How to condition your shaft

Tiger5150

Tiger5150

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I use softscrub with bleach on a damp wash cloth, this really gets the old chalk out then I use a microfiber cloth to seal the wood. This leaves the shaft very slick. NEVER any sand paper or anything that would remove wood.

What do you do to condition your shaft?
 
-To clean: Magic Eraser + Denaturated alcohol.
-Sandpaper starting at 1200-1500-2000.
-Shaft sealer made of thinned Bullseye sanding sealer (4 parts denaturated alcohol, 1 part sanding sealer) *thanks blackheart!*
-Remove the excess with 1500-2000 sandpapers
-I found Pledge furniture polish is awesome as a conditionner, really!
-2000 sandpaper.

I'll eventually explain more in details... :eek:
 
I use Slip-Stic and it works great.

www.slipstic.com

index.27.jpg


www.slipstic.com
 
Blackjack said:
I use Slip-Stic and it works great.

www.slipstic.com

index.27.jpg


www.slipstic.com
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Yep, SlipStic makes sense too! I used polishes and waxes before and then a friend magnified my cue shaft to show me what it looked like. The waxes and polishes trapped everything, kinda looked sickening, no wonder they felt tacky again, and fast.

Try waxing a table and then sliding your hand on it, tacky for sure. I read up on stuff and even though most polishes repel moisture, they also mix with it too.

SlipStic seems to repel everything and not mix.

I just keep my hands clean and use SpilStic, sometimes a glove too if is really humid. (don't like 'em though) Important is that I just have to worry about ny hands and not the shaft with SlipStic. I like the no hassle part.
 
I cannot understand the desire to have a clean shaft- I like it blue- I wipe it down with the papertowel I used after washing hands. Mine is smooth as glass (and 20+ inches long. There, wang reference acknowledged).
 
I use the Q series of cleaning and conditioning products like it's my religion. Q-Clean, Q-Smooth, Q-Slick and Q-Glide about once a month or as necessary. They are all really easy to use and they literally make my shaft look brand new. I used them the first time and went to a friend's house to play after, and he seriously did not believe that I was using the same shaft as I had the day before. It removes EVERYTHING from your shaft and ferrule and makes it feel smoother than you could even imagine.
 
Black-Balled said:
I cannot understand the desire to have a clean shaft- I like it blue- I wipe it down with the papertowel I used after washing hands. Mine is smooth as glass (and 20+ inches long. There, wang reference acknowledged).
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Same here, who cares if it's blue as long as it's smooth.
 
I put a little rubbing alchohol on a paper towel to clean the shaft...I then put (just a little) baby oil on my fingers and then rub the oil into the shaft...Then I take a clean paper towel and burnish the oil into the shaft.

Magic Eraser on the ferrule every once in a while...and or a spit polish with a peice of leather on the side of the tip.....Check the tip shape (sand only if necessary with the half moon PVC sander) and Tip Pic....

Done..
 
Tiger5150 said:
IWhat do you do to condition your shaft?
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Light sanding with 600 grit.
Non-abrasive shaft cleaner.
Shaft sealer.
Light sanding with 600 grit (to get top coat of sealer off - but not to open pores again)
Cue Wax
Light Burnish (paper towel or leather)
Maybe a second layer of wax.
All of this done on my Hightower Mid-size lathe ;)
Shaft is always smooth as silk.

FYI: This procedure is also the one taught in the lathe video, so I'm confident that it's ok to use 600 grit, as long as you're not chewing your shaft down.

-td
 
at first i was obsessed with wiping every little speck of blue chalk dust off my shaft and cue, now i love it! the bluer the cooler!
 
Blue Stuff

That blue stuff on your cue is chalk imbedded in the pores of the wood. Chalk is used to create friction on the tip of the cue. What you want on your shaft is a lack of friction. Threrefore you dont really want chalk on your shaft. I like the Slipstic package with the little melamine patch to clean off the blue stuff and the leather to burnish. The ultimate shaft cleaner is still Mr. Clean magic eraser. After that, use whatever you like.
 
bell said:
That blue stuff on your cue is chalk imbedded in the pores of the wood. Chalk is used to create friction on the tip of the cue. What you want on your shaft is a lack of friction. Threrefore you dont really want chalk on your shaft. I like the Slipstic package with the little melamine patch to clean off the blue stuff and the leather to burnish. The ultimate shaft cleaner is still Mr. Clean magic eraser. After that, use whatever you like.
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Not necessarily true for all players....I can't stand a freshly lathe polished slicker than cat shit shaft....

I like them when there is a touch of friction from the build up of oils and chalk so the shaft is a little slower......just my preference...:)
 
I prefer the slickest shaft I can get. When I get a shaft from someplace I clean it w/a Magic Eraser and denatured alcohol. Then 600 grit, 1000 grit, 2000 grit and then leather.

I spin the shaft on my drill/crutch tip "lathe" during all these operations. I don't need the Magic Eraser except on shafts that I get from others. Mine are always perfect. Can't stand it otherwise.
 
Here's what you do; (tongue in cheek)

On a well used shaft with no dings;

Shape the tip first. This causes residue that can get on your shaft.

-Paper towel with 91% alcohol.
-very damp Magic Eraser
-Burnish with very fine yellow 1500~2000 grit
-Slipstic as recommended

Your done. You can thank me later.
 
BRKNRUN said:
Not necessarily true for all players....I can't stand a freshly lathe polished slicker than cat shit shaft....

I like them when there is a touch of friction from the build up of oils and chalk so the shaft is a little slower......just my preference...:)
Click to expand...

Same preference here. I just conditioned one shaft. It had two dings which I steamed out with a wet cue tip and iron. Its a bit blue and some oil build up. That stays and its good to go. Hey Ken, are you going to six shooters sunday?

Rod
 
I feel that the finest yellow paper from Q Smooth is smoother than than the smooth side of Q-Wiz, though both are good enough.

I don't use Magic Eraser or any cleaning product. I don't need to remove blue chalk residue because I use tan chalk.
 
I take my hand and rub my forehead or the sides of my nose and rub them into the wood followed by a quick wipe with a terrycloth towel. The natural oils seal the wood. If needed, I might use Nicks Edge sanding film every couple months but after the wood is sealed all you need is a towel.
 
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