll make of few passes with the green side of a Q-wiz, then use
the other side numerous times until I feel a mild 'heat'.
My other shafts are getting that 'seasoned' look and feel, I just don't play them as much.
BTW, any time I had bought a new or used cue I'd let my cue repair guy put one of my stash
of tips on then clean and seal the shafts. After that no so-called cleaning.
 
Scratch85 said:
I’m a little hesitant to admit this but I’m thinking I can’t be the only one. The only thing I clean my cue shaft (carbon or wood)with, is my untucked shirt tail. If I’m using anything else, it’s probably because I made a mess while eating or drinking.


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same. i always wear dark t-shirts / sweatshirts anyway.

for proper cleaning i use isopropanol and microfiber cloth, sometimes magic eraser
 
skogstokig said:
same. i always wear dark t-shirts / sweatshirts anyway.

for proper cleaning i use isopropanol and microfiber cloth, sometimes magic eraser
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There is usually a napkin/paper towel available, shirt tail if not. I just use that dry. No water (liquid) ever.

You just want to wipe off excess chalk and dirt with a dry towel. Alcohol and magic erasers are for maintenance cleaning, not out in the wild or daily cleaning. You'll strip off sealers and wax (if used) exacerbating the problem each time you do it. The shaft needs to be resealed, waxed, and burnished after alcohol and/or magic eraser.

Wash your hands periodically and dry wipe the shaft. Mine stays smooth and rarely need anything additional.
 
straightline said:
Have no data on this but I gotta say wiping toward the joint will distribute chalk on the shaft.
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It might. The original poster asked about day to day cleaning and this type of cleaning isn't really about getting the all chalk dust and off. It's about getting any stickiness or gunk off to keep the shaft smooth and slick.

And I'll be the first to admit that my shafts are stained blue. It doesn't really bother me that much. Although, it does kind of bug me on the ferrules. Anyway, every once in a while I'll bust out the alcohol and magic eraser and get the chalk dust out of it as best I can.
 
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I'll be the first to say that all of you can do whatever you want with your cues. After all, they're yours. But it kind of cracks me up when people freak out about using water on a shaft. I've been doing the method I described in my previous post for the better part of 30 years and have yet to have a shaft warp. It's not like I'm soaking the shaft in hot dish water. I'm literally wiping it off with a barely damp towel then immediately wiping that off with a dry one. Getting the towels, soaking, and wringing them takes longer than the wiping and drying part. Is 9000% IPA better? Of course. But, call me crazy, I don't really like carrying around a bottle of fuel that could potentially leak in my cue case or truck. The original poster asked about day to day cleaning, not deep cleaning. And that's how I clean my shafts when I'm at the pool room. If I'm at home and want to get the chalk dust out, I'll bust out the IPA, a magic eraser, some super high grit sandpaper, and a swatch of leather. Then I'll go to town on it until I'm satisfied or my arm gets tired.

Here's a fun one... I'm going to keep this pretty vague because I don't like naming names and this person's process might have changed since then. But maybe ten or fifteen years ago I was at a big pro tournament and decided to have my shafts cleaned by a very well known and respected cue repair guy and his working partner who is also very well known and respected. I watched as the working partner took my shaft, put it in the lathe, then pulled a rag out of a decent sized tub of soapy water. That rag was dripping wet. He proceeded to wrap the rag around the shaft and work it back and forth while occasionally dipping and wringing the rag in the soapy water. After that, he got out a magic eraser and some alcohol and proceeded with a deep clean. Both shafts turned out great and they're still straight.
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
It might. The original poster asked about day to day cleaning and this type of cleaning isn't really about getting the all chalk dust and off. It's about getting any stickiness or gunk off to keep the shaft smooth and slick.
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Exactly. 100%
philly said:
Why clean your shaft at all?
Paper towel up and down the shaft and then over tip and then back in the case.
What are you doing to your shaft that you need to clean it?
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Might be psychological. Paper towel would give it a fine sanding...not good. It's about reducing drag and having piece of mind that your hand is not going to run into the one small spot on the shaft that feels like bubble gum. You miss 1 time and you lose in this game.
 
cueball2010 said:
Exactly. 100%

Might be psychological. Paper towel would give it a fine sanding...not good. It's about reducing drag and having piece of mind that your hand is not going to run into the one small spot on the shaft that feels like bubble gum. You miss 1 time and you lose in this game.
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Pretty hard to concentrate on your game, patterns and such if you are thinking about your shaft while shooting.
Kidding not kidding.
Perhaps people eat while playing and get stuff on their shafts. I dont know.
I never clean my shafts. They're smooth as a baby's bottom, always.
How do you get stuff on your shaft?
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
It might. The original poster asked about day to day cleaning and this type of cleaning isn't really about getting the all chalk dust and off. It's about getting any stickiness or gunk off to keep the shaft smooth and slick.

And I'll be the first to admit that my shafts are stained blue. It doesn't really bother me that much. Although, it does kind of bug me on the ferrules. Anyway, every once in a while I'll bust out the alcohol and magic eraser and get the chalk dust out of it as best I can.
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The blue means friction to me. I do the magic eraser thing - several times a week if necessary just to maintain "the glide".
 
cueball2010 said:
Exactly. 100%

Might be psychological. Paper towel would give it a fine sanding...not good. It's about reducing drag and having piece of mind that your hand is not going to run into the one small spot on the shaft that feels like bubble gum. You miss 1 time and you lose in this game.
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Unless someone is going completely nuts every day for extended periods of time, a paper towel isn't really going to do any harm. Are there better options? Yes, of course. But, man... I'd be more worried about starting a fire than wearing down my shaft if I was going that hard with a paper towel. :ROFLMAO:
 
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