How to economically maintain house cues?

[derangedhermit]

My current favorite room has maybe 40-50 one-piece house cues. Most are in need of some kind of maintenance. A new tip, a reshaped tip, a new bumper, shaft smoothing, etc. These are mostly Lucasi one-piece cues, so I assume not so bad, with a few old Dufferin "made in Canada" ones mixed in.

The rates of the guy who retips my shafts tells me that economically, you should probably just replace the cue instead of repair it. Seems a waste, since they are mostly basically sound. Is there a forumla to spend $10-$15 to rehabilitate the standard house cue?

 

[rhncue]

My current favorite room has maybe 40-50 one-piece house cues. Most are in need of some kind of maintenance. A new tip, a reshaped tip, a new bumper, shaft smoothing, etc. These are mostly Lucasi one-piece cues, so I assume not so bad, with a few old Dufferin "made in Canada" ones mixed in.

The rates of the guy who retips my shafts tells me that economically, you should probably just replace the cue instead of repair it. Seems a waste, since they are mostly basically sound. Is there a forumla to spend $10-$15 to rehabilitate the standard house cue?

I've either worked at or managed rooms and have frequented many and all or at least most rooms have their own employees both repair their cues and recover their own tables and usually retip and recover others tables also. Both tasks are easy extra money for a room. Every room needs a small lathe that their counterman can use, when not busy, to replace and maintain the H/C tips. One piece tips don't cost much more than .25 each when bought in bulk and the labor is free as he is already being paid. Only 4 or 5 tips done a week should maintain a room once those cues are caught up. A little money up front will save and make much money in the future.

Dick

 

[macguy]

My current favorite room has maybe 40-50 one-piece house cues. Most are in need of some kind of maintenance. A new tip, a reshaped tip, a new bumper, shaft smoothing, etc. These are mostly Lucasi one-piece cues, so I assume not so bad, with a few old Dufferin "made in Canada" ones mixed in.

The rates of the guy who retips my shafts tells me that economically, you should probably just replace the cue instead of repair it. Seems a waste, since they are mostly basically sound. Is there a forumla to spend $10-$15 to rehabilitate the standard house cue?

You don't really have to take the care with a house cue as with someones prized custom cue so they are not that hard to do. The pool room should learn how o do them themselves. Replacing the cues has a catch 22 with it. The tips they come with are often just junk and the cues will need attention right away even when new so you are looking at working on the cues either way. It is part of the business, you need to know how to maintain your equipment.

 

[PickPocket]

funny you bring this up, i am taking on this same task now! check out my post on retipping 80+ cues under the supplies section, a lot of great info!

2 things I will say:
1) if you can buy a lathe
2) fix them. dont buy more.

 

[Brickcues]

I am the House Pro at JOB Billiards in Madison, Tn. I have my own business in JOB'S and my rent is to repair their house cues. I do a good job so there are not to many tips to replace that often. I think right now I have 5 that have been sitting in my office for a couple of months. I always wait until I have a few to do.

The problem at other places is they do not have anyone to do this most of the time so they either come see me and I give a cut rate for quanity or they go buy new ones as you can find some good deals out there. I bought some Valley house cues one time for $9.00 each. I liked Valleys as they are oversized and you can cut another profile for sneeky petes. I have even paid around that for Dufferens and then gone to local pool halls and swaped the new cues for the old oversized butted cues they had.

Moral of the story is to replace when they get real beat up and need bumpers and ferrules, get new ones.

 

[HDR10]

they are worth fixing!
most repairmen(like me)give a little break to the rooms on house cues "IF" they always do them and get say 10 or more at a time to do!I know I do.........