How to fix dents in the butt of the cue?

J

JohnsonJ

Member
So, I bought a used Mezz, which has a few dents in the butt. I think it's just the lacquer that kind of got dented/chipped, and that it doesn't go deep enough to the wood. But then again I may be wrong.

What do you suggest I do to fix them? I have access to a machinist lathe.

Should I completely sand the entire section, and reapply lacquer? (If so, which lacquer? How do I apply it? How do I make sure I get a smooth finish?)

Or is it possible to just add a tiny amount of super glue to the dent, and sand that whole section down on the lathe?

https://imgur.com/a/h9DAGWo
https://imgur.com/a/81p6Fkd
 
JohnsonJ said:
So, I bought a used Mezz, which has a few dents in the butt. I think it's just the lacquer that kind of got dented/chipped, and that it doesn't go deep enough to the wood. But then again I may be wrong.

What do you suggest I do to fix them? I have access to a machinist lathe.

Should I completely sand the entire section, and reapply lacquer? (If so, which lacquer? How do I apply it? How do I make sure I get a smooth finish?)

Or is it possible to just add a tiny amount of super glue to the dent, and sand that whole section down on the lathe?

https://imgur.com/a/h9DAGWo
https://imgur.com/a/81p6Fkd
Click to expand...

Thick super glue applied in the dings. Let dry (it will take a while). Reapply until slightly above the rest of the finish. Carefully sand smooth to the finish, probably starting with 800 grit. Sand through the grits up to at least 2000. Sand as little area as possible. Buff with car compounds.
 
outrider1 said:
I've been using an Iron over 20 years with no issues it works for the local cuemaker, he taught me.
Click to expand...

Okay.

I can't even fathom how that fixes anything like what the op shows for the simple reason that the steam would have to penetrate the thick clear coat before it could have any effect on the wood below.

I'd love for you to post images of your results.

If someone ever brought a cue to me to repair after trying steam on a finished butt, I'd laugh hysterically at them. Now I'll just send them your way.
 
Hahaha, don't argue guys. So, we all agree, that I just put a few drops of super glue there, build up the layers, then sand it down locally, and then give it a good polish?

I was thinking of getting a female adapter to fit the pin, mounting it in the chuck, and supporting the bottom of the cue butt by holding it in it's place with the tailstock of the lathe, using a centering tip with a bearing (I don't know the English term, it's basically a cone that rotates freely).

Would I need to clean up the area before applying the super glue, or do I just go straight for it?

Regarding it not being worth doing it, I disagree, I want to bring the cue up to new-spec, since I'm meticulous about keeping things mint. I just picked it up, and the shaft has already been taken care of pretty much, thanks to your suggestions in a different post.
 
JohnsonJ said:
Hahaha, don't argue guys. So, we all agree, that I just put a few drops of super glue there, build up the layers, then sand it down locally, and then give it a good polish?

I was thinking of getting a female adapter to fit the pin, mounting it in the chuck, and supporting the bottom of the cue butt by holding it in it's place with the tailstock of the lathe, using a centering tip with a bearing (I don't know the English term, it's basically a cone that rotates freely).

Would I need to clean up the area before applying the super glue, or do I just go straight for it?

Regarding it not being worth doing it, I disagree, I want to bring the cue up to new-spec, since I'm meticulous about keeping things mint. I just picked it up, and the shaft has already been taken care of pretty much, thanks to your suggestions in a different post.
Click to expand...

Try polishing by hand first. Go to the lathe of it doesn't work.

Clean with isopropyl alcohol before applying super glue. Big thing is that there's isn't dust in there. Sg doesn't really get bothered by a little bit of wax or skin oil.

The centering tip isn't exactly correct terminology, but close enough that we all get it. We would call that a 'live center'.
 
DeeDeeCues said:
Okay.

I can't even fathom how that fixes anything like what the op shows for the simple reason that the steam would have to penetrate the thick clear coat before it could have any effect on the wood below.

I'd love for you to post images of your results.

If someone ever brought a cue to me to repair after trying steam on a finished butt, I'd laugh hysterically at them. Now I'll just send them your way.
Click to expand...
You seem to have the impression that I will work for you? Tell you what, I'm going to do me and you can do you. Okay?
 
So, an update.

It came out acceptable, I added a whole layer of superglue and polished it, it's a lot better than before, but still not how I wanted it. I will sand down the entire cue as Kim Bye mentioned, to really make it like new.

My question is regarding the first layer of clearcoat.... I was thinking, should I sand down to the wood, add a layer of 2 component epoxy, polish it, and then add 10 layers of CA glue on top (polishing between each addition of a new layer), or can I skip the epoxy, and put CA straight on to the wood?

Or would it be nicer to spray the cue down with automotive lacquer as the base, polish it up on a lathe, and then build my CA layers on top of that?

Also, during the drying process of the epoxy (or automotive lacquer, if that's what you guys would suggest), should I keep the cue spinning on a lathe at low rpm while the clearcoat dries, or can I have it stationary during that time?

After I get the clearcoat as I want it, I was thinking of adding a layer of hard wax on top of the clearcoat.

I'm interested to see your thoughts on how you guys would proceed to do basically a full restore of the clearcoat.
 
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